June 22, 2010
Contact: Rick Moore, Hoosier Energy (812) 876-0282
Camp Rave kids learn about watersheds, solar energy at Hoosier Energy’s Turtle Creek Reservoir
Thirty-six students from Vigo County School Corporation learned about watersheds and solar energy on a June 18 field trip to Hoosier Energy’s Environmental Education Center at Turtle Creek Reservoir in Sullivan County.
The children, ages 6 to 13, are part of Camp Rave, a 10-week program provided by Chances for Indiana Youth. The group takes what they call “Field trip Friday’s” every week, and Hoosier Energy Education Coordinator Linda Richardson was more than happy to host the kids at the Education Center.
"It’s been great, my kids were learning about watersheds and they seemed to enjoy that," Richardson said. "My favorite thing about having the group out here is the ability to do education outreach and teach about energy conservation. It's really critical for kids, especially younger ones, to learn that early on."
Campers constructed solar ovens out of a pizza box, black construction paper and plastic. Although marshmallows and graham crackers were involved, most understood the main lesson about solar energy.
Hoosier Energy offers the Education Center as a resource for educators at Turtle Creek Reservoir, which provides cooling water for the power supply cooperative’s Merom Generating Station. The 1,550-acre reservoir is a also a popular destination for fishing and waterfowl hunting.
Camp Rave attendee Zekiel Edinburgh concentrates on cutting construction paper to build a solar oven from a pizza box. |
Camp Rave attendee Tristen Norton examines the Hoosier Energy watershed model during a field trip to the Education Center at Turtle Creek Reservoir. |
For more information on Hoosier Energy, Turtle Creek Reservoir or the Education Center, visit www.hoosierenergy.com and click on the Community and Education tab.
About Hoosier Energy
Hoosier Energy is a generation and transmission cooperative providing electric power to 17 member electric distribution cooperatives in central and southern Indiana and one member cooperative in Illinois. Based in Bloomington, Hoosier Energy operates coal, natural gas and renewable energy power plants and delivers power through a 1,450-mile transmission network.