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Bureau of Land Management
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BLM-Miles City's
Annual "Outdoor Education Day"
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Bureau of Land Management
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BLM-Miles City's
Annual "Outdoor Education Day"
What started as a "one-time-only" spring field trip more than 20 years ago has evolved into an annual environmental education event for third-graders at Miles City, Montana, schools. "Outdoor Education Day" encourages students to appreciate their environment, and helps them to see the value in public lands and resources. Students also get an opportunity to enjoy the William L. Matthews Wildlife Habitat and Recreation Area, a showcase Bureau of Land Management (BLM) day-use site located along the Yellowstone River, about 15 miles outside the city limits. The site is also on the historic Lewis and Clark Trail.
Outdoor Education Day consists of a series of learning stations created by BLM and partner land management agencies, including the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. In the past, station themes have ranged from fire, forestry, and fish identification, to archaeology, entomology, wildlife, and geology.
Charlie Tiernan, Resource Advisory Council member and a volunteer for BLM, demonstrates how to look for evidence of insect activity in trees and shrubs.
Fire crew members assist students with a pressure hose. Hands-on activities such as this one make for an exciting and impressive learning adventure for students.
Dan Benoit, BLM-Miles City Field Office geologist, conducts a station on Yellowstone River geology. Students learn why river rocks look different from the rocks found closer to the mountains.
While some students examine arrowheads and other ancient tools, Robert Mitchell demonstrates the use of an atlatl, a prehistoric, spear-like device once used in native cultures as varied as the Aztecs and the Eskimos. The atlatl increased the hunting accuracy and capability of the tribes, and was used widely before the advent of the bow and arrow.
BLM wildlife biologist Dan Bricco explains how one can look at the shape of an animal's jaw and teeth to tell what type of food it eats.
Students use magnifying glasses to examine the rings of an old cottonwood tree. The rings tell the students about the age of the tree, as well as past climate conditions, fires, and floods.
Using an increment borer, students
take tree core samples, which indicate
the health of the tree and provide
a record of past climate conditions
As one can see from the photographs illustrating this article, students draw many benefits from this hands-on learning experience -- not to mention a glorious day outside the classroom in that famous Montana "Big Sky Country" fresh air!
About the Outdoor Education Site:
The William L. Matthews Wildlife Habitat and Recreation Area is named for a BLM employee who devoted himself to development of the site. Mr. Matthews died of cancer in 1994, and BLM dedicated and named the site to honor his memory. The 80-acre day-use site is an excellent outdoor environmental classroom, as well as a picturesque picnic, fishing, and birdwatching area. A handicapped-accessible trail, picnic tables, and grills make it usable by recreationists of all ages and abilities.
For more information on Outdoor Education Day at the William L. Matthews Wildlife Habitat and Recreation Area, please contact Lorrene Schardt at the BLM Montana State Office, P.O. Box 36800, Billings, Montana, 59107; Telephone: (406) 896-5230; e-mail Lorrene_Schardt@blm.gov .
Pitch in for your public lands on National Public Lands Day 1999!
The William L. Matthews Wildlife Habitat and Recreation Area is a 1999 National Public Lands Day site! On National Public Lands Day (Saturday, September 25, 1999), volunteers of all ages and skill levels will spend the day on the banks of the Yellowstone River enhancing on-site facilities at this important wildlife and recreation area and experiencing their own "outdoor education day." Want to get in on the fun and good work? Please contact Dan Bricco of BLM-Miles City, 111 Garrytown Road, Miles City, Montana, 59301, Telephone: (406) 233-2842, e-mail Daniel_Bricco@blm.gov.
To learn about other National Public Lands Day (NPLD) opportunities, please visit the NPLD website at http://www.npld.com, the national NPLD website (administered by the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation).
Last Updated: July 15, 2003
For questions about our programs contact Bibi Booth
This site is maintained by Kevin Flynn
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