By: Patrick Troyer, Education Specialist
The 2018 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 return this year in the new “Acres of Fun” area 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. We will also have finalists from our annual Conservation Poster Contest and Photo contests for the public to cast their vote for and some giveaways!
The Paulding SWCD will have activities on Monday, June 11th, Wednesday, June 13th, Friday, June 15th from 12:00pm until 3:00pm on these days. Monday’s theme is “Power to the Pollinators”, where visitors will have the opportunity to make their own paper bag butterfly, bumblebee puppet, and take part in an activity called pollinator pizza. Pollinators such as butterflies and bees are critical in the growth process of over 75% of the crops we rely on for our food, fiber, and fuel. The pollinator pizza activity will allow visitors to build their own pizza with all their favorite toppings and see what is left on our pizza when pollinators are no longer to be found. The paper bag butterfly and they bumblebee puppet will be fun make-n-take activities for children to take part in to help them understand the life cycle of pollinators, the importance they serve, and simple things they can do to help pollinators out!
Wednesday’s theme is “Healthy Soils are Full of Life” where visitors will make their own soil model using cornstarch, flour, and salt, learn about worm composting by getting to see our worm composting bin, and view our Streamulator model. What makes up a soil and how does it form? Visitors will have these questions and more answered as they make their own model soil using flour, cornstarch, salt, and water which will make a science clay! Participants will also learn that soils can become polluted just like the air and water, so we will add some pollution to our soil (food coloring) and watch the pollution quickly spread with the assistance of the water! Our hands mixing the ingredients will represent all the organisms living in the soil which are breaking down organic matter to supply the soil with nutrients and improve its structure. Our worm composting bin will allow visitors to learn about how worms are breaking down organic material such as leaves, fruits, or vegetables and recycling the nutrients for plants to use!
Wednesday will also feature 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.
Friday’s theme is “The Great Outdoors” where visitors will enjoy learning about and viewing our Ohio wildlife skins and pelts, make a “Frog Friend” craft, and view our Enviroscape Wetlands and Pollution models. The focus for this day will be all about the outdoors and the many great creatures found there. Activities for this day will include the opportunity to view our Ohio wildlife fur and pelt collection. 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!
Also, on Friday, our booth will feature two of our Enviroscape models one of which will allow visitors to see the effects that non-point source pollution has on the environment and the other model will focus on wetlands and the services they provide to the environment such as helping with flood control or providing habitat for wildlife. Nonpoint source point pollution is where the source of pollution is unknown and could be coming from a wide variety of sources. The Nonpoint Pollution Enviroscape allows visitors to see the negative impacts this pollution has on our environment and water resources. Wetlands are areas of land that are covered with water for a majority of the year and provide multiple benefits to the environment such as flood control, sediment trapping, and filtering out pollution. Come check out our Wetlands Enviroscape model to learn more!
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 12:15pm and take approx. 30 minutes to complete the trek through the trails with a second session taking place at 1:30pm. Be sure to join the Paulding SWCD at the Paulding County Fair June 11th, 13th, and 15th to enjoy some great activities, vote on our poster and photo contest finalists, grab some giveaway items, and see how our office helps to serve the residents of Paulding County, one person at a time!
