Acknowledgments
Text and many of the photos used in the website are taken from the
Spring 2005 IESTA newsletter. Our thanks to Randy Fiscus, James Cash,
and IESTA for the newsletter. Feel free to use any text and photos on
this website but please acknowledge the Idaho Geological Survey and the
author/photographer.
Introduction
Each summer, the Idaho Geological Survey conducts a summer earth
science teachers field workshop. The Idaho Earth Science Teachers
Association (IESTA) cosponsors the workshop along with the Idaho Bureau
of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National
Energy Foundation, and Idaho Mining Association. The workshop helps
Idaho teachers become more familiar with Idaho’s varied geology and how
it impacts people. The course is open to both secondary and
elementary teachers.
For more information regarding past and present workshops, see
Workshop
Information
In 2004, the workshop was held at Snowbank Campground along the shores
of Cascade Lake. Its unique location, situated in Long Valley,
gave the participants a unique opportunity to see how volcanic
activity, tectonic activity, and glacial activity have sculpted the
landscape we live on.
2004 Idaho Earth Science Teachers Field Workshop Participants (photo
Kurt Othberg)
Workshop Activities
Field TripsThrough a series of trips
along the lake shore and into the surrounding mountains, the
participants were able to piece together geologic history of the Long
Valley area.
Skill Development
Kurt Othberg and
Roy Breckenrige helped people
identify rocks, use GPS units to mark locations on topographic maps,
identify soils, demonstrated the use of a field magnetometer in
differentiating the basalt flows of the Columbia River Basalts, and
helped people interpret the broader geologic picture at the many
panoramic stops.
Presentations
Once field data was collected, a series of
presentations were given in camp which dealt with the impact of the
local geology on the people that live in the area.
- Steven Weiser (from the
Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security) provided a great deal of information
associated with potential natural disasters ranging from forest fires
to earthquakes and how they affect land use decisions in a wildland
urban interface environment. This is an area of concern since a
new ski area is currently under construction in the area and there is
considerable planned development (condo’s, summer homes, support
services, etc) in the area.
- Chris Jonetz-Trisler
(FEMA Region 10 Earthquake Program Manger) added to the hazard data
with information currently being gathered from the Sisters Volcanoes of
Oregon and how a plan to deal with the potential ash/earthquake issues
develops.
- Mike Weaver (Idaho
Geological Survey) gave a talk on mine safety demonstrating the safety
equipment used in an underground mine operation. He then took us
out to an abandoned strip mine site where participants gathered samples
containing Monazite (a uranium ore) to take back to camp. Mike
then demonstrated how to pan for the mineral. Participants then
spent hours in the lake panning, a welcomed activity on a very hot
afternoon.
Projects
Once data had been collected, participants then began to build a series
of modules to be used by
Carolyn
Miller, the naturalist responsible for campground talks at the
various
Idaho State Parks
located around Cascade Lake and the leader of the local
Junior Ranger program (designed for
students ages 12 and under). Each of these modules needed to be
small enough to be placed in a series of trunks that could be easily
transported from campground to campground. On the last day of the
workshop, groups of participants presented their modules to Carolyn in
a form that she might use in her evening presentations at a
campground. As you might expect, the modules were as varied as
the participants. Some were collections of local rocks for
campers to look at, some consisted of a series of flip charts for
demonstration, others were incredibly funny puppet shows designed to
both entertain and educate campers in the area.
Project presentation (photo Kurt Othberg)