In a wonderful collaboration between the University of Dayton and Antioch College, the River Stewards have been given the opportunity to work with Basia Irland. Her ice books are not only a beautiful demonstration of eco-art, but have helped the Stewards consider the health of our rivers and connect to the sheer beauty of being in nature.
See the link to Susan Byrnes' story on Public Radio WYSO. http://wyso.org/post/eco-artist-basia-irland-visits-dayton
This Friday, September 14th will be an ice book launch using native plant seeds. You may join in a cycle or walk from ArtStreet at 3pm to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park at Stewart and Patterson. At 4pm the ice books will be launched into the river.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012
A Summer in Dayton with the Rivers Institute....
Today I was walking up the stairs to Zehler to stop in and see the
lovely Bethany Renner, and as I was walking up the stairs, I was
having flashbacks on the incredible summer that I spent working for
the Rivers Institute. I was part of an incredible summer team that
successfully completed many tasks including planning the steward
orientation, developing the River Leadership Curriculum, and running
summer programs for hundreds of people from preschoolers to adults. We
all had our own specific tasks, but we really worked as a team. We had
some great bonding moments, a lot of learning experiences, and
developed new skills. I could write hundreds of blogs about my summer,
but I will just try to hit the highlights.
My favorite programs out of the summer were our programs with
Daybreak. We did two programs with the Daybreak shelter, and I felt
like we really had the opportunity to see transformation right before
our eyes. Both groups kayaked in the Blue Hole at Eastwood metropark,
and both groups had a good time. After kayaking, the group headed over
to the lagoon for some art projects by the river. The first group
painted picture frames representing their past, present, and future,
and the second group painted old records to resemble the album of
their life or their theme song. Obviously both of these activities
were not directly tied to the river, but the students were sitting in
the shelter house next to the river and reflecting on their life. The
art projects turned out to be very powerful and emotional works of
art, so we managed to run an eco-retreat with these students. In the
closing discussions with both groups students shared about how they
learned to trust each other when they were out on the water. They said
they learned how to encourage and support each other. They said they
felt like they were closer after having that experience. Many of them
also shared how much they want to connect with nature more and kayak
again. The best thing about the program was just seeing the students
come in with fears, frustrations, and negativity but leave excited,
inspired, and calm. It was really an incredible program.
Another great group was the Dayton Jewish Community Center teachers.
The very first program of the summer was for the teachers of this
preschool, and the goal of the program was to inspire them as they
begin developing nature trails on their property. For that program,
the teachers spent time kayaking the lagoon, discussed some readings
about children losing nature, and also tried out some water education
activities. Similar to Daybreak, some of the teachers came in very
hesitant, scared, and negative, but we watched them all leave
completely inspired to make the most of their nature trails. They were
all like little kids leaving the playground! It was a fun program and
challenged the group because it was two days into our summer.
Other programs we did included: All ages at Adventure Central, St.
Albert's youth group, Peru and Argentina Marianist high school
students, YMCA boys camp, and many others. I think you can determine
that I had a great summer just based on the length of this blog! So in
conclusion, I have found that my summer internship has really prepared
me as a future science teacher because I am extremely comfortable
teaching all ages, I am confident in my ability to trouble-shoot and
manage groups, and I learned how to work as a team. I am so thankful
to have spent my summer here on campus working for the Rivers
Institute with Leslie King, Bethany Renner, Alex Galluzzo, Jill Pajka,
Andrew Kowalski, Anthony Whaley, and Taylor Pair. For the first time
ever, I was not disappointed that I did not go abroad because I would
not have wanted to be anywhere but Dayton for the summer.
Amy Price
lovely Bethany Renner, and as I was walking up the stairs, I was
having flashbacks on the incredible summer that I spent working for
the Rivers Institute. I was part of an incredible summer team that
successfully completed many tasks including planning the steward
orientation, developing the River Leadership Curriculum, and running
summer programs for hundreds of people from preschoolers to adults. We
all had our own specific tasks, but we really worked as a team. We had
some great bonding moments, a lot of learning experiences, and
developed new skills. I could write hundreds of blogs about my summer,
but I will just try to hit the highlights.
My favorite programs out of the summer were our programs with
Daybreak. We did two programs with the Daybreak shelter, and I felt
like we really had the opportunity to see transformation right before
our eyes. Both groups kayaked in the Blue Hole at Eastwood metropark,
and both groups had a good time. After kayaking, the group headed over
to the lagoon for some art projects by the river. The first group
painted picture frames representing their past, present, and future,
and the second group painted old records to resemble the album of
their life or their theme song. Obviously both of these activities
were not directly tied to the river, but the students were sitting in
the shelter house next to the river and reflecting on their life. The
art projects turned out to be very powerful and emotional works of
art, so we managed to run an eco-retreat with these students. In the
closing discussions with both groups students shared about how they
learned to trust each other when they were out on the water. They said
they learned how to encourage and support each other. They said they
felt like they were closer after having that experience. Many of them
also shared how much they want to connect with nature more and kayak
again. The best thing about the program was just seeing the students
come in with fears, frustrations, and negativity but leave excited,
inspired, and calm. It was really an incredible program.
Another great group was the Dayton Jewish Community Center teachers.
The very first program of the summer was for the teachers of this
preschool, and the goal of the program was to inspire them as they
begin developing nature trails on their property. For that program,
the teachers spent time kayaking the lagoon, discussed some readings
about children losing nature, and also tried out some water education
activities. Similar to Daybreak, some of the teachers came in very
hesitant, scared, and negative, but we watched them all leave
completely inspired to make the most of their nature trails. They were
all like little kids leaving the playground! It was a fun program and
challenged the group because it was two days into our summer.
Other programs we did included: All ages at Adventure Central, St.
Albert's youth group, Peru and Argentina Marianist high school
students, YMCA boys camp, and many others. I think you can determine
that I had a great summer just based on the length of this blog! So in
conclusion, I have found that my summer internship has really prepared
me as a future science teacher because I am extremely comfortable
teaching all ages, I am confident in my ability to trouble-shoot and
manage groups, and I learned how to work as a team. I am so thankful
to have spent my summer here on campus working for the Rivers
Institute with Leslie King, Bethany Renner, Alex Galluzzo, Jill Pajka,
Andrew Kowalski, Anthony Whaley, and Taylor Pair. For the first time
ever, I was not disappointed that I did not go abroad because I would
not have wanted to be anywhere but Dayton for the summer.
Amy Price
Paddling with the President's Council!
On Friday, August 24, the Rivers Institute had the great pleasure of
taking the President and members of his council out for their first
ever kayak trip in Dayton! We had scheduled this trip for earlier this
summer, but it was oh so very sadly cancelled. Luckily, we were able
to reschedule the paddle, and it was awesome! I honestly think that
trip was the highlight of my college career! We took the group for a
very short trip from White Water Warehouse down to Riverscape, which
is about a 20 minute trip. Thanks to some strategic planning and
blessings from above, we paddled up to Riverscape just as the
fountains started going off. Several people in the group were really
not too keen on the idea of paddling through the massive fountains
with frigid water coming out, but needless to say, everybody came out
of the fountains soaked. Every person in the group kayaked through the
fountains and loved every minute of it! I have always loved going
through the fountains, but this time it was particularly special
because I took President Curran around every single fountain! Dr.
Curran is such a fun guy, so when I said, "Who wants to round the
bases and go through every fountain?" he responded with, "After you!"
It was seriously awesome. After getting thoroughly soaked, we all
rafted up and discussed the future of the city of Dayton and the
potential for UD to have a river-front campus.
In my years here at UD, we have been dramatically expanding our
campus, so we now have property all the way out to the Great Miami
River. We also own Old River Park, which has a lagoon that was
formerly part of the river. Obviously, the Rivers Institute would love
to have access to the river right from our own campus, but we also
think it would be hugely popular among the students for a variety of
reasons. There are many pieces of this puzzle coming into play, but we
are hoping to make UD a school that prides itself on its connection to
nature, recreation, and most importantly our rivers. While yes we only
took Dr. Curran on a short trip down the river, in that short trip he
saw and experienced what the stewards see and experience every time we
get in a boat. We are fairly confident that he sees the potential UD
has as a river-front campus.
Amy Price
Senior River Steward
taking the President and members of his council out for their first
ever kayak trip in Dayton! We had scheduled this trip for earlier this
summer, but it was oh so very sadly cancelled. Luckily, we were able
to reschedule the paddle, and it was awesome! I honestly think that
trip was the highlight of my college career! We took the group for a
very short trip from White Water Warehouse down to Riverscape, which
is about a 20 minute trip. Thanks to some strategic planning and
blessings from above, we paddled up to Riverscape just as the
fountains started going off. Several people in the group were really
not too keen on the idea of paddling through the massive fountains
with frigid water coming out, but needless to say, everybody came out
of the fountains soaked. Every person in the group kayaked through the
fountains and loved every minute of it! I have always loved going
through the fountains, but this time it was particularly special
because I took President Curran around every single fountain! Dr.
Curran is such a fun guy, so when I said, "Who wants to round the
bases and go through every fountain?" he responded with, "After you!"
It was seriously awesome. After getting thoroughly soaked, we all
rafted up and discussed the future of the city of Dayton and the
potential for UD to have a river-front campus.
In my years here at UD, we have been dramatically expanding our
campus, so we now have property all the way out to the Great Miami
River. We also own Old River Park, which has a lagoon that was
formerly part of the river. Obviously, the Rivers Institute would love
to have access to the river right from our own campus, but we also
think it would be hugely popular among the students for a variety of
reasons. There are many pieces of this puzzle coming into play, but we
are hoping to make UD a school that prides itself on its connection to
nature, recreation, and most importantly our rivers. While yes we only
took Dr. Curran on a short trip down the river, in that short trip he
saw and experienced what the stewards see and experience every time we
get in a boat. We are fairly confident that he sees the potential UD
has as a river-front campus.
Amy Price
Senior River Steward
Friday, August 24, 2012
Water Bottles for All!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
River Steward Orientation 2012
The summer is growing old, school is going to resume soon, but somewhere the water is stirring..
The week of Aug. 12, as the three River Steward cohorts arrived and began to spill out of their bus at Taylorsville dam, rendezvousing with community partners as part of the 2012 Orientation, they were introduced to a special guest, Basia Irland. Basia is an incredible environmental artist who has done work all across the globe. She even has her own website! Just Google her http://www.basiairland.com/.
Basia, certainly captivated her eager audience with two main ideas, the first was the "sound poem". As apart of the sound poem project, Basia challenged the River Stewards to listen--with a close ear--to all the sounds of the river as they prepared to make the 17 mile journey to Sunwatch Indian Village. Basia prompted the River Stewards to be prepared to create a "sound poem" at the conclusion of the first day's kayaking. She wanted the student to create a musical piece to reflect the days adventure on the river. And that is exactly what they did! See the link below.
The second thing that Basia shared with the group was the idea of an Ice book. Basia invented the Ice book as a way to reseed riverbanks suffering from erosion. To create an Ice Book, a block of ice (made of river water, and chiseled into the shape of a book) is lased with native seeds and sent floating down the river with the intention of reseeding the banks and raising awareness about climate change/global warming (get it? the ice is melting..).
This September, Basia plans to return to Dayton to let loose Ice Books with the help of the community. So join the anxiously awaiting River Stewards in anticipating her arrival! The date of the launch is sept, 14th, a bike/walk parade from ArtStreet starts at 3pm, then we will release the books below Steward St. bridge at 4pm. Earlier that week, there will be opportunities for student to attend workshop and lectures on campus.
To listen to a musical collage rendered by the River Stewards, recorded by Susan Byrnes and Dennie Eagleson, and inspired by Basia Irland during Orientation 2012 check out the following link!
http://soundcloud.com/
Also, to see pictures on the Art Street Blog from Basia's time with the River Stewards during orientation, see the link below:
Best,
Alexander
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Just How Important is the River?
Some people look to the river for their favorite fishing spot. Some people like to swim or tube in the river. Other people use the river for canoeing. I've even seen people kayaking in a river! But this summer, I discovered a new appreciation for a river and what it can do for a community. Other than the recreational activities already mentioned, I used a river to charge a phone, to watch the Olympics, and even to read a book. I used the river for electricity.
Let me explain. In Malawi, Africa--the place where I spent my summer--the entire country runs off of hydro-electric power! No coal, no gas, no wind, just the river. There are several reasons why this is cool. One, it's cool because there is no waste created in the process of creating electricity for the 14 million people of Malawi. Two, it's cool because Malawi doesn't have to rely on other countries for resources for electricity. Three, it's cool because there are no mines to be dug or nuclear stacks to build. Four, it's cool because once the hydro-plant is built, there are no resources to needed to fuel the plant, the water just flows.
This is basically how it works: Water is diverted by a pipe from a swift moving river and is funneled to the plant where the water churns turbines quickly enough to create electricity which is then sent through electric lines across the nation. The water, once pushed through the turbine is then released downstream via an outlet pipe. There are, however, a few drawbacks, at least in Malawi. The most significant is that the hydro-electric plants do not create enough electricity for the entire nation all at once. As a result, we frequently experienced black outs. But, blackouts and all, I am thoroughly impressed with the power that the river holds, and hope that we can continue to see the value of our rivers.
-Alexander
A picture of me in Lake Malawi
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