Meet Our Members: Central Denison 2nd Graders
Their work is "key" to the purchase of a new research canoe
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| These 2nd graders from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin made and sold manatee key chains, netting enough money to purchase a new research canoe for Ranger Wayne Hartley at Blue Spring State Park. (Photo courtesy Nick Nottestad) |
Each winter, Ranger Wayne Hartley takes his trusty canoe out to check the spring run at Blue Spring State Park and conduct his morning "roll call" of manatees. He’s been doing manatee research at the park since 1974, so you can imagine that his research canoe is worn pretty thin. This year, however, he has a brand new canoe, courtesy of 14 hard-working 2nd graders from Central Denison Elementary School in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
It seems like fate was destined to bring Ranger Wayne and the Central Denison 2nd graders together. “We were looking for funding to pay for a new research canoe for Wayne,” said Artie Wong, Staff Biologist for Save the Manatee Club. “We had contacted Old Town Canoes and Kayaks, and they were nice enough to give us a 50% discount. With shipping and handling, the price of the canoe came to $670. And then we just happened to get a donation check from the Wisconsin 2nd graders for that very same amount.”
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| Teacher Nick Nottestad (right), and his partner in crime, Julie Patten (left), an aide at Central Denison who also works on the manatee project. Note the chair in the middle that reads: "Reserved for Jimmy Buffett." (Photo courtesy Nick Nottestad) |
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The Central Denison Elementary School students are led by teacher Nick Nottestad, an enthusiastic manatee supporter and Jimmy Buffett fan. For six years, his classes have been making and selling manatee key chains in their school and community and have raised a total of over $3,700 for Save the Manatee Club’s manatee conservation efforts. “Originally, Jimmy Buffett guided my passion for conservation and teaching toward the efforts of the Save the Manatee Club,” said Nottestad.
Mr. Nottestad helps his students get into the spirit of things by creating a tropical paradise in his classroom. Nicknamed “Tiki Town,” the classroom includes a hut with a thatched roof, palm trees, shells, and other touches of the sea. It even includes signs from Key West such as Caroline Street and Mallory Square. Paper mache manatees hang from the ceiling, and there’s a manatee area with pictures of the manatees his classes have adopted from Save the Manatee Club’s Adopt-A-Manatee program over the years.
The wooden manatee key chains are handpainted by the students, who are also responsible for sales and marketing efforts.
“Our annual Manatee Key Chain Fundraiser teaches 2nd grade students in Wisconsin valuable lessons about money, geography, team work, conservation, and most importantly, about how their efforts are making a difference in the global society we live in,” said Nottestad.
“The process is fun for everyone,” he continued, “and I know it’s made a lasting impact on my students as many of them have returned as middle school and high school students still eager to lend a hand. Little things can make a big difference!”
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| Ranger Wayne Hartley checks out a manatee visitor in his brand new canoe. (Photo courtesy Wayne Hartley, FDEP) |
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Whiskers is the manatee adopted by Nick Nottestad and the Central Denison Elementary 2nd Graders. Whiskers is a male manatee who frequents Blue Spring in the winter. He is the son of Dana, another Blue Spring adoptee. She introduced him to Blue Spring in 1996, and he has been visiting the park ever since that time.
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