8th graders participate in BLMS river day. 9-30-17

   A total of 245 Big Lake students participated in a warm day along the Elk River in Lion’s Park in Big Lake last Friday. It was also the return of ‘BLMS River Day’ after high water last year led to the cancellation of last year. Heavy rains in the morning led to concern of a second cancellation.

“We didn’t like what the radar was showing,” said Jim VanderHeyden, one of the eighth grade science teachers. ”But we were only delayed 30 minutes and didn’t have to cancel as many students feared.” Further rain showers held off, and by lunch time, the clouds gave way to hot sun. Though it was the first day of Autumn, it felt nothing like it with temperatures skyrocketing into the 90s. “Normally it’s really chilly for river day, not today,” added VanderHeyden. “We can’t do it in the spring because of high water, so we do it in the fall and let the weather do its thing.”

   Despite that, students wore smiles on their faces and were prepared for the weather. Most volunteered to go in the river, wearing one of 120 new waders purchased from donations by the Knights of Columbus. Some would wade too far, and would find river water in their waders. The students broke out into eight groups for 30 minute sessions at eight stations. Station one was a presentation from Dan Cibulka, a guest speaker from SWCD, who demonstrated various types of pollution into rivers as well as native and invasive .

   Station two was water chemistry testing with Moses; station three was river life with Trutna, station four was river velocity with Vogel;  river depth was at station five with Tschritter. Stations six and seven taught river sediments with Brady and Nagorski, and the last station was a walking tour of physical river features with VanderHeyden. In water chemistry, students conducted four tests with dissolved oxygen, nitrates, pH wide range and phosphorus. In river life, students used kick nets to pick up specimens and identify them with dichotomous keys.

   The river sedimentation station required students to collect 200 ml of sediment from the bottom of the river, then using screens, they separated the sediment and recorded their findings. The tour of the river landscape asked students to draw the general shape of the river and record the features including cut banks, point bars, floodplains, meanders, oxbow lakes and cutoffs. In river depth, students measured the depth in various locations from one back to the other and recorded their findings. In river velocity, students placed a ball in the river and let it float 15 meters and record how long it took. The did several trials at different locations in the river in the middle and at the banks.

   In the plant life and pollution station, students were shown on maps, images and scale models of plant life around rivers and various types of pollutants and how they all affect rivers. “At the end of this whole day of observations, the students document what they saw and write about their findings, what they observed and what they think it means.” said VanderHeyden. “The kids love it, we love it. It’s all in a day’s work.”