News NICC Outdoor Learning Lab Receives DRA Grant Posted 4 June 2009 With the assistance of a $20,000 Dubuque Racing Association (DRA) grant, Northeast Iowa Community College is continuing its mission of environmental stewardship. The college is currently working to create four separate habitats on a 28-acre parcel of land immediately east of campus and adjacent to U.S. Rte. 20. Habitats in the college’s Outdoor Learning Lab (OLL) will include a woodland, savannah, wetland and a prairie. NICC officials who oversee the OLL project intend to use this funding to address the goals of the OLL, and the funds may be used to address the specific and more immediate needs in the wetland area. “Our hope is that the DRA funding will allow us to enhance and improve the wetland area sooner and more efficiently than projected, and allow local entities to assist in the pond renovations and berm creation,” said Mike Gau, dean of arts and sciences at the Peosta campus. Gau is a member of the OLL Committee who provides planning, input, and coordination efforts on the OLL project. “The pond needs to be dredged and we need to build a berm toward the north side of the wetland to assist with water quality and control runoff waters.” Completed OLL projects to date have included weed control and planting native grasses in the savannah and prairie areas. The woodland area will be seeded in early fall 2009 to create a natural woodland environment and canopy. “The DRA’s contribution is marvelous, and it’s good to know that the DRA and others support our green projects. This grant also supports our intention for the OLL since the start ­ that this is a community project for everyone,” Gau said. The DRA’s generosity matches the college’s community goals and commitment to environmental initiatives, and is consistent with other contributions from state and local environmentally friendly agencies and organizations. The OLL will serve a variety of educational goals by incorporating native plants in northeast Iowa for the project, educating local students and the community about native plants, and improving water quality. The OLL will also provide habitats for wildlife and restore the Mississippi flyway. Students in grades K-12 as well as college and the entire NICC district community are welcome to utilize the parcel for environmental science instruction. Similar to an arboretum, the OLL will be equipped with walking trails for student and public use. The OLL will provide the additional benefit of making efficient use of college time and resources. Currently, science instructors and students travel off-campus to sites, such as field trips to Graf and the Mines of Spain, to supplement their learning. NICC science faculty and students currently travel an average of 40 minutes to reach natural plants and wildlife habitats. Combined with busy student schedules and fuel costs, the travel requirements impede students’ ability to benefit from these educational experiences. The OLL offers students the opportunity to complete natural science fieldwork in a setting on the Peosta campus.         In addition to the DRA grant award, NICC has received generous donations from Pheasants Forever and The Wild Turkey Federation and grant funding from the Iowa’s Living Roadway Trust Fund Program. For more information about the OLL, contact Mike Gau at (563) 556-5110, ext. 207. Information on NICC’s science curriculum is available here.

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