If you have been to the lake during the past couple of weeks, you will have noticed LOTS of activity! For over a year we have all been watching as the piles of dredgate (that stuff which was sucked out of the bottom of the lake) grew, dried a bit, got stirred so it would dry some more, and was moved around some more, then hauled away. It seemed a never ending process. But end it will!!! Now the FUN begins! And the real work starts!! Come see a sneak preview of the County's proposal for the Decker Lake Park and workplan schedule.
This month's Accolades go to one of the quietly passionate heroes of Decker Lake.
Many of you have driven by the lake and seen students pulling trash out of the lake, doing water sampling, and generally having a down-and-dirty good time. It all began with Steve Reed.
Steve adopted the lake before it was popular to do so. As a seventh grade Science teacher at Valley Junior High School, Steve has taken his students on Decker Lake excursions for over two years. He started the Eco Club Service Learning project before any of the rest of us knew what the term meant. Steve has instilled in his students a belief in community service and a sense of responsibility for the world around us.
While we are excited for Steve, it is with incredible sadness that we have learned he is off on another adventure. After school ends, Steve is off to Salvador. We hear rumors he is just taking a sabbatical, perhaps coming back in a year. We hope so.
But wherever your path takes you, Steve, know that Decker Lake is your lake. Your students will continue to bring a part of you with them each time they visit the lake.
Good luck, You will be missed -- but we look forward to even more fun opportunities ahead. (Steve and his new students in Salvador will be on the Internet and he is already toying with some pen pal-ing between his new students and the DLWPF group -- the topic? Science, Ecosystems, Culture -- "the world is an open book...." Great teachers, great projects, great promise!
Penny Ciak (DLWPF Environmental Rep), in a recent kibbutz session with Lincoln Allen (National Geographic photographer of Kingsbury Hall in April), discovered a reference to "Deckers Lakes" in William Behle's book Utah Birds: Historical Perspectives and Bibliography.
In Utah Birds, Behle explains the role of Charles W Lockerbie (one of the original Salt Lake Audubon-ers) as the organizer of long ago Audubon field trips. Recounting the evolution of Audubon field activities, Lockerbie gives the following insight into Decker(s) lake of the 1930's (parenthesis added by Behle):
"The Salt Lake area provided great physiographic and ecologic diversity at close distances and, with this in mind, a pattern of field trips developed [in 1936]. The March trip was to Deckers Lakes (now drained) or Farmington Bay (now inundated) to observe migratory waterfowl and shore birds."
Hmmm, I wonder who the original Decker was... And how many lakes were there?
Please make note of two DLWPF contact changes.
Our phone number has a new prefix. The new number is now 954-4999. (Thanks to our friends at FIRST HEALTH who continue to sponsor our phone line!)
We also have a new email address ... catch us at deckerlk@hotmail.com.
Thinking about December in the sweltering heat of July can help us appreciate the warm summer months, and help us look forward to those first snow flurries. And with December, comes Christmas. Now, don't throw any mud clods at this typo-prone newsletter editor, but now is the time to beat the Christmas shopping hysteria.
DLWPF is seriously considering putting together a cookbook to sell during fall and winter. Cookbooks are always great gifts and with the diverse interests of DLWPF members, this cookbook promises some novel menu additions everyone will want to try! Funds raised will help underwrite operating costs of the Foundation (e.g., newsletter mailings).
We are still in the planning stage, but if you would like to help by typing in recipes or producing artwork, please give Dianna Smith a call at 261-0496. We are trying to determine how many copies to print, so if you anticipate buying a cookbook for your whole family give us a call so we can make sure to order enough copies. And, of course, there is always how much to charge -- Please fill in the following and send it over to us with your ideas. And start thinking about which recipe(s) you want to share.
My December Shopping woes are gone! ... my dream cookbook would: Include (recipe type -- veggie, sweets, soups ...?) : ________________________________________ Cost: $10 $15 $20 (5x9 size, approx 150 recipes) Be available on diskette: Yes No (Please list cookbook s/w) _________________ # of copies: ______ (Just a guess to help us know how many to order) Cookbook Name Suggestion: ________________________________________________________________ Please fill out this form and mail to DLWPF, 869 East 4500 South, #513, SLC, UT 84107
If you haven't dropped into our website for a while, drop by for a visit. Our webmaster, Jon Bertrand, has been busy loading pictures into a virtual tour. Jon has done a great job and has added a comment page, also. Come check us out at www.cirris.com/decker. And Thank You! CIRRIS for your support of our web page!
What does a Pelican at Decker Lake have to do with a leaky window in your house?
LOTS! -- if you work with the Community Action Program (CAP). The Salt Lake CAP is working to integrate a short course on home weatherization for Decker Lake area students to teach about an important word. Insulation.
So, what is the connection?
Using Decker Lake as a field site, students will learn about migratory birds which follow the climate north and south through the year. On regular field trips to the lake, students will note and record which birds are present, along with water and air temperatures, and wind velocities.
Back at school, CAP's weatherization team will demonstrate how people adapt to changes in the weather -- rather than migrate. From wearing down vests to placing felt liners in window frames, humans -- like birds -- survive by using energy efficiently.
The Decker Lake habitat will highlight the deeper meaning of Ecology, whose Greek roots mean "the study of the household".
Decker Lake Wetlands Preserve Foundation