Traveling Educational Displays
The Earth Tunnel and Water Tunnel are traveling displays whose concepts were developed by the Midland Conservation District staff and designed and built by Design Craftsmen, a company that specializes in the construction of commercial displays. Both displays are approximately six feet long, five feet wide and five feet tall. They both are housed in an enclosed trailer both for storage and travel. Each unit has display panels on each side that demonstrate the interactions between the environment and human activities. The displays are hands-on interactive tools to demonstrate the importance of harmony with the ecological systems.
The Earth Tunnel’s construction and trailer for travel cost approximately $30,000.00 and was funded by Saginaw Bay WIN (Watershed Initiative Network), Midland Conservation District, Midland County Farm Bureau, Midland Cogeneration Venture, The Dow Chemical Company and Design Craftsmen.
The Earth Tunnel as stated by Maryland’s Department of Agriculture “brings soil alive”. It is a walk through display that features the following: soil profile with definitions of each layer, aquifer and bedrock; decommissioning of an abandoned well; animals and burrows, insects and reptiles in a natural-like habitat underground; root vegetables are shown with two perspectives, above and below the ground; wetland and wetland habitat; and the functions of the wetlands for water quality.
Each side of the tunnel has an illustration that features the conservation needs of it’s demonstration, i.e. Agriculture/Soil side shows a conservation farm with grass waterways, conservation tillage, rock riprap, interstrip cropping, wind break, secondary fertilizer containment, decommissioned abandoned well, cover crop, filter strip and tree planting. The wetland side shows the importance of wetland restoration and the function of the wetlands; nutrient removal, sediment trapping, chemical detoxification, flood protection and groundwater recharge.
The Earth Tunnel has traveled extensively in Michigan and Ohio and inquiries for construction of the tunnel in their states have been received from Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Arizona, Tennessee and Ohio.
The hands on educational displays gives, not only Midland Conservation District, but conservation districts across the state and nation the tools to effectively demonstrate how conservation districts work with landowners to preserve our natural resources.
The Earth Tunnel won state and national recognition for Ag in the Classroom for Michigan Farm Bureau and American Farm Bureau Federation. Click here for photo.
Rental agreement.
Water Tunnel
The Water Tunnel’s construction, along with a trailer, cost approximately $58,000.00 and was funded by Saginaw Bay WIN, Glassbrook Foundation/FFA, Gerstacker Foundation, Midland Conservation District and Midland County Farm Bureau. The Water Tunnel is divided, it has two different views, a pristine stream and a polluted stream. The gross exaggeration between the two views provides a tool to demonstrate the impairment of water quality by human activities or neglect. The exterior provides education on the aquatic and terrestrial food change and how contamination can affect the human population. The water cycle is also featured along with how pollution and sediment travel through the watershed. On the inside of the tunnel there are replicas of the vegetative and aquatic life that strive in the healthy stream, i.e. walleye, caddisflies, mayflies and those that live in polluted streams, i.e. bullhead, catfish, mosquitoes, zebra mussels. Click here for photos.
Rental agreement.
Midland Conservation District Scholarship, $500.00 Given Annually
This scholarship is being made available to the traditional and non-traditional students pursuing a career in education, agriculture, natural resources or environment. This scholarship hopes to manage natural resources through the education of students.
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicants must be a resident of Midland County.
Must be entering or continuing education in the field of : Education, Agriculture, Natural Resources or Environmental Sciences.
Previous Scholarship Recipients:
Stephen Richard 2002
Karley Hermans 2003
Ryan Varner 2004
Kendra Byler - 2005
Earth Tunnel
Midland Office
275 W. Saginaw Rd.
Sanford, MI 48657
Tel: (989) 687-9760
Fax: (989) 687-9678
Email:
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