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SARATOGA SPRINGS — Hundreds of bundled-up fourth graders buzzed around Tuesday at one of Utah Lake's marinas, casting small fishing lines to catch plastic fish in the parking lot and looking at replicas of wolf poop.
For 13 years and counting, the Utah Lake Authority has hosted fourth graders every spring and fall to teach them more about the lake they live so close to. The classes came to the lake Tuesday from Alpine School District schools in Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain.
Ben Woodruff, with the Hutchings Museum Institute in Lehi, said it's good for the students to get out of their high-density housing neighborhoods and see the beauty in their backyard. He said there aren't many opportunities in the area anymore to see the natural beauty Utah Lake offers.
The field trip is set up with up to 15 stations around the marina, each station manned by a different agency like Hutchings Museum, Utah County Public Works Department, Utah Department of Natural Resources, the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission. Experts at each station taught the students about different topics, from fishing safety to ice age animals, endangered lake species and putting a life jacket on properly.
"What I have loved about working at (Utah) Lake and helping care for it is how much I've been able to learn and share with others, and the passion that develops when people come to see the beauty and the wonder that Utah Lake has to offer," said Utah Lake Authority programs manager Sam Braegger.
Braegger said hosting these field trips for the fourth graders has been a great experience that the students remember for years to come.
While some students were sifting sand to find special rocks, others were climbing an amphibious lawn mower that cuts down invasive species of weeds. They held a jar of June sucker larvae and were shown where Utah Lake came from — Lake Bonneville.
"I'm a strong believer that a lot of the issues that people have with the lake are a little bit of fact and a whole lot of fiction. There are definitely things that need to get better, but there's a lack of understanding and a lack of awareness. So, programs like this make a huge difference in starting young," Braegger said.
While around 18 schools applied to come to this field trip, Braegger said the Utah Lake Authority, which organizes the event, could only accept six schools this fall due to lack of space. Braegger said the authority is hoping to secure funding to build a nature center near the Saratoga Springs marina so more people can visit and learn about the habitat and origins of the lake.
In order to qualify to go on the trip, classes need to be taught specific criteria listed by the Utah Lake Authority, along with any other information for the field trips, which can be found at www.utahlake.gov/fieldtrips. The idea started with a Utah Lake Authority employee and a handful of fourth grade teachers wanting to teach their students about the lake.
Though the field trips are only available for fourth graders in the geographical location near Utah Lake, Braegger said information is available to anyone on the Utah Lake Authority's podcast and website. The podcast is "30-minute snapshots on a variety of topics: sometimes they're on history of the lake, sometimes they're on a current project going on, or answering commonly asked questions about concerns like algae blooms," Braegger said.
Correction: It was incorrectly reported the field trips are hosted by Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
