Hands-on environmental learning is available through “Creek Kids,” a partnership of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division and Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park. The Creek Kids Program teaches students in grades four to eight about aquatic environments.
Students experience an overview of a watershed via a train ride (when operational), see the impact of a mill dam on fish passage, and visit the Iron and Steel Museum of Alabama to learn about Alabama’s iron industry. Students manipulate an EnviroScape, an interactive educational model that illustrates how pollution can move into the aquatic environment. Students also wade into Bubbling Spring and a creek for a hands-on experience with native fish and invertebrates.
EnviroScape model shows students what can happen in a watershed.
Many species of fish and aquatic invertebrates, including some types of crayfish, mussels, and snails, live only in Alabama. Students attending Creek Kids have a good chance of observing an Alabama darter, a small fish only found in certain Alabama streams. Unless Alabama’s citizens better understand our unique aquatic environment, some of these species may become extinct.
The Creek Kids program costs $5 per student. Some schools may have their fees waved if they are public schools with 40 percent or more of their students eligible for free or reduced lunches. Assistance may include some transportation costs. To make Creek Kids reservations, call 205-331-1266 or email.
