Iowa City 7th-graders learn biodiversity at Lake Macbride

SOLON - Elli Daily stood next to a tree in Lake Macbride State Park Tuesday, counting fallen leaves.

'I said 20!” she told her classmates.

Daily was one of about 380 seventh-grade students from Iowa City's South East Junior High who came to the park on a field trip. They analyzed soil, measured water quality, and counted plants and animals inside a section of the park's forest.

The trip was intended to teach students about biodiversity, said science teacher Scott Stimmel. It included 20 teachers, nine University of Iowa graduate students and two university employees.

Students were split up into three large groups of 125 to 130. Within those, the seventh-graders rotated through five stations, including water quality, soil analysis, prairie and woodland surveys and nature construction.

Stimmel said the students would analyze the data they collected when they returned to class Wednesday and Thursday. The time the students spent in the park was beneficial because it exposed them to nature, he said.

'Some of these kids don't spend time in parks,” Stimmel said, 'where they can see things like morel (mushrooms) and deer in a field.”

Steve Campbell, an assistant director with the University of Iowa's recreational services who helped with the excursion, agreed.

'Hopefully, they take away an appreciation of the different ecosystems that we have,” Campbell said. 'Having hands-on experience is always preferable to learning about it sitting behind a desk.”

Daily said the trip was 'kind of fun” - she had been to the park before. But other seventh-graders didn't enjoy some parts of the trip as much.

'It's just too much walking,” said Rosa Rodriguez, another student. 'And it's cold.”