Knox County CISMA Education Program Reaches Local Students
SICIM Email
By Will Drews
Thanks to the help of a SICIM small grant in 2021, the Knox County Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) has been able to reach local students with a curriculum on native and invasive plants as well as hands-on projects. COVID put a damper on reaching teachers and students, but since 2022, the Knox County CISMA has been busy putting the classroom resources together and getting out to local area classes. The invasive species curriculum was designed to meet Indiana middle school and high school standards. As part of the curriculum, a PowerPoint presentation on invasive plants and native habitats was developed specific to Knox County as well as several activities that could be completed in the classroom or outside.
So far, two area high schools, Lincoln High School and North Knox High School, have received classroom materials and lesson plans. In Fall of 2022, CISMA Coordinator Will Drews was able to work with North Knox Science Teacher Jennifer Nettles and present on invasive and native plants to 4 classes with the Knox County Invasive Species Curriculum materials reaching around 80 high school students. In the Spring of 2023, Will Drews and CISMA members presented materials to Lincoln High School Biology Teacher Rene LaMontagna, and they coordinated the planting of a native plant Monarch Waystation with two biology classes, reaching about 40 high school students.
The Knox County Invasive Species Curriculum materials are easily customizable for other counties in Indiana, and if you are interested, feel free to reach out to Will Drews at willem.drews@in.nacdnet.net for more information.