Bureau of Land Management Environmental Education Homepage Feature of the Month

Aquatic Education at BLM Eastern States:
Kids Get Their Feet Wet

With more than 60 percent of the nation's population residing within the 31-state jurisdiction of BLM-Eastern States, locating prime environmental education venues is critical to getting the BLM message out to this large segment of the American public. Eastern States' environmental education programs address a wide range of topics, from aquatic issues and fishing, to geology, camping ethics, and wild horses and burros. Eastern States is discovering, however, that with the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic Coast, the Mississippi River, the Great Lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico all within visiting distance of BLM lands or offices, aquatic settings offer prime settings for engaging the public in environmental education.

So what do islands in the Great Lakes, the Fort Walton Dunes on the Gulf Coast, the D.C. Urban Tree House on the banks of Washington's Anacostia River, Virginia's Occoquan River, Mississippi's Mayes Lake, Ship Island, and Sanders Creek, and the Manatawny River in Pennsylvania all have in common? As you've probably guessed, these are just a few of the aquatic environments used so effectively by the Eastern States Office for environmental education and increasing public awareness of BLM resources. Designing environmental education activities to fit these settings has proven to be a sure winner for the Eastern States Office. Here's just a sampling from the past few months:

First Annual Natural Resources Career Day, Pine Forge Academy - April 19, 1999

With seven other Federal agencies, BLM-Eastern States participated in Pine Forge Academy's first Natural Resource Career Day as part of Earth Day celebrations at the Academy in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Eastern States' Charles Bush, Marcella Davis, and Theresa Walls shared information on BLM natural resource careers and programs. Charles set up a mock campsite, discussed camping in urban environments, and demonstrated the correct way to set up, tend, and cook on a propane stove. Marcella and Theresa presented a "Leave No Trace" activity. Eastern States and Pine Forge Academy have entered a partnership aimed at enhancing natural resources appreciation among students and strengthening the school's management of the natural, cultural, and historical resources - including the Manatawny River - under its stewardship.

Third Annual Anacostia River Earth Day Celebration - April 22, 1999

BLM-Eastern States joined D.C. Urban Tree House partner organizations and local children in planting trees as part of the Third Annual Anacostia Earth Day Celebration on the banks of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams pitched in to plant the trees, which are intended to improve the urban watershed through riparian reforestation.

Ninth Annual Eastern States Kids' Fishing Day 1999 - April 24, 1999

The ninth annual BLM Eastern States Kids' Fishing Day was held at Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton, Virginia. This year, about 35 students from Miner Elementary School and 35 students from H. D. Cooke Elementary, both in Washington D.C., participated in learning about the aquatic environment and the sport of fishing. The event began at 8:30 a.m. with opening remarks from Eastern States State Director W. Hord Tipton. Approximately 50 members of the Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society (BASS) helped teach the students on land, and then took them fishing in BASS boats. Volunteers from Kiwanis International and BLM Eastern States - about 30 in all - chaperoned the students, cooked a hotdog lunch, and held special raffles for the kids. After lunch, Linda Moore of the National Zoo conducted a wild animal educational demonstration. The event was supported by various national fishing tackle companies through merchandise donations. Local grocery stores and food vendors supported the event through gift certificates that defrayed the cost of lunch.

Anacostia River Third Annual Urban Environmental Fair - May 10, 1999

BLM-Eastern States participated in the Third Annual Anacostia River Environmental Fair at Anacostia Park. The fair was chaired by the District of Columbia Department of Environmental Health Administration, a partner of the DC Urban Tree House. With the assistance of other BLM volunteers, Eastern States' Charles Bush and Marcella Davis presented a camping demonstration and a "Leave No Trace" activity. BLM volunteers also assisted in a mask-making activity.

National Fishing Week Kick-Off At Constitution Gardens - June 7, 1999

Once again, BLM-Eastern States volunteers lent a hand to help "special" kids learn about fishing and successfully fish at the pond at Washington, D.C.'s Constitution Gardens during the National Fishing Week Kick-Off celebration. As part of a multi-federal-agency effort coordinated by the American Sportfishing Association to increase awareness of the joys of recreational fishing, BLM-Eastern States assisted 28 kids from Anne Arundel County, Maryland - out of a total of 450 young participants from the Washington, D.C., area - for a day of fishing fun and education about aquatic environments. Before fishing, most of the 450 kids learned about fishing and aquatic environments through the twelve-station workshop, "Pathways to Fishing." Other partners in the event included the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Washington, D.C., Fisheries Department, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the National Park Service. Virtually all of the cost of food for the day - breakfast coffee and muffins for the volunteers, and lunch for all - was covered by donations from local companies. All tackle for the fishing was donated by various national tackle companies.

For further information on BLM-Eastern States environmental education activities, please contact Charles Bush , BLM Eastern States, 7450 Boston Boulevard, Springfield, Virginia 22153, Tel.: (703) 440-1745, e-mail Charles_Bush@blm.gov.

Please also visit the following websites:

BLM Eastern States Office
http://www.es.blm.gov

Teaching "Leave No Trace"
http://www.blm.gov/education/lnt

National Park Service - Anacostia Park
http://www.nps.gov/nace/anacostia.htm

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