Teachers take class outdoors

RED BAY - On a bright crisp morning, the outdoors became a classroom for Colbert and Franklin county students who Thursday trained for the Envirothon, an annual national competition that increases environmental awareness while teaching students environmental problem-solving biology and chemistry.

About 150 students from Franklin County, Colbert County, Russellville and Cherokee high schools participated in the full-day event at the Cypress Cove Farm, the 300-acre Red Bay Outdoor classroom owned by state representative Johnny Mack Morrow.

"We try to encourage the students to take care of the natural resources," said Beth Mitchell, a co-organizer who was helped by about 20 volunteers, including professionals who lead the classes. "Our natural resources - the Earth - we just have one. We have to take care of what we have."

Teachers included professionals from Pilgrim's Pride, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Alabama Forestry Commission and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Damien Simbeck, aquatic specialist with TVA, taught 10 students beside Brush Creek how to test water for acidity, water hardness and oxygen levels, among other parameters that affect aquatic life.

Other students learned about wildlife, forestry, soils and the special topic this year: biodiversity.

Simbeck showed students how to use a bank of chemical indicators that change a water solution from deep purple to light pink as a way to measure oxygen, crucial for aquatic life.

"The one thing I always stress doing is make sure all the lids are on all the bottles," Simbeck said.

After Simbeck tested the water (which tested slightly acidic), he said, "It's an hour before lunch, so let me see if I can catch any little critters."

Simbeck took a dip net, walked into the creek, pulled up a pile from the bottom and dumped the muck in front of the students. He immediately found a spotted minnow that kept jumping from his hand and a female crayfish that the students passed around.

"Let's see if we can find any more critters," he said while the students looked on.

He also found a baby stone fly and a bitty crayfish, and a baby crane fly larvae.

"A lot of these bugs are sitting on these leaves, their food source," Simbeck said.

"This is a good classroom," said Sylvia Carpenter, a Tharptown High School teacher of biology and environmental science, who also watched Simbeck identify various critters from the creek.

"No cell phones or nothing," replied Steve Wood, a Red Bay High School teacher of many subjects, including environmental science.

At one point, Simbeck showed a worm that broke in half. No matter - the one worm became two.

Melissa Welch, a tenth-grader from Belgreen High School, rummaged through the pile of dead leaves that fed and hid the various aquatic creatures.

Welch will be an alternate for when the five-member Belgreen team, like the handfull from the region, take their first test March 3 to try and make it to state and eventually national competition.

"It captures me. There's so much that people don't realize - it's a whole 'mother universe,' " said Welch, who has attended environmental summer camp. "I learned how many components there are on the environment."

Welch said she loves the outdoors - whether tree climbing, hiking or simply staring at the stars.

"You don't have to have something new to entertain yourself - the world's enough," she said.

Trevor Stokes can be reached at (256) 740-5728 or trevor.stokes@TimesDaily.com