It's a world of firsts for Jordanne Nelson and students like her who enroll in outdoor education classes offered at several of the region's high schools.
"I've never done anything outdoors," Nelson said. She's a student at Rogers Heritage High School and was on a field trip with classmates at Missouri's Roaring River State Park.
Outdoor Origins
The outdoor education curriculum used at Arkansas high schools was developed in 1999 by Jeff Belk, an outdoor education teacher at Rogers High School.
Part of the concept is that students need outside activities to appreciate nature and stay healthy. Not all students play sports. The class gives students the knowledge and skills for a lifetime of enjoyment. Outdoor education teaches decision making, teamwork, problem solving and leadership.
Subjects taught include stream ecology, fish and game management, forest management, waste reduction and recycling. Activities include archery, canoeing, fishing, first aid and no-trace hiking and camping.
Students obtain their Arkansas Game & Fish Commission hunter education certification and boating safety certification.
Source: Curriculum written by Jeff Belk
"Being in this class I've gone on my first canoe trip. I fished for the first time in my life and I've been on my first hike," Nelson said, warming her hands at a campfire where venison burgers would soon sizzle.
"And here we've got deer for lunch, and I've never had deer."
Such are the new experiences that unfold for several students each semester. While some have grown up in nature, others haven't had the chance to learn outdoor skills. Outdoor education offers the opportunity, said Jay Miles, outdoor ed instructor and track coach at Heritage.
"We had our parents to introduce us to the outdoors," Miles said. "Not all kids today have that."
He and boys basketball coach Tom Olsen teach the class.
There is plenty of classroom learning, but field trips like this one at Roaring River let students try what the've learned in class. They see their lessons come alive on a stream or during a hike. Other outings include an Elk River float trip to study water quality and stream life. They learn leave-no-trace hiking and camping at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area. Map and compass skills are learned at Devil's Den State Park.
"We want to connect the fun of outdoor activities with how it relates to science," Miles said.
At Roaring River, students learned the life cycle of rainbow trout, from egg to catchable-sized fish. They fly fished for the trout they learned about, then cooked lunch over campfires.
Trout wasn't on the menu. There's a limited catch and release fly fishing season in fall and winter. Students released any trout they caught during their visit on Nov. 14, a chilly Friday. Venison burgers were on the menu. Student John Cook brought deer meat procured during family hunting trips.
Guided Tour
Before chowing down at lunch, students spent part of the morning on a tour of the Roaring River trout hatchery, operated by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Their attention was on Tyler Swope, a hatchery worker and tour guide. He stood on one of several long, rectangular concrete tanks full of lively rainbow trout.
"Each one of these holds 18,000 to 20,000 fish," Swope told the students. Smaller round tanks hold 10,000 fish.
Trout at the hatchery start as eggs, Swope explained. Eggs are taken from large female trout, usually in the fall, and mixed with sperm from male trout. Eggs hatch and are nurtured by the hatchery staff to become catchable-sized fish that average 12 inches long. Egg to adult fish takes about 18 months, Swope said.
He let students grab handfuls of trout chow to feed the fish. Trout schooled in a frenzy on the surface of the tanks when food pellets hit the water.
There was history to be learned as well. Swope told how Civilian Conservation Corps workers built the hatchery in the early 1900s. Ornate rock work is a trademark of corps craftsmanship. Stone was cut using hammers, chisels and muscle, Swope said.
After the tour, Heritage students tried their hand at fly fishing for trout, releasing any fish they caught.
At lunch, students built wood or charcoal fires at the park's picnic area. Students worked in teams. Before the field trip, each team planned a group meal and brought the menu items to the park. John Cook lifted two packages of ground venison out of a cooler. He's one of the students who knows the outdoors well and sees the value for students who haven't had his opportunities.
"You get a good experience in this class, especially for people who've never done things like this," Cook said. "This gives people a chance to see nature in it's purest form. Plus, sometimes we get out of school."
That's part of the idea, instructor Miles noted. Students think they're out of school. They don't realize they're learning science in these classrooms of the outdoors.
Some, like student Jordanne Nelson, have come far since their first day in outdoor ed. After taking her first hike, first fishing and float trip, she and some friends are already planning a spring break canoe adventure.
Outdoors on 12/04/2014