The Echo Lake Protection Association (ELPA) supports an ecology based program within Charleston Elementary School. This program is designed to provide Charleston students with tools and skills, to better appreciate the environment in which they live, using Echo Lake as their classroom.
In 2016, a generous donation was made to ELPA. The purpose of the original gift was to foster an appreciation for natural resources in our local community. Originally, Fourth and fifth-grade students from the school participated in a hands-on ecological program run by Siskin Ecological Adventure during the 2016-2017 school year.
Over time, the program has shifted and expanded through the efforts of ELPA. The program with Siskin now focuses on third-grade students with the same hands-on approach. The older students are now doing fieldwork with the NorthWoods Stewardship Center.
During the project, students are given the opportunity to learn, explore, and make real-life connections with the Echo Lake Ecosystem. They learn about plants and animals living in and around the lake, the good and bad effects of native and non-native species on the lake, the health of the ecosystem, and how citizens can help.
Siskin instructors make three 1-hour classroom visits and conduct full-day field trips in the fall, winter, and spring with the Third-grade students. Students use microscopes to examine the natural organisms in Echo Lake’s water. They learn about R-selected and K-selected species, how crayfish help keep the water clean, Eurasian water milfoil, and more. Northwoods staff provide older students with wilderness survival skills, team-building activities, and field trips throughout the Echo Lake watershed to familiarize them with a larger sense of the lake’s environment and its interaction with the Clyde River watershed.
Coupled with hands-on investigations, science-inspired art, and seasonal trips to Echo Lake itself, the project continues to instill a deeper understanding and appreciation of the role Echo Lake plays in the Clyde River water system and in the Charleston community.