Stone Laboratory’s science education doesn’t stop when the Lake Erie island campus stops field trips during the off-season in the fall and winter.
Students around the region continue to participate in hands-on learning thanks to the efforts of Sue Bixler, education and outreach assistant for Stone Lab. Throughout the off-season months, she visits classrooms to teach kids about Lake Erie ecosystems and wildlife — including snakes.
“In the winter, I’m going into schools and interacting with kids to get their interest piqued, to tell them a story,” said Bixler, who has conducted education and outreach for Stone Lab for 13 years.
Sue Bixler, education and outreach assistant for Stone Lab, helps kids understand why wildlife conservation is important.
One story is that of the eastern fox snake, a species of concern in Ohio that is often misunderstood. Bixler helps students understand that the snakes are beneficial for people and the environment by eating the “bad bugs” — insects that carry disease or harm crops.
While snakes in the wild typically hibernate in the winter, Stone Lab’s snakes are cared for in warm enclosures during the off-season so that Bixler can bring them to classrooms, conferences, and outreach events.
“Snakes have such a bad reputation, so we go into why they’re positive little creatures,” Bixler said. “We talk about the fox snake living out in the yard and taking care of the mice before they get into the house. And we can talk about the Lake Erie watersnake and how they’re eating the round goby (an invasive fish).”
In November, Bixler visited third and fourth graders at Ida Elementary in Monroe County, Michigan, after speaking with the school’s principal, Stacy Maynard. The trip was especially meaningful for Bixler, who used to work in the area as a science teacher for 36 years before joining Stone Lab. She even connected with one of the kids’ parents, who happened to be one of Bixler’s former students.
“Education is often limited to experiences that occur within a school’s walls,” said Maynard, who also serves as a board member of the Friends of Stone Lab. “With opportunities such as those provided by Sue Bixler and Ohio Sea Grant, students make real world connections that otherwise would not be possible.”
“Mrs. Bixler easily held the attention of each student in my fourth-grade classroom when she shared her knowledge of snakes native to our own backyards,” said Kelly Jaworski, a fourth-grade teacher at the school. “We took with us new facts and a better understanding of these creatures. Many students had the opportunity, if desired, to hold or touch a snake and it was an experience they won’t soon forget!”
Every winter, Bixler also visits the classroom of 13-year-old Spencer Knisely. The two have developed a special bond over the years after Bixler first introduced snakes to Spencer at age four, which helped transform his life for the better. While ordinarily a shy kid, Spencer will proudly show off the snakes to his classmates alongside Sue during her visits.
“Spencer gains confidence in those visits because he stands in the front of the room with Sue while she presents,” said Holly Knisley, Spencer’s mother. “He loves it! He always says how fun it is, and his classmates ask him every year if his friend is going to bring the snakes again. I feel like anytime Sue and Spencer are together their friendship gets stronger. They are both such special people.”
A student at at Ida Elementary in Monroe County, Michigan, holds an eastern fox snake. Bixler taught students there about protecting Lake Erie wildlife.
The educational trips also allow for great partnerships, Bixler said. Recently, she teamed up with Becky Simpson, an environmental educator with the Ottawa Soil and Water Conservation District, to teach at Woodmore High School in northwest Ohio.
The two spoke to students about topics such as wetland degradation, non-point source pollution, and how wildlife are impacted by people’s actions. The two helped demonstrate these ideas in an interactive way using a 3D environmental model called an EnviroScape.
“We were able to pair up, taking her strengths and our strengths, to make this a really cool lesson for the kids,” Bixler said.
“Sue has been a great partner for many of my education events,” said Simpson. “I can always count on her to bring her knowledge and passion for whatever topic she covers. Sue has the ability to engage students and get them excited to know that they can make a difference.”
Other recent teaching opportunities for Sue have included science lessons at the Aerospace & Natural Science Academy of Toledo as well as a career fair at the National Museum of the Great Lakes in downtown Toledo, attended by over 350 kids.
Through all of her outreach and education work, Bixler said she hopes to inspire students to be the future stewards of Lake Erie.
“I always tell the kids, ‘hey, I’m doing this right now, but I won’t be doing it forever. I’m getting older,’” Bixler said. “So the next generation of Lake Erie caretakers is you. You guys have to understand the repercussions of our actions or animals that are misunderstood. You need to be the mouthpiece to share that message.”
Ohio Sea Grant is supported by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, and NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 34 Sea Grant programs nation-wide dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. Stone Laboratory is Ohio State’s island campus on Lake Erie and is the research, education, and outreach facility of Ohio Sea Grant and part of CFAES School of Environment and Natural Resources.