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'The Prairie Is the Catalyst' for a Living Laboratory
In Illinois, Enbridge gift of 20 acres creates thriving native plants, migrating pollinators and ...
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'The Prairie Is the Catalyst' for a Living LaboratoryIn Illinois, Enbridge gift of 20 acres creates thriving native plants, migrating pollinators and transformational learning for high school studentsNORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 2, 2024 / Can you tell a deer tick from a black-legged tick? What about the lone star tick from the dog tick?Students from Pontiac Township High School in central Illinois are learning to identify them all, and their research is contributing to regional public health information available on tick-borne diseases.The tick project is one of many initiatives with impact undertaken by the students. They've also planted 20 acres of native plants, tracked monarch butterfly populations and feeding patterns, and re-established a species of reptile that had been extirpated from the state."There are very few kids in the state who are able to do this kind of learning in a non-traditional setting," says Paul Ritter, a science instructor at the Pontiac, IL-based high school."And why are we able to do this? Because we have the land."In 2021, Enbridge donated 20 acres of prairie property to Operation Endangered Species (OES), a program founded in 2011 by Ritter who also serves as the non-profit organization's executive director.Every year on April 22, the world marks Earth Day, an annual celebration of environmental protection around the globe. At Enbridge, sustainability is central to everything we do, and we also support community sustainability projects that help improve, grow and nurture our environment.Kickapoo Prairie, named by the students for the Indigenous Tribe that lived longest in the region, is located in Cayuga, IL, just a five-minute drive from the school. It serves as a classroom for multiple disciplines-biology, physics, English, history, math, engineering."When I say it's a living laboratory, that's 100% what it is," Ritter explains. "You can look at it as a piece of property, or you can look at it as a changer of lives."In 2023, the students worked with the school superintendent to design an outdoor learning center at the prairie. Another project in development is a communications tower that will deliver free broadband internet to Pontiac High students, ensuring every student has access to high-speed internet at home to support their learning."If we didn't have this property, none of this would have happened," Ritter says...