The School Program
HELP has been developing a school component to run parallel to its two environmental protection programs: the Souris River and Farm Protection Program; and the Phytoremediation Program to decontaminate soils linked to Landfills and Sewage Lagoons.
Our organization has carried out over three hundred days of school immersion programs since1994. HELP is offering a six point environmental program for Saskatchewan and other Prairie schools in 2004. The program, slated for 30 classes in 2004 includes:
School classes bus in to Weyburn from a 2.5 hour driving radius (including Regina, Estevan and as far east as Rocanville). One school per day will carry out the following five environmental activities in 2004:
a) Plant Indigenous Grass Plugs and Indigenous Trees on a severe erosion zone in a cultivated field on the margin of a tributary to the Souris River or Long Creek. The site will be used as an erosion control demonstration site....just off Highway 39 near Ralph on the Glen Nimegeers’ Farm. The three 100 meter long by up to three foot deep trench erosions empties into a forty foot deep glacial tributary of the Souris River.
Schools will also be involved in monitoring the annual change in soil loss or soil gain using permanent soil elevation stakes and other relative depth tests. This site is also used for testing a new method of erosion control utilizing grass plugs specially grown in the Shand nursery with a five inch root already developed instead of risking loss of grass seed in this active erosion site.
b) Plant High Water Use Indigenous Trees outside a sewage hill lagoon site at the Weyburn City Farm (where HELP’s Ecological and Development Park is located) to reverse a salinity contamination problem where water is pushing harmful salts to the surface causing the soil to be sterilized. Cotton woods and other poplar are among the high water trees to be planted. They act like a gigantic water pump (its called hydraulic control) and help to lower the surface water so that the salts get washed back down from the surface by rain etc. (Note: a mature cottonwood tree consumes up to 350 gallons of water per day during the growing season!) We’re going to try to work with schools and our other partners to accurately measure the change in salinity over time.
c) River Health Report Card: Students will formally assess the health of the river margin using a model developed by Saskatchewan Wetlands Conservation Corporation. This will involve registering percentage of dead growth, old growth and new growth, amount of animal damage to trees, amounts of barren terrain, plus several other indicators regarding species types which are classified as increasers, decreasers and even invaders! Students will be shown both healthy river margins and unhealthy margins.
d) Quick Sand Hills
As a reward for their great work, students get the chance to visit a very interesting geological phenomena known locally as quick sand hills! These are essentially artesian wells where sand and clay soil is pushed up with water pushing up to surface from under the valley floor...causing grass covered 'hills' of quicksand. Its a safety first exercize...and only professional facilitators get near the three quick sand hills which 'shake like jelly when they are kicked'. Twenty foot bamboo poles are pushed into the hills to show the 16 foot depth of the quicksand of these deceptively safe looking 'hills'. These are situated ten kilometers from Weyburn in a valley bottom near the hamlet
of Ralph.
e) Visit HELP's Ecological and International Development Theme Park located on the Weyburn City Farm where students engage in hands on demonstration of hard soil brick manufacture without firing; low tech vegetable oil pressing; environment friendly housing and toilet technologies, and low tech paper making. Traditional attitudes about wastes as 'garbage' are challenged. Lifestyles which close the nutrient cycle are also promoted. Responsibilities linked to affluence and consumption are discussed.
f) Students Get Their Own Trees (if they make the three point promise)
Students bring paper milk cartons and get to pot out their favorite indigenous tree and
plant, tend and grow up within their very own backyard. HELP teaches them how to
mulch it with a couple plastic garbage bags! Make sure and remember the three
promises: permission, props, and protection.
School costs include bussing, facilitator fees, and school feeding. HELP and its partners contribute trees, grass plugs, field vehicle support, tree and grass planting equipment, landowner coordination and program management.
HELP's ongoing Souris River and Farm Protection Program, the Phytoremediation Project and International Development Lab Class Program all make contributions to cover the other 50% of HELP's costs. HELP charges schools $500 per day of programming which is considered 50% of HELP's costs of program delivery. HELP provides four program facilitators for the eight hour immersion programs.
We have hundreds of letters from satisfied students and teachers who have participated in various international and environment related programs with HELP.
Schools who have a very good reason why they cannot afford the $500 fee, can request a $250 bursary from one of our great sponsors.
For more information Contact:
HELP International
P.O.Box 181
Weyburn, SK S4H 2J9.
Tel: (306) 842 2433 Fax: (306) 848 0902
Email: helpint@sasktel.net
