WIC Forest Club supports conservation

Forest Club students lend a hand to residents of Perch Lake in removing their preventative invasive species net on Sept. 30.

By Kate Collins
IRON RIVER – The West Iron County High School Forest Club offers students hands-on experience in conservation efforts throughout Iron County. 
Since the autumn of 2000, faculty sponsor Joel VanLanen, has facilitated experiences from fish-stocking to bug-collecting to bog-exploration.
“Our goal is to raise awareness for the students to learn how to care for their environment and learn about invasive species,” VanLanen said.
At the close of the school year, VanLanen coordinated a fish stocking experience for the Forest Club in conjunction with Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources. Last May, the students assisted Kynzie House, a DNR technician with the Marquette State Fish Hatchery, in stocking lake trout in Ottawa Lake and Golden Lake. 
With House offering guidance and instruction, the students handled the fish and deposited them in their new aquatic environment.
“It’s an alternative way to learn,” VanLanen said. 
    Forest Club students also contribute to maintenance of Perch Lake each fall and spring, as they assist in placing and removing containment nets. The nets are designed to prevent invasive species from inhabiting Perch Lake. Last September, after a scuba diver examined the nets for possible contaminants, the students helped with the removal of the nets. 
“It’s a preventative measure,” VanLanen explained. 
Invasive species can easily and unknowingly be transported from lake to lake by fishing boats that are not cleaned between boat launches. Rinsing each boat is a simple measure that can preserve area lakes from being exposed to invasive species.
Students also collect soil samples from fields, meadows and rocky ground near rivers. After collection, they divide the samples into sand, silt and clay, then test for mineral content. The students have the opportunity to attend several field trips, allowing them to roll up their sleeves and experience what they have read about in their textbooks.
The school district owns a forest where students can gain experience in tree farming. The school forest is undergoing a cutting, and the students will have the opportunity to see the harvesting in person in the spring of 2023, as poor weather postponed their planned fall field trip. 
VanLanen described the process the students will see first-hand: how trees are selected for harvesting, the value of the trees, how the bid process works in conjunction with a forester, and where the trees are transported for processing after they are cut. Students will learn how different species of trees respond to various types of harvest plans and replanting.
Many students don’t know about this process, even though logging is one of our main industries in Iron County, VanLanen said. The Forest Club offers the chance for many to explore a great career opportunity.
VanLanen counted several students who discovered their love for forestry, environmental engineering and biological sciences through the Forest Club, leading them to those degree paths in college.