[ back ]
Environmental lessons rooted in education
(by Joan Demirjian - September 17, 2008)
Environmental lessons rooted in education
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
The Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District is involved daily with promoting practices to conserve, enhance and protect natural resources in the county.
And some of the district's most popular means of educating children and adults involve the programs that Ronald Etling takes to schools, senior centers, libraries, and even the Great Geauga County Fair.
Yearly, Mr. Etling introduces hundreds of people of all ages to the values of conserving the environment. "I try to help people understand the environment and how we're tied to it," he said.
A retired teacher from the Stow School District, his passion is teaching, especially about the environment, he said. And some of his best teaching tools are the amphibians and reptiles, including snakes, frogs and toads that he brings with him, he said.
Over the years, he has seen children moving away from interaction with the natural world, as they are more preoccupied with video games and computers, Mr. Etling said.
He enjoys connecting people personally with the earth and the natural world, he said, and they in turn become his captive and enthusiastic audience.
Mr. Etling travels to schools, including those in the Kenston, West Geauga and Chardon districts, to Scout meetings, day-care centers, libraries and home schools. He has some 14 or more programs for preschoolers that include "just about anything relating to nature," he said.
He introduces them to the environment in a way that impacts them personally. Recently, he used seeds as the focus for a group of children who inspected sunflowers planted last May.
Mr. Etling said that some of the aspects of the environment, such as the Cuyahoga River, are better off today because of more awareness and attention to the environment. However, in some cases, amphibians are being negatively impacted by habitat destruction through development, he said.
In many cases, children and adults are surprised by how some animals influence the environment, he said.
As an example, Mr. Etling said, the spotted salamander is dying from copper pollution. The salamanders eat and destroy mosquito larvae where they live, which is a significant reason to protect them, he said.
Mr. Etling presents a number of programs for elementary school grades and does stream-water-quality monitoring with children and adults in the summer for all who want to participate.
Chardon, Kenston and West Geauga participate in Envirothon, a state conservation contest. Chardon High School is the first high school to win the contest for four consecutive years.
Some of the programs Mr. Etling offers are done independently of the soil and water conservation district. He conducted a two-day camp for Kenston students in rock climbing, rappelling, white-water rafting and kayaking last June after school recessed for the summer.
He has done similar activities with West Geauga High School, and he works with Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin School, at preschools and the Chagrin Falls Public Library.
He presented 222 conservation district programs in 2007, reaching over 10,000 students. For the year 2008, he has already presented 200 programs.
Recently, Mr. Etling did a program on edible plants at the Burton Public Library. Amazingly, he said, they went outside and found the edible wood sorrel growing out of the foundation of the library itself.
He will be accompanied by his amphibians and reptiles at 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Burton Library.
When he isn't teaching about the environment, Mr. Etling and his wife tend to fruit trees and gardens at their home in Hiram.
Carmella Shale, district engineer and administrator, said education is an important element in the district's work.
The soil and water conservation district has always placed importance on educational programs in schools, she said. Since 2000, the district has made environmental education a priority in its mission statement.
"The programs are extremely popular," Mrs. Shale said. And with school districts on tight budgets, the free conservation-district programs are well used by the schools, she said.
The programs meet Ohio Board of Education's state science standards for every grade level, she said.
In 2006, the conservation district was named district of the year in education, largely due to the number and innovative programs offered for all ages, Mrs. Shale said.
"If you educate children, they'll become educated adults," she said.
[ back ]
