By: Patrick Troyer, Education Specialist
The 2017 Paulding County Fair is quickly approaching and the Paulding Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) is preparing some great activities for you and your family! We will be in a new location this year in the new “Acres of Fun” area which will be located in the Paulding County Extension Hall. Come on out to enjoy some great make-n-take activities as well as meeting the Paulding SWCD Staff & Board of Supervisors who are happy to highlight the work our office is doing throughout Paulding County. As always, gate admission to the Paulding County Fair is free of charge!
The Paulding SWCD will have activities on Tuesday June 13th, Wednesday June 14th, and Friday June 16th from 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. each day. On Tuesday, the focus of the day will be all about water quality and the importance of keeping our waterways clean. Visitors to our booth this day will enjoy a make-n-take activity called “Lake in a Bag”. In this activity, visitors will learn that we all enjoy fresh, clean water. We not only rely on clean water for nourishment, but also for recreational and other uses around the home. This demonstration helps introduce and enforce the many things we can all do to keep our waters clean.
In this activity, participants will receive a small baggie with some clear hair gel in it to simulate a clean lake. Next, a small amount of green glitter will be added to represent grass clippings that make their way to the lake. It is best to mulch grass clippings and leaves to enrich the soil. A small amount a tiny seed beads will be added to represent fertilizers which can run off the surface. Landowners want to be sure that they soil test to gauge their nutrient needs and add nutrients only if necessary. Pet waste will be next to enter the lake and is represented by a brown pony bead. It is always best to remember to pick up after your pets which will greatly help to keep contaminants out of our waterways.
By this time, the lake is getting rather polluted but there is more to be added! Soap and car chemicals also make their way into the lake represented by blue food coloring. When washing your car at home, be sure to wash it on the grass as this will help capture the soap and car fluids and prevent them from entering waterways. Next, sunshine will be added but how is this a problem? Sunshine is something that we all need but when the sun shines on the contaminants in the waterways, it can cause unhealthy things to grow, like harmful algal blooms. There is still one more thing to add! What might this last ingredient be? Come visit us on Tuesday and find out!
Also on Tuesday, we will have our Streamulator model available to learn about how streams work. The Streamulator model allows visitors to the power of moving water as streams meander and cut their way through the landscape. The effects of erosion and weathering are also visible with this model allowing visitors to see how erosion is a powerful force that changes the landscape on a continual basis. Visitors with the stream table have the opportunity build a community with buildings, bridges, and trees in such a way that it would be safe from any flood or rain event if the stream overflowed its banks. The Streamulator allows visitors to get their hands dirty in the sand and water to investigate erosion, floodplains, and the workings of streams.
The focus for Wednesday, June 14th will be all about farm animals and wildlife. Activities for this day will include the opportunity to learn about black bears and their lifestyle. Did you know that black bears are active mainly at night to avoid people or other bears or that they can run up to 30 miles per hour? Come learn these facts and more with us! Visitors to our booth on Wednesday will be able to make their very own black bear craft using tissue paper and cutouts of eyes, ears, and mouth, to take with them as they make their journey through the fair.
Also on Wednesday, visitors will have the opportunity to learn all about the animals they are seeing at the fair by making their own foam cup farm animal. At the Paulding County Fair, children will see all kinds of animals such as ducks, geese, chickens, turkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, and cows so why not learn about those animals and make your very own?
Friday, June 16th will also be loaded with fun as visitors will have the opportunity to learn about composting using worms, water pollution, and enjoy a scavenger hunt through the Black Swamp Nature Center. Paulding Soil & Water Conservation District will have a live composting bin where red worms are actively producing compost from our food scraps. When we use worms to produce compost this is called vermicomposting. The term vermicomposting comes from “vermin” which is the Latin name for worms and then it is combined with composting to get vermicomposting. Vermicomposting is the art of allowing worms to take organic material (fruits, vegetables, leaves, grass, etc.) and turn it into a nutrient rich natural fertilizer that we all can use in our home gardens. Come visit the worm bin and enjoy a worm relay activity and write a biography about one of the worms telling what your worm likes to eat, how long it is, what color it is, and give your worm a name!
Also on Friday, our booth will feature our Enviroscape model which will allow visitors to see the effects that non- point source pollution has on the environment. Nonpoint source point pollution is where the source of pollution is unknown and could be coming from a wide variety of sources. The Enviroscape allows visitors to see the negative impacts this pollution has on our environment and water resources.
A scavenger hunt through the Black Swamp Nature Center will also be featured on Friday. Those who wish to take part in the scavenger hunt will need to meet at our booth in the Extension Hall. We will begin at 12:30pm and take approx. 30 minutes to complete the trek through the trails. Be sure to join the Paulding SWCD at the Paulding County Fair June 13th, 14th, and 16th to enjoy some great activities and see how our office helps to serve Paulding County, one person at a time!
