If you pass a Department of Natural Resources or Fish and Game truck on the road there is a very good chance you will also see them towing a boat.  This shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Our state is blessed with abundant clean lakes and rivers and the study and protection of them is best accomplished from a boat. As a society we need to educate ourselves to the life that lives in and around it, potential threats to it, be vigilant in protecting it, and learn how to safely enjoy it.  With this philosophy in mind, Superior Central marked the first offering of a 2 period class that mixes Natural Resource Applications with Traditional Watercraft Design and Construction. 

One of our first activities was to continue our ongoing aquatic macro-invertebrate water quality study of the Superior Central's Quarry Pond.

Later in the fall we learned the art of Scientific Field Sketching. Not only can this be a valuable asset to scientific observation, it can be a very enjoyable activity and a great way to record outdoor experiences.

During the course of the year, professionals taught us about forestry, forest soils, renewable energy, invasive species and native pollinators.

Before building our full-size pirogues, we built and painted exact scale models of our future boats.

Play the above slide-show to follow construction of the boats, paddles, seats and our first launch in the spring.
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Working in teams, the students started out slowly as they learned the skills of boat building, but eventually they became so proficient they were assembling two boats a day.

                  Independent Projects
​Each student is required to identify an issue within our local environment, school or community then design a solution to improve that issue and by year's end, implement that solution. Below you will find a brief description of each student's project. 

Hanna and Claire  improved Mason Bee habitat by building 2 nesting boxes.

Anna and Olivia improved pollinator habitat by planting native flowers and taught this subject to the 5th grade class.

Raine improved Wood Duck reproductive rates by building and installing 2 nesting boxes.

Karlie and Caitlyn worked towards improving our future apple harvest through pruning and transplanting apple trees.

Garrett planted conifer seedlings to improve habitat in a known whitetail bedding and travel area.

Claire created a bin system where waste vegetation from the Hoop-house can be turned into rich compost for future use. 

Aaron helped create a bathymetry map of the Quarry Pond as well as researching its past use as a limestone quarry and what its future succession may be.

To the left is a slideshow of our spring camping trip to the Autrain Basin. We hope you enjoyed following our journey.