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Amazing Stories
Grounds for Improvement
Earth Kids Club
If you looked out of a window at Treasure Mountain Middle School ten years ago, you would have faced a sorry sight. Beautiful wetlands had been drained, leaving behind barren fields. Piles of concrete, boards, and other construction debris littered the landscape, which had once been home to plants and wildlife.
But one determined science teacher and her students--the Earth Kids Club--changed all that. With the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Utah Department of Natural Resources, and their Park City community, the student-based club cleaned up and reconstructed the seven-acre area. They recreated seven ponds and planted thousands of native plants. Gradually, the Treasure Mountain Nature Preserve became a rich habitat, flourishing with wildlife and vegetation. By the time the wetlands were restored, however, the former club advisor had moved and the club disbanded.
Then, six years ago, students formed a new Earth Kids Club to continue and improve upon the good work of the original club. Keeping wetlands healthy, they've discovered, is more than a one-shot deal. Indeed, maintaining and improving the Nature Preserve keeps the 15-member club hopping. "We're the 'keepers of the wetlands,'" explains advisor and teacher Michelle Breinholt. "We support the Nature Preserve by repairing fences, building and posting birdhouses, picking up litter from the area, and planting trees and flowers. It's an ongoing project."
The Earth Kids Club also takes care of trees from inside their school building by reducing the number of trees cut down to make paper. "We maintain our school's white paper recycling program," explains thirteen-year-old member Sara Sturgis. "One of my major responsibilities each week is to collect recycling bins from all the classrooms." The commitment means a lot of hard work. But Ms. Breinholt proudly notes that year after year, the club never lets the school down.
Perhaps that's because the Earth Kids Club believes in setting an example and teaching the community about environmental and animal protection. Each year, they host an Earth Day Fair at their school, with information booths on topics like recycling, rain forests, and endangered species. Says thirteen-year-old Jaime Weinstein, "We ask local businesses to donate prizes we can raffle at the fair. We use money from raffle tickets to help animals and the environment." So far, the club has earned enough to adopt three wolves at a wolf sanctuary and save ten acres of rain forests through the Nature Conservancy.
The Earth Kids Club has received much recognition from community members, who really appreciate what the club does for animals and the environment. But, in the end, says Ms. Breinholt, it's the kids who benefit most. "This club gives teens an outlet for their concerns about our planet," she explains. "And they develop a real sense of family with one another."
For more information, contact Earth Kids Club, Treasure Mountain Middle School, P.O. Box 1920, Park City, UT 84060.
http://www.humaneteen.org/earth_kids.html
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