Lincoln College Hosts ‘Solutions for Soil’
Free Workshop Focuses on Controlling Soil Erosion

[October 17, 2018]    A free hands-on workshop that will highlight best practices in soil erosion control and prevention will be held Oct. 20, at the Campbell Creekside Outdoor Center for Environmental Education at Lincoln College.

“There is no natural resource more valuable to Central Illinois than soil. It is, quite literally, the foundation of the economy and protecting and preserving that resource is essential to the economic well-being of every citizen,” said Dr. Dennis Campbell, director and namesake founder of the Campbell Creekside Center. “This workshop will provide practical tips and real world examples illustrating the benefits of soil conservation and the risks and costs of practices that do not protect the land.”

The workshop is a joint project of Lincoln College, the Cardno Native Plant Nursery, the Logan County Soil and Water Conservation Agency and the Logan County Natural Resource Conservation Service. As an added feature of the workshop, during the afternoon participants will be able to tour the center and review projects from students in the College’s Conservation Biology program.

“This is a chance for our students to meet with conservation professionals, while also explaining the work that is going on in our program,” said Dr. Julia Ossler, lead faculty for the Conservation Biology program at Lincoln College. “We have expanded our partnerships with conservation professionals and that gives our students a range of opportunities. We view this workshop as both a chance to give back to the community and a showcase for our program.”

Workshop attendees will participate in an interactive lecture on local impacts of degrading soil and preventative practices for sustaining soil health from 9–11:00 a.m. Lunch will be provided for registered attendees, starting at 11:30 a.m. Guests will be able to walk the newly extended boardwalk and observe first-hand signs of erosion and view our new interpretative displays.

The afternoon session from 1-3 p.m. will feature Lincoln College student projects and tours of the nature center.

The boardwalk extension was made possible by a $3,645 grant from Illinois American Water awarded this spring. Funds were used to construct a handicap accessible boardwalk and interpretive signage. The new boardwalk allows allow visitors and researchers access to a spectacular view of the stream bank features of Sugar Creek.

With a “forward to the past” theme, each foot along the Boardwalk takes visitors one year further back in time from the present, offering a temporal-spatial scale to history. Plaques affixed to the boardwalk planks along with several interpretive exhibits will commemorate important local, national, and global historical dates and events. The Boardwalk provides handicapped accessibility to the existing Sugar Creek Wibben Overlook platform.

While the workshop is free, participants are being asked to register through the Lincoln College website at: https://lincolncollege.edu/event/solutions-for-soils-workshop/ 

Details and directions to Creekside can also be found on the registration page.

[Mark Gordon
Public Relations and Media Manager
Lincoln College]