Campbell Creek Outdoor Education Week

Dennis Moore made twenty soil presentations to fifth and sixth grade classes during the BLM’s and Anchorage School District’s annual Outdoor Week held May 27–30. The students reflected upon their earlier years of playing in sand boxes and making mud pies. These young teenaged students confessed that soil wasn’t the most important item in their life and that they thought soil was very boring. They where then challenged to think of things that they use in everyday life that doesn’t come directly or indirectly from soil (not counting the sun, moon, and other heavenly bodies). After desperately trying to think of something that doesn’t come directly or indirectly from soil, the students finally realized that everything we use in everyday life does indeed come directly or indirectly from soil. Realizing the importance of soil for human existence, the students were now ready to learn about soil. A demonstration was given on how very little soil humans have, in relationship to the earth’s surface, to produce all the food, fiber, and building products we use. The students also leaned about soil loss from human construction development, wind erosion, and water erosion. The students were educated on maintaining natural soil production, soil texture, five soil forming factors, and how each factor affects soil development. The presentation was concluded by employment opportunities with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Your contact is Dennis Moore, NRCS soil scientist, at 907-761-7766, or dennis.moore@ak.usda.gov

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