by Janice Gammon | Nov 11, 2014
By John Mazzello, Project Coordinator
With 2014 nearly in the rear-view mirror and 2015 starting to appear in the headlights, now is a good time to take a look back at the Lincoln Highway’s 101st year in Iowa. 2014 saw a deepening of the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway’s role in the state.
We launched an exciting new project, the development of a new Corridor Management Plan for the byway, this year. This plan is an important opportunity for the byway to reach out to residents, businesses, and travelers to create a strong strategy to support Iowa’s communities along the Lincoln Highway and preserve the important resources of the byway.
Also in 2014, we moved forward with a unique project to identify locations along the byway with sustainable land management practices, thanks to a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grant. This project will allow us to build interpretive signage to highlight these land practices, sharing with byway travelers who we know are highly interested in a healthy environment.
This year also saw the second year of our innovative “Kids on the Byway” program, in which we connect the resources of the byway with students to deepen their understanding of Iowa’s history and natural resources and help to improve their academic performance. We worked with three schools and more than 150 students this year, plus we offered an exciting two weeks of summer camp that took participants to locations across the byway and the state!
There are many exciting developments on the horizon for next year. We’ll be pilot testing a new initiative, “Greening the Lincoln,” which will recognize and highlight businesses that support the byway and engage in sustainable environmental practices. Be on the lookout for more information on this initiative next year.
In 2015, our Corridor Management Plan project will move into a public meeting phase, with gatherings to be scheduled across the state to meet with residents, business owners, and others about the possibilities for the byway in the future. This is sure to be a truly meaningful statewide conversation about the Lincoln Highway, and we invite you to participate in the planning process in your area. You can sign up for our email list to learn about events in your area. Visit www.prrcd.org/cmp and click the “Sign up” button.
We are also currently hiring a new byway coordinator, to begin work in early 2015. As you may know, former Byway Coordinator Angie Hettinger left Prairie Rivers of Iowa in October when she moved to Minnesota. While we were disappointed to see Angie go, we are looking forward to being able to introduce a new coordinator to you soon. We are also glad to announce that we are seeking an intern to assist with Lincoln Highway web and social media marketing, in collaboration with our partner, the Iowa Lincoln Highway Association.
2015 looks to be a banner year for the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, and we value your input, engagement, and knowledge. Please sign up for our Corridor Management Plan email list or contact me at jmazzello@prrcd.org to learn more about how you can support the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway.
by Janice Gammon | Aug 4, 2014
by John Mazzello, Project Coordinator
“Messy Materials” area at the Arbor Day Farm outdoor classroom
If you’ve been following Prairie Rivers of Iowa’s Facebook page or newsletter, you might remember that we are working on a unique project with the opportunity to affect how Iowa’s students of all ages experience and learn about the environment and the natural world around us. Through our “Outdoor Learning Environments in Iowa” project, funded by grants from Iowa’s Living Roadway Trust Fund and the Resource Enhancement and Protection Conservation Education Program (REAP CEP), we are exploring the state of outdoor classrooms in Iowa and building resources and guidance to assist future creators and funders in developing successful and sustainable outdoor learning sites.
This summer, with the assistance of Prairie Rivers of Iowa’s Mike Brandrup, we have completed site visits to outdoor classrooms previously supported by the Living Roadway Trust Fund and surveyed outdoor educators and school staff on the successes and challenges of using outdoor spaces to deepen learning across all subject areas. While there are major challenges, such as maintaining and sustaining outdoor learning environments long-term and building community support and volunteer networks, there are also important opportunities: many places in Iowa, including schools, have healthy outdoor spaces in which students can learn about the natural world or reap the benefits of experiencing nature no matter their area of study; educators of all stripes, from teachers and principals, to early childhood educators, to community center staff, are committed to deepening student learning outdoors; and there is a vibrant and growing network of experts here in Iowa and across the country ready to share their experiences with us.
Entryway to outdoor classroom at the Arbor Day Farm
Recently, Prairie Rivers of Iowa’s Outdoor Learning Environments Project Coordinator, John Mazzello, and Local Foods Systems Coordinator, Ruth Powell, had the opportunity to attend the Nature Explore/Outdoor Classroom Project Leadership Institute, a conference dedicated to creating and strengthening outdoor learning environments, at the Lied Lodge at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Nebraska. At this conference, we explored research-based approaches to creating outdoor classrooms, and keeping them strong over the course of many years. This work, supported by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Dimensions Educational Research Foundation, is just the starting point for exciting future research plans that aim to clearly document the value of outdoor classrooms for students of all ages. Beyond research, we were also inspired by practitioners of outdoor classroom design and implementation, and had a chance to see and explore model outdoor classroom sites. Most importantly, we had the chance to make personal connections with some of the country’s leading experts in outdoor learning environment design and implementation, connections that will serve us well as we prepare our guidance for Iowans later this year.
A “pathway through plantings” is a method for engaging students by enabling them to travel through plantings rather than completely around them
Your help is needed to ensure that all the voices of outdoor classrooms in Iowa are heard! If you have an outdoor classroom at your site, or if you wish to create one, we’d like to hear from you. Please call us or email me at jmazzello@prrcd.org and I would be happy to talk with you and get your feedback on what support is needed and what opportunities exist. This is an exciting project and one we are looking forward to sharing as work continues.
Learn more about this project at https://old.prrcd.org/what-we-do/initiatives-collaborations/outdoor-learning-environments-iowa/
by Janice Gammon | May 1, 2014
This year, Prairie Rivers of Iowa is working on a project to assist Iowa’s outdoor classrooms in becoming more effective by researching existing outdoor classrooms in the state, seeking best practices from around the country, and putting together resources and materials for educators who want to create an outdoor classroom in their area.1 You probably also know about our work with area schools through our Kids on the Byway and School and Community Gardens programs.
In honor of National Soil and Water Conservation Week, it’s worth taking a look at the important role that healthy soil and water can play in educating the next generation of Iowa leaders. Research has shown many benefits result when students are able to experience the natural environment in person as part of their education. These experiences can help contribute to child development and skill-building, increase fitness and motor skills, and even build creativity and reduce stress. Outdoor experiences also help increase student success in a whole variety of academic content areas: in science, language arts, math, and other classes, plus on standardized tests.
One really important strain of research indicates that students are very capable of seeing a whole variety of learning environments as related and complementary. Students can relate what they learn outside, interacting with the natural world, back to what they learn in the traditional classroom, and vice versa.2
This is strong reinforcement for the type of work Prairie Rivers of Iowa does, making connections in the natural world with traditional in-class education. Rather than being an “extra” to be used only when more important instruction has been provided, outdoor education can be deeply connected to so many other content areas throughout the school day. The view of outdoor education as only a bonus field trip misses the point that such experiences can be critical for making in-class learning more concrete or for making complex ideas real to students.
Healthy soil and water, whether in outdoor classrooms adjacent to school buildings, in designated natural areas like parks and preserves, or simply in children’s hometowns, are critical for providing opportunities for students to experience nature in all its many “classrooms.”
1This project is supported by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources REAP Conservation Education Program and Iowa’s Living Roadway Trust Fund.
2See Zandvliet, David B. (2012). Development and validation of the Place-Based Learning and Constructivist Environment Survey (PLACES). Learning Environments Research, 15, 125-140.
by Janice Gammon | Mar 24, 2014
As you may know, Prairie Rivers of Iowa manages the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, one of 11 byways in Iowa (a byway is a road specially designated by the United States or by the State of Iowa for its distinctive qualities). Part of our work along the byway is telling the story of the people and places of the Lincoln Highway, by working to preserve its history, by promoting local businesses and events, and by working with communities and statewide organizations to recognize its unique character. If you’ve seen us at a motor tour stop, presenting to a community group, or read a Lincoln Highway brochure, you’ve seen some of our work on the byway.
A Lincoln Highway Marker in Story County. Photo © Tom Apgar, Apgar Studios.
Beginning this spring, we are launching a three-year initiative: creating a new Corridor Management Plan for the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway. A Corridor Management Plan, or CMP, is a document that both reveals the assets of the Lincoln Highway and creates a plan for preserving and strengthening them within the byway’s corridor, or nearby area.
These assets might include the historical features of the byway, including buildings, Lincoln Highway markers, or segments of roadway. They also might include the significant natural and environmental areas around the roadway, businesses and attractions in byway towns, and community groups that support byway travelers and local residents.
Preserving and strengthening these assets might include developing new plans for interpreting key Lincoln Highway locations for travelers, building up our tools for connecting the Lincoln Highway with Iowa students and teachers, especially focusing on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, planning to enhance the byway traveler’s experience statewide, identifying creative Lincoln Highway projects in communities, and more.
You’ll notice I’ve said “might” several times. The key part about creating a CMP is that it is truly a community-based plan. Later this year, we will be beginning a series of public conversations across the state with people like you, people who care about the Lincoln Highway and its communities. Together, we’ll decide on the important assets for each segment of the Lincoln Highway and the strategies for strengthening those assets. You can learn more about the CMP process on Prairie Rivers of Iowa’s website.
Since this is the beginning of a conversation, let’s start talking. I invite you to sign up for our mailing list so you can learn about the latest CMP news and find out about meetings and presentations in your community. Please also consider contacting me to discuss the CMP in more detail or to learn how you might get more involved, especially as a volunteer or community leader. You can reach me at lincolncmp@prrcd.org or 515-216-4005. Together, we can help build a Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway for the next 100 years!
