|
April 26 – May
3, 2009 - We are pleased to announce this year’s theme:
“Dig it! The secrets of the soil” But what on Earth is
SOIL? It is arguably one of the Earth’s most critical
natural resources. It is a substance that few people
understand and most take for granted. Soil makes up the
outer layer of the earth’s surface. It nourishes the
plants we eat, the animals and the thriving underground
kingdom of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, earthworms and
other microbes that are critical to the planet’s food
web. Our district is committed to encourage the public
to think about your personal responsibility to be a good
steward of the natural resources, like soil, that we
have been blessed with. This is our goal
especially during Stewardship Week.
We had another
successful Stewardship Week this year! Mayor Randy
Roach signed a proclamation announcing the week as Soil
Stewardship Week for the city of Lake Charles. The
district office staff visited three area schools, St.
Margaret Catholic School, Moss Bluff Elementary, and A.
A. Nelson Elementary to deliver resources and present
"hands-on" activities with some of the classes. At
St. Margaret's, the entire seventh grade consisting of
30 students participated in an "Enviroscape"
presentation and resources were supplied to a total of
289 students in 10 grade levels and approximately 25
teachers and principal. At Moss Bluff Elementary,
Donna Reynolds' Kindergarten class was treated to a
PowerPoint presentation introducing S. K. Worm and then
the "Building Better Soil Taste-Testing" activity.
Resources were given to 200 students and 8 teachers and
staff. Tara Parra's First Grade Class at A. A.
Nelson Elementary also enjoyed the S. K. Worm
presentation and the "Building Better Soil Taste-Testing"
activity. At that school, resources were
distributed to 780 students and 8 teachers and
principal. In addition, a display was set-up in
Central Library complete with 500 free bookmarks.
The Gulf Coast SWCD would like to extend a special
thanks to the following area teachers and principals for
their interest in conservation and for helping our
district get the good news of conservation out to the
students: Tara Parra, Heather House, Brian Smith,
and Jacqueline Smith (Nelson Elementary), Judy Reeves
and Brenda Dufrene (St. Margaret's Catholic School), and
Donna Reynolds, Ruth McDaniel and Charles Caldarera
(Moss Bluff Elementary). In order to have a
successful Stewardship Week, the Gulf Coast SWCD
believes like Herbert Hoover, "Our biggest resource is
children."
For more information on the
national Stewardship Week program, please contact the
district secretary at
patti.busby@la.nacdnet.net or you can visit the
official website at
http://stewardshipweek.com
|
