Munising Public Schools Scientific Equipment Fundraiser

The Natural Resources course is offered to students at the Munising Middle High School and the science teacher is working with the Alger Conservation District (ACD), and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) to raise chinook Salmon In The Classroom and release them into the Anna River.  Last spring (2023), the Natural Resources students successfully reared and released over 20 young smolts into the river.

Now in year two of this program, the Natural Resources class is preparing for another smolt release this spring and would like to continue expanding the curriculum and partnerships by engaging students in hands-on water quality studies of the local Lake Superior Watershed, including the Anna River and its tributaries. Additionally, the partnerships may include Munising students working with ACD and the MDNR to build and place fish cribs and fish stix in local lakes, to provide secure habitats for various fish species.

In order to conduct these hands-on studies of the watershed, the school district has partnered with the Munising Rotary Club to help raise enough money for the students in the Natural Resources program to purchase a classroom set of Vernier probes and sensors, as well as the related software to analyze the water quality data collected. The fundraising goal for the sensors is $5000.  In order to build the necessary fish structures as approved by the ACD and MDNR, they need to raise an additional $2500. Therefore reaching the collective goal of $7500 will enable the Natural Resources students to fund these two independent but related environmental studies projects and make meaningful learning connections to the already successful Salmon In The Classroom project. This equipment will also have applications for our chemistry and biology students. The Munising Public Schools envisions this project based learning experience will inspire some of Munising's best and brightest students to pursue local careers in conservation and environmental science to safeguard and enhance the natural wonders of our region.

Note: Donations received for these projects will be added to the proceeds of the Rotary Pancake Breakfast hosted on February 10, 2024. 

Contact Superintendent, Mike Travis at mike.travis@mps-up.com for more info.