The Water Experience
A program of the South Florida Water Management District, Lake Okeechobee Regional Initiative, and the Belle Glade Youth Empowerment Center
This will be a 2011 summer program of the Belle Glade Youth Empowerment Center. It will be educational and fun. Using classroom and field trips, it will teach participants about the region in which they live and the work of the South Florida Water Management District. As part of the program there will be an emphasis on the jobs performed at the SFWMD, and qualifications needed for the jobs. The program will be coordinated by the Lake Okeechobee Regional Initiative, a project of the Collins Center for Public Policy.
Participants will be young men and women of middle school and high school age who attend the summer program offered by the Youth Empowerment Center. The Center will select the participants using criteria that include interest, ability and commitment to other programs at the Center, including the entrepreneurial farm. The number of participants is estimated at 10 to 12.
The program will run every Wednesday from June 8 through August 3, nine in total. The program will be anchored at the Center, 227 SW 6th St., Belle Glade. The program will begin each Wednesday at 10 a.m. On the dates of the field trips (see below), arrival of the Center’s bus at the field trip site will be 11 a.m. except for July 27, which will be 10:30 a.m.
In general, the classroom sessions are meant to set the stage for the next week’s field trip.his will be an educational and fun summer 2011 program that will teach participants about the region in which they live and the work of the South Florida Water Management District. There will be emphasis on jobs performed at the district, and qualifications needed for them. Participants will be young men and women of middle school and high school age.
The nine-week program will run every Wednesday from June 8 through August 3. It will begin at 10 a.m. Classroom sessions will end before noon. On the dates of the field trips, arrival of the Center's bus at the field trip site will be 11 a.m. except for July 27, which will be 10:30 a.m.
In general, the classroom sessions are meant to set the stage for the next week’s field trip.
| June 8 | Classroom session led by AnEta Sewell, South Florida Water Management District: introduction to "the water experience” via overview of the District’s purpose and work. The classroom sessions will be one or two hours only. PowerPoints provided by the SFWMD will utilized throughoutIntroduction to the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), its purpose and work, led by AnEta Sewell, lead outreach coordinator. |
| June 15 | Field trip to South Florida Water Management Central headquarters, West Palm Beach. System overview and tour of offices. Visit S-155 ocean outletField trip to SFWMD's headquarters, West Palm Beach. System overview, tour of control room. Visit S-155 ocean outlet. |
| June 22 | Classroom session led by Dr. Elise Pearlstine, professor at Everglades Research and Education Center, IFAS, Belle Glade: How the SFWMD treats and moves water for drinking, flood control, agriculture, and the environment. Dr. Pearlstine will also touch on her research on wildlifeClassroom session led by Dr. Elise Pearlstine, professor at Everglades Research and Education Center, Belle Glade: How the SFWMD treats and moves water for drinking, flood control, agriculture, and the environment. |
| June 29 | Field trip to LILA (Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment) a "living laboratory” at theArthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Meet Rebecca Stanek. See scale model of Everglades, do water quality monitoring activities.Field trip to LILA (Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment) a "living laboratory" at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. See scale model of Everglades, do water quality monitoring activities. |
| July 6 | Classroom session led by Robert Shuford, environmental scientist, SFWMD. He will discuss the importance of water quality and water flow; give a description of the Everglades system and outline of restoration issues. rshufor@sfwmd.gov.Classroom session led by Robert Shuford, environmental scientist, SFWMD: the importance of water quality and water flow. Description of the Everglades system and outline of restoration issues. |
| July 13 | Field trip to South Florida Water Management District Chemical Lab, 11480-9 Skees Road, West Palm Beach. Meet Richard Walker, Chem Lab manager, SFWMD. See how the lab operatesField trip to SFWMD Chemical Lab, West Palm Beach. Meet Richard Walker, Chem Lab manager. See the test results of monitoring activities at LILA. |
| July 20 | Classroom session led by Dr. Elise Pearlstine, Dr. Elise Pearlstine, professor at Everglades Research and Education Center, IFAS, Belle Glade: continue on the topic of how the SFWMD treats and moves water for drinking, flood control, agriculture, and the environmentSecond classroom session led by Dr. Elise Pearlstine on how the SFWMD treats and moves water for drinking, flood control, agriculture, and the environment. |
| July 27 | 10:30 Field trip to Stormwater Treatment Area 1-W. Visit S-5A pump station. Arrive at STA 1W at 10:30 a.m. and at S-5A about 11:15 to 11:30. Bijaya Kattel, senior recreation planner, will assist at STA 1-W. Gary Fischer is Chief Pump Operator at S-5A. Field trip to Stormwater Treatment Area 1-W, meet Jerry Krenz, Everglades Recreation Program Manager. Visit S-5A pump station get briefing from Gary Fischer is chief pump operator. |
| Aug. 3 | 11:00 a.m. "Commencement” ceremony at South Florida Water Management District headquarters. Presentation of Certificates of Completion. Remarks from SFWMD, Collins Center, and youth. Brief slideshow from the summer"Graduation" celebration. Cake and ice cream and more. |
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