Every June, Grade 4 students from five elementary schools are invited to take in the WCE day at Eternal Springs. The Virden Wetland Leaders lead them through the usual critter dipping, but also run sessions on soil testing, geology and water sampling and quality.
The Virden WCE use Eternal Springs as its adopted wetland. The site is a 20-minute drive from the school. It has a swinging bridge, two small stocked trout ponds and hiking trails. It’s location away from the school limits the frequency of visits but allows WCE students to focus in on one day a year to deliver a comprehensive interpretive field trip to elementary students.
We select a small number of high school students each year as our Wetland Leaders. Each leader receives a $500 cheque for post-secondary studies. For the past seven years, all of the Wetland Leaders have gone on to post-secondary studies.
"After students learn about essential macro-nutrients, they collect a soil sample, and use the La Motte testing kits to measure the Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium of the soil. As they wait for their soil chemistry tests, they use a Munsell colour chart to identify the colour of the soil in our area."
Facts & Highlights
Soil is essential to human survival. We rely on it for the production of food, fibre, timber and energy crops. Like wetlands, we also rely on the soil to regulate the flow of rainwater and to act as a filter for drinking water. And, like wetlands its important to manage our soils for their long-term productivity, sustainability and health.
- Virden, Manitoba - Established in 2010
- Outdoor Classroom located at Eternal Springs
- Participate in DUC’s WCE video conferences
- Host annual field trip event each year
