A Local Park Became an Outdoor Classroom for the AXL 8th Graders to Embark on a Microplastics Hunt and Archery Skill-Building. Written by AXL CAP Instructor Harmony Esqueda.
AXL Academy
8th graders eagerly set out on our short and sweet 15-minute journey from school to Cherry Creek State Park. There, we were greeted by the Education & Interpretation Assistant, Madison, who kindly oriented us to the park and set us up for the first task of the day: a trash pick-up project. With gloves on and empty five-gallon buckets and trash grabbers in hand, we set off around the picnicking areas along the shore of the reservoir on the hunt for teeny tiny microplastics….or so we thought.
Students quickly became competitive, hunting down everything from bottle caps, cans, flip-flops, clothes, fishing line, and even paddleboard fins hiding in brush and rocks. Some students felt a bit like archeologists, digging away at sand for plastic fossils.
Along our route, we ran into signs of beavers: chewed-up and fallen trees near the water. As we inspected the scene, we also discovered a nearby pile of feathers thrashing about in the intensely windy 90 mph gusts. We stood around it, taking turns guessing what animal it could be and how it died. Students discovered so many crawdad claws sprinkled about the sand along with the seashells. We also paused to admire a bald eagle soaring above us as it swooped down to the shoreline, looking over the water for its next prey for lunch.
By the end of our trash pick-up, we had more than ten full 5-gallon buckets of plastic bits and bobs. During our trash pickup debrief, we learned more about microplastics and reviewed the importance of a clean environment for local wildlife, including pronghorn, prairie falcons, deer, salamanders, and more. Students then observed a poster of all the fish species that live in the reservoir. This deepened their sense of pride in their service project, knowing that they were not only making the park more beautiful for people visiting, but also safer for the animals.
After a few games and a lunch of sandwiches and too many chips, we were pleased to see the wind die down so we could celebrate with some well-deserved archery. We headed over to the archery range, where everyone took turns shooting with compound bows at targets of various distances. Some students conquered their fears of shooting their first arrow, while others tuned up their skills from last year’s archery camping trip.
Students, instructors, and chaperones alike all had the opportunity to deepen our connection to this prairie landscape during our service project, and we discovered more treasure than trash throughout our day, even considering our microplastics hunt.
A big thanks to the funders and supporters that make the CAP class possible, including: Canvas Foundation, Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Great Outdoors Colorado, Patagonia, PeyBack Foundation, Strear Family Foundation, Thorne Nature Experience, Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program and the Xcel Energy Foundation.
If you’re also passionate about helping students get outdoors and take action to make change in their communities, please consider making a donation or becoming a monthly donor! You’ll help invest in our students, programs, and long-term sustainability and success!
