The Conservation Station, an open-air outdoor classroom at the Sandhill Research and Education Center in northeast Columbia, is sponsored by the Richland Conservation District and Clemson University. The station is an environmental education laboratory. Children and adults explore the natural world and investigate concepts and issues related to the conservation of natural resources.
Conservation Station
A wooden door opening into the Conservation Station introduces the visitor to a trail system connecting six instructional kiosks in classrooms for the study of six natural resources: air quality, forests, geology, soil, water, and wildlife. Each classroom has wooden benches and desks for approximately thirty students. A large wooden kiosk is at the front of each classroom. Beneath the display board of the kiosk are cabinets stocked with lesson plans and teaching materials. A set of lesson plans which support state science standards is part of the package.
The Natural Textbook
The natural world is the textbook. Leaves, butterflies, lichen, rainfall, earthworm, soil, bird nests, bark, wind direction, air temperature, clouds, animal tracks, pond water, and rocks are some of the reading and experimental materials. Lessons at the station involve participants in collecting and recording data, questioning the data, and interpreting it. In the forestry kiosk students can track the rainfall record in tree rings. At the soil kiosk after students take a soil profile, they measure and interpret the layers. Lichens are identified and used to detect the air quality at the site. Minerals are collected, tested, and identified in geology. Plaster casts of animal tracks are made to identify wildlife visitors. Microscopic life in a pond is observed and inventoried.
Collaborative Effort
Designing and developing the kiosks and curriculum at the Conservation Station was a collaborative effort of numerous state agencies and private organizations. Mary Jane Henderson, education coordinator for the Richland Conservation District, spearheaded the initiative. South Carolina’s Departments of Health, Education, and Environmental Control; Forestry Commission; Natural Resources; Parks, Recreation, and Tourism; along with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the SC Wildlife Federation provided educational resources for the curriculum. Americorps and City Year volunteers and SC Department of Correction inmates constructed the kiosks. A segment of the trail and a bridge were contributed by Colonial Life Insurance Company.
Scheduling Class
The Conservation Station has been in operation since the mid-90s serving public and private schools (grades K-12) as well as homeschool and other community groups. Ellen Nester, Youth Education Assistant for Sandhill Adventures, schedules and facilitates environmental education experiences at the station. For information on schedule options, contact Nester at 803-788-5700 x 24.
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