4/21/2009 1:37:00 PM Kids get out and about 2009 science camp brings fun and education to local students
Submitted photo
Williams youth will get a chance to learn about the forest this week, which will include fire awareness and more, during the annual science camp.
WILLIAMS - Sixth-graders from the Williams Unified School District will be out and about today and tomorrow as they take part in the 2009 science camp, provided in collaboration with the Williams Alliance and other agencies, including the Forest Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Offering science-based education, sixth graders will be traveling to the Grand Canyon today. They'll visit the Camp Clover offices of the Williams Ranger District tomorrow and will also take part in a fishing clinic that same day at Kaibab Lake, according to organizer Patricia Helgeson. Helgeson works as the assistant director of the Community Learning Center and the Williams Alliance
She said the camp provides an opportunity for the Williams Alliance to offer activity-based programming and reach two specific goals, providing a venue to stress the dangers of underage drinking and offer a fun outing in which students learn about their environment.
"One thing that's different this year, that we didn't have last year, is a visit to the Grand Canyon. It's going to be really nice. They will be learning ecology and geology," Helgeson said. "Last year we did it as a camp, but this year we're doing it as field trips due to funding restraints. The Grand Canyon National Park Service visited the sixth grade class April 15 to prime them for the trip."
Besides grant funding provided through the Williams Alliance, Helgeson said other agencies also provide a valuable service to the community through the science camp.
"None of this would be possible if it wasn't for the effort of the Kaibab Forest personnel," Helgeson said.
Heritage Program Manager Margaret Hangan said the Forest Service would provide a number of learning stations when the students visit the local district ranger's office tomorrow.
"What we do is we set a variety of stations around the district office that focus on different aspects of the forest and the environment and also include science," Hangan said. "We have silviculturists and foresters who will actually talk about trees, managing trees. They'll actually do a bore into a tree, so they can show how we date trees. They'll get with biologists to talk about managing the animals and getting out and doing a nature walk and then they also come over and work with us archaeologists, because we actually have an archaeological site over there at the grounds of the district."
Students at the camp will break up into groups and spend 20 minutes at each station, Hangan said.
"The kids seem to really enjoy it. These are all local Williams kids, some of which never get out into the forest or out into these areas, so it's a good opportunity," Hangan said. "It's a really neat opportunity for us to work with the local kids. It's really important for us to do that."
