Young NE Ecologists debuts with more in-depth look at nature

PPRI
prairie
ecologist

PPRI program invites youth to compare ecosystems

  • Atticus Miller, left, and Willa Sharp, right, observe bumble bees and practice identifying different species that they found at Gjerloff Prairie. Katie Lamke (center), Conservation biologist with the Xerces Society, presented to students about the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas and helped them net bumble bees so they could be studied up close and identified as a part of a survey out on the prairie.
    Atticus Miller, left, and Willa Sharp, right, observe bumble bees and practice identifying different species that they found at Gjerloff Prairie. Katie Lamke (center), Conservation biologist with the Xerces Society, presented to students about the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas and helped them net bumble bees so they could be studied up close and identified as a part of a survey out on the prairie.

    Five high school students completed Backpacking 101 and studied various ecosystems in the first ever Young Nebraska Ecologists program last week.
    Planned initially for a 2020 launch, a program coordinated by the Prairie Plains Resource Institute finally made its debut June 28-30 offering three full days of exploring, learning and fun.
    “It was certainly everything I hoped for,” said Sarah Bailey, program coordinator. “The backpacking part of the trip was definitely a favorite among all the kids who attended. I think the expectation of having them grow as naturalists was certainly achieved.”
    Programmed as an extension of the Summer Orientation About Rivers and Youth Naturalist programs, Young Nebraska Ecologists is designed to take nature’s curriculum to the next level, adding in a trip to another part of the state to see and compare various ecosystems. The group spent June 28 at Gjerloff Prairie, then ventured to Indian Cave State Park near Nemaha for an overnight camping experience and exploration of an oak woodland area.

    To read more, please see this week's print or e-edition.