Wetland Ecology
Level: K-2
Students will visit and observe water in the Winters Creek Wildlife Refuge or nearby wetland through the use of the naked eye, "glass" bottom buckets and microscopes.
Level: K-2
Students will visit and make observations at the Winters Creek Wildlife Refuge or other wetland area. They will work in small groups to learn about the different components of wildlife habitat in a wetland and identify litter that could endanger wildlife.
Level: 3-5
The students will investigate a cattail marsh near the school to observe firsthand its importance in the wetland environment. They will discuss the importance of maintaining these marshes along roadways, in pastures, and in riparian areas.
Level: 3-5
The students role play biologists hired by the refuge system to survey the plant and animal life on the refuge. The water is diverted to an irrigation canal just east of the refuge. These "biologists" discuss the need to use the river water for irrigation purposes in the North Platte Valley.
Level: 6-8
Take class to a local wetland area. Contact the State Game and Fish Agency at (308)763-2940 to inquire if any personnel is available to guide the class around the area and to explain the importance of this area. The class can simulate a migration. Students role play migrating water birds traveling between nesting habitats and wintering grounds and are subject to hazards at either end of the migration path as well as along the way.
Lake Minatare: Playground or Refuge
Level: 6-8
In this activity, students will learn about the process of decision-making regarding the use of Lake Minatare, along with the legal regulations concerning Lake Minatare. They will also learn to identify wildlife and vegetation of this unique area in the Nebraska Panhandle.
Level: 6-8
Students use actual data collected by NPPD biologists. The students use technical reading and math skills to analyze the data and hypothesize a conclusion.
Wetlands of the Panhandle
Wetlands include several areas:
For the purposes of this unit we will also include the areas of:
Wetlands are defined as areas having, at least sometimes, waterlogged soils and/or standing water. Many of these wetland areas are also forested.
Wetlands stay wet for a variety of reasons; low areas combined with rain, low areas along streams, rivers or lakes, areas where the ground water is close to or at the surface. Beavers sometimes create wetlands by building a dam across a stream.
Even today, some people still consider wetlands to be an unproductive, unusable, undesirable wasteland, an area that is there to be filled in, drained, or channeled--destroyed for "more suitable" purposes. Recently we have come to appreciate the value of our wetlands.
Wetlands are valuable in many ways. They help to slow heavy rains and prevent flooding. They help the water spread out over a larger area and eddy around trees and other vegetation. They help to trap silt and sediment found in rushing water. The impurities are deposited around the roots of the plants and trees found here. They also purify the water by filtering out poisonous substances. The plants absorb these nutrients and keep the nutrient level from becoming lethal. These impurities would affect aquatic animals in other water areas because of their lack of plants to trap the sediment.
In this study of wetlands, the North Platte River and lakes have been included, because of their importance to the Panhandle. The North Platte River is our valley’s main source of surface water. The water comes from the mountain snow pack of Wyoming and Colorado. Feeder streams enter the river all along its course. Water for the Pathfinder Irrigation Canal System is taken out of the river in Wyoming.
Wyoming has rights to a certain portion of the river water for its own use. When the water enters Nebraska it is regulated by several agencies to meet a variety of needs. These agencies create numerous jobs that add to the economy of our area. These agencies meet, make decisions, cooperate, compromise, and make laws and regulations to solve the important problems of sharing our water resources.
When the water flows over the state line south of Henry, Nebraska, it first comes to the Stateline Island Wildlife Refuge. Directly east of the refuge is the diversion dam that diverts river water into the Tri-State Canal System. This system has the senior rights to the river after it enters Nebraska.
Through these lessons the students will learn to appreciate the North Platte River system and the water it provides to this semi-arid region. They can celebrate the fact that the river and canal systems create wetlands, ponds, marshes, and lakes to be used by migrating resident animal life. They will learn the diversity of plant life sharing the water resources. They will learn how important the river and canal systems are to the economic viability of the North Platte Valley. They can also celebrate the recreational activities provided by the system.
Some question to be addressed and answered are:
The decisions made by the human population concerning water usage will ultimately affect all living systems in our valley. The wetland is an important part of our environment serving many different functions. When a wetland is destroyed or is harmed in some way the effects on humans, wildlife, and the environment can be devastating. Wetlands education in our schools is a first step to the critical decision making and problem solving process that must be in place to manage our water resource for the good of all living things.
Wetlands Trunk
The Wetlands Trunk is loaded with hands-on interactive materials for the classroom that will help teachers from kindergarten to eighth grade teach about wetlands in Western Nebraska. Included in the trunk are:
The trunk is a great way to start off a unit on wetlands, or before you take your class to visit a wetland. If it is impossible to arrange a field trip to a wetland, the trunk will bring the wetlands to your class.
The Wetlands Trunk that is available through SOAR #13 can be checked out and kept for a limited number of days.