Mississippi Adventure Days offers learning opportunities

By Steve Van Kooten

The Prairie du Chien Rotary Club brought a large number of adults and children to St. Feriole Island on Monday, Aug. 4, for their annual Mississippi Adventure Day.

The event hosted six educational stations near Lawler Park. Each area focused on a different part of the river’s ecosystem, from fish to bats to recreational hunting and fishing. Kids split into six groups to attend each one between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. that day.

“Our agenda for the day is to have each go from station to station,” said Sam Achenbach, a member of the Rotary Club. “This is one of our non-monetary ways that we give back. We pay for the event, but overall, it’s just about providing education and awareness about the river to kids in the area.”

The Rotary Club has organized the Adventure Day for approximately 20 years, according to Rotary Member Dean Achenbach.

“It really started it out because some of our Rotarians just wanted to get kids out on the river, so it really just began with some private boats, and they gave rides out on the backwaters,” he said.

The event has grown in popularity over the years, according to Achenbach. Several local organizations, including Cabela’s, the Wisconsin Ambassadors, Genoa Fish Hatchery, the Prairie Rod and Gun Club, the Osborne Nature Center, Effigy Mounds and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, pitched in to run or co-run one of the stations. 

“They all volunteer. Keeping people informed is part of what the government agencies are supposed to do,” said Dean Achenbach. 

In past years, the event has utilized a tour boat to bring people on the Mississippi River to explore.

Dean also recognized Compeer Financial for supplying hats for the event and the family of Terry Ferguson, who provided a donation to “keep the event going.”

At one of the stations, children and their chaperones donned vests and waded into the water with nets, skimming the water to find some of the unique creatures that inhabit the shallow banks of the Mississippi River.

“They’re looking for macroinvertebrates [animals without backbones that are visible without the use of a microscope] and just catching a bunch. We’re trying to catch as many species as possible and put them in the containers over there to identify and talk about diversity in the river,” said Griffin Harris, a volunteer with the Upper Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Refuge and an intern with Americorps. “They learn about important ecological factors that contribute to the overall health of the river ecosystem. It’s about getting kids outside, getting their hands dirty and giving them the opportunity to learn.”

Away from the bank, another station run by Effigy Mounds featured a touch table with animal furs and skulls. Kids learned about any animal and how they adapted to their environment.

“If you want to talk about a beaver, you would talk about what teeth they have, for instance. These teeth are sharp, so it’s probably a carnivore — it eats meat,” said Lexi Palas, a biotech with Effigy Mounds. “The same thing with fur; a fox’s tail keeps it warm in the winter. So, kids can come up here and talk about whatever animal they want.”

“In addition to that, we’re talking about habitats — what the animals need to survive,” added Janette Muller, another biotech.

Palas said that finding ways to get kids engaged with the natural environment around them helps them understand the important role it plays in their lives every day.

“We describe how important public lands are for protecting animals and their habitats, and it’s important for them to make that connection in their communities. They can look around and realize that the land is a shared resource,” she said.

Claire Epperson, with the Upper Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Refuge, agreed with Palas. “Having that connection to the resources around them gets them to want to conserve it, so an event like this, where people get to learn different conservation techniques and different wildlife, is really important for the kids and us as well.”

Bats a popular topic at Adventure Day

There weren’t any bats in the belfries, but there certainly were some bats on the brain during the Rotary Club’s Mississippi Adventure Day this past week. 

At one of the event’s waterfront stations, attendees had the chance to learn all about the bat species present throughout the state of Wisconsin.

“Basically, we’re teaching kids about what’s going on with bats in Wisconsin currently and how to identify them,” said Steve Banicki, a naturalist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Banicki’s station had examples of the most common bat species in the state, including the big and little brown bats, hoary bat and silver-haired bat. Big brown and little brown bats are the most common; Wisconsin is home to half of the country’s population of little brown bats.

According to Banicki, Wisconsin also hosts numerous migrating bat species. “They’re just like birds; when it’s time, they head south and stop where they can find food.”

Learning about the role bats play in the local ecosystem gives kids a window into the cooperation needed from every species — including humans — to sustain a healthy, mutually beneficial environment.

“Everybody’s got a purpose; these guys are great insect eaters,” said Banicki. “So, you’re talking about agriculture. People will use fewer pesticides on farm fields if there’s a healthy bat population around. They will also give you an indicator about what’s going on in your environment.

“These guys are great for the ecology, and, of course, they’re part of the food system. Other creatures feast on these guys — raccoons, snakes, and owls all prey on bats.”

 He also ran a choose your own adventure-style game in which kids followed a bat’s daily life, making decisions about what to do at each point.

“It gives them an idea of how bats survive. It starts when the bats just get out of the cave for the season,” he said. “Sometimes, they’ll get eaten by a cat or hit by a car, but other times they’ll find mosquitoes, get something to eat, and move on to the next one.”