gidakiimanaaniwigamig (gidaa) science camps for 3-12 students at Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Abstract:

Gidaa informal science camps have been held in various formats and emphases for over 10 years at Fond du Lac (FDL). These camps provided a safe place for young people to be “nerds” but did not have specific focus. In the last 5 years the camp themes became more focused on environmental issues facing the reservation. From 2009 to 2014 the camps focused on issues surrounding the health of wild rice plants. Since September 2014, we are focusing on climate literacy and how climate changes are affecting tribal environment. We learned from our wild rice themed activities that students are more focused and interested in topics that affect them and their reservation and traditional activities.
Each camp has a presentation by a staff from the FDL Resource Management Division. These presentations are sometimes given on Friday evenings after dinner and yet students remain alert, respectful, and actively take notes. The presentation topic is known in advance and camp teachers (local middle and high school teachers who have been with us for 5 to 10 years) plan lessons around that topic. In addition, college students, some of them past camp participants, are on hand to assist the teachers and to provide role models. Students have investigated, for example, possible effects of climate change on the timing of rising of sugar maple sap and whether sugar maple tress will continue to thrive in their area, efforts to bring back sturgeon to local rivers and how the changes in water temperature may affect that effort, possible climate connection to decline of moose and walleye pike population at 5 weekend camps during the last academic year.
We have conducted 2 surveys by an outside evaluator and will have the results before the next round of camps starts in fall 2015 to help us tweak the format if necessary. Teachers and planners (PIs) are happy with the way camps are running this year; there is a good balance of camp activities that allow teachers to translate and adapt the presentation topics, which they then can use in their classrooms. The camps are jointly funded by a NASA award to FDL Tribal and Community College and an NSF award to University of Minnesota.