Kip’s Comments - May 14, 2024

Appreciative Hesitation and Mutants

Today was the 2024 Fifth Grade Field Day for fifth-graders across Bremer County at Alcock Park. Volunteers and Bremer County Conservation staff members invest time and energy each year to share various outdoor passions with the younger folks. My understanding is the count of school kids today was 400 or more, along with school staff.

Each year I teach the backpacking session. For some of my participants today was their first time to discuss such an outdoor activity. I would guess that to be true of many of the stations.

My thanks to Bremer County Conservation, Heather Gamm (coordinator), the many volunteers, and the schools who make this happen for so many kids. We may be their only outdoor experience. Hopefully we make it worthwhile.

As for the title… there are a few seconds when you go from quiet and waiting for the kids to arrive until you know they are soon going to come running. I appreciate the day and what it does, but as the hundreds of kids are scattering across the park, you wonder what you volunteered for. Every year it works!

Fifth Grade Field Day 2024 - Image 882581 (the gathering before the scattering)

As for the mutant in the title… Kristy and I are finding mutant dandelions in our CRP. So far this is the largest spotted. We wonder what is causing it.

Mutant Dandelion - Image 882606