Nebraskaland

20 Nebraskaland • August-September 2021 The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has been known as Nebraska's source for conservation and outdoors participation, particularly hunting and fishing, since its beginning. However, Jim Douglas, director of the Commission, saw a need to connect people with nature at an early age in ways that went beyond traditional hunting and fishing activities. Over time, the agency has become a nationally known leader in outdoor education for its variety of opportunities for those of all ages. From outdoors skills workshops and nature events in parks to educational programs such as Aquatic WILD and bioblitzes to count wildlife in wild spaces, Nebraskans have an outlet to develop a passion for nature. But what really places the education team at the forefront of conservation nationwide is its focus on education curriculum, and so in 2020, Douglas created the Fish and Wildlife Education Division. This builds upon the work Lindsay Rogers completed with Lincoln Public Schools. Rogers, who now leads the education division, contacted Dr. James Blake, then LPS K-12 science curriculum specialist, about Project WILD, a program that provides conservation and environmental curriculum to educators. From there, Rogers and her team began working with LPS on a revision of the district's entire science curriculum. This partnership was a necessity, Blake said, as Game and Parks staff worked with all 40 elementary schools and more than 900 teachers who needed science training. "We were blown away by how Rogers made science so approachable," said Blake. "It was like having a commercial publisher at our fingertips, and she had pieces to get kids excited about the natural world." So far, more than 18,000 students have been affected in the district alone by this division's creation. One of these curriculum pieces is the Trout in the Classroom program. Kenneth Pyle, a seventh grade teacher at Dawes Middle School in Lincoln, loves what it has done for his classes. "Many of my students are reluctant to participate in science, but this program gets them interested," said Pyle. Trout in the Classroom is offered to Nebraska second to 12th graders and gives classes the opportunity to raise trout eggs in their classrooms. "From studying water quality and natural resources to the life cycle," said Pyle, "this has been so good for my students." Dayna Derichs, a teacher and librarian at Wheeler Elementary in the Millard Public Schools system, agrees wholeheartedly. "We have a Trout in the Classroom tank in the library, and students see all parts of the process," she said. Observing these fish leads to discussions about conservation and coldwater streams, and Derichs incorporates technology and books into the experience as well. "We have pre-school kids read to the trout; we have other groups sing songs to them. All the fun things kids do. I'm just so thankful for the funding that comes through to experience this program. We get so many 'oohs' and 'ahhs.'" And much of this credit goes to Douglas. "He had the foresight to know this was needed for our agency," said By Jeff Kurrus AT THE FOREFRONT OF EDUCATION LEADERS IN CONSERVATION — DIRECTOR JIM DOUGLAS IN THE FIELD Participating students in the Trout in the Classroom program release the fish they have grown from eggs in their classrooms into the canyon ponds at Schramm Park State Recreation Area. JEFF KURRUS, NEBRASKALAND

• Cover