By: Jude Mautz
Every semester, our ninth-grade students are treated to a trip around Lake Wallenpaupack to learn about the environment. Through their two-day field trip, they are taken all over the area, first taking a trip around the lake with the Lake Wallenpaupack Management District, and they are shown the many projects it has undertaken to control the soil, erosion, and other issues around the lake. Then they get taken on a tour boat to take depth and PH readings of the lake water, so they can learn about the current health of the lake. The students also get to take tours of the local streams and wetlands to see the beauty of nature that may be eroding, while also getting to learn about the life that depends on them. During class, they get to take a walk to the dam to observe what created and maintains the lake we get to see every day. Our bi-yearly lake trip is especially important to bring context and a real life analogue to what the first-year students are being taught in the classroom, and it is vital to the continuation of the nearly 100-year lifespan of Lake Wallenpaupack.
