Fifth-grade journeys to Diamond Fork Canyon

 

On Friday, September 9, 2011, the fifth-graders at Barnett Elementary took a journey to Diamond Fork Canyon. While there, they learned about fire safety and what a healthy forest looks like. They were surprised to learn that a forest with a lot of plants on the ground isn’t actually the healthiest forest because it takes nutrients from the trees! One of the highlights of the trip was the opportunity the students had to act as real scientists and collect samples from the river to assess the “healthiness” of the river—if it was too acidic or too basic. The rangers up at Diamond Fork Canyon actually used the classes’ results to turn in to the state! They were also able to look for critters in the river, as another indicator of the healthiness of the river; the most commonly found organism was a water floater. They were able to participate in a presentation on animal species and types, with a particular emphasis on birds, especially the birds in Utah.