Potawatomi Wildlife Park was proud to partner with Kosciusko Soil and Water Conservation District to host an educational field trip for fifth-grade students from Akron and Mentone Elementary Schools. Amanda Heltzel, the Education and Outreach Coordinator at Kosciusko Soil and Water, initiated and organized the collaboration, which came about when the usual location for the trip, Mentone Pond, was unavailable due to ongoing construction.
Lacey Pfeiffer, Manager of Potawatomi Wildlife Park, welcomed the opportunity to support the field trip by providing a full UTV tour of the park to help plan the trip's location and explore future possibilities for similar educational programs.
On October 3, Mentone and Akron Elementary students rotated through four educational stations:
- Watersheds and Pollution
- Macroinvertebrate Sampling
- Macroinvertebrate Identification
- Potawatomi Wildlife Park Station (Forestry)
Mentone and Akron Elementary Schools expressed their gratitude, stating, "A HUGE thank you to the Kosciusko County Community Foundation KEYS Grant program for providing the waders, Potawatomi Wildlife Park for its invaluable educational resources and park access, and Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation District for the outstanding programming that made this field trip possible."
Potawatomi Wildlife Park looks forward to future collaborations and encourages other schools to explore the park’s field trip options at potawatomiwildlifepark.com/field-trips.
Spanning over 300 acres, Potawatomi Wildlife Park offers low-impact recreational opportunities daily from sunrise to sunset. The park’s mission is to connect people with nature, local history, and community through recreation and educational programming.
For more information about Potawatomi Wildlife Park, upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, or donation inquiries, please visit potawatomiwildlifepark.com.
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