Westview Middle School Students Build Fishing Line Collection Tubes for Local Open Space

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

A group of seventh grade students at Westview Middle School recently helped create and install three new fishing line collection tubes at Lagerman Reservoir just west of Longmont. The location is a popular fishing spot where lines and other fishing equipment can present a hazard to wildlife and visitors when not disposed of properly.

According to science teacher Jayme Margolin-Sneider, the students wanted to make a difference in their community and help with conservation. They decided to begin by focusing on parks near their school, beginning with Pella Crossing Open Space. They were able to make the project happen through a partnership with Boulder County Parks & Open Space as well as funding from the Parks & Open Space Foundation.

The students worked together in order to construct modified PVC pipes that they later attached to various wooden posts. The process involved drilling holes in the PVC pipes and gluing pieces of them together in order to alter them so that they resembled those seen at other regional fishing sites. They collaborated with staff in order to select optimal sites to install the collection tubes, then they monitored and mapped these sites to study how the tubes were being used and where the trash was being found.

Abandoned fishing equipment presents a distinct risk to birds and other animals who can get tangled in line discarded at the site, or later, at landfills. The collection tubes serve as a sustainable solution to this problem and will likely play a large role in preserving the wellbeing of the wildlife inhabiting the area. Anglers will be able to deposit their lines, hooks, and sinkers in the tubes, and those items will later be picked up and recycled by Parks & Open Space staff.

“The most important thing was probably to just keep the environment safe and try to find a way to find a problem and then fix it,” said one student when asked what the most important takeaway had been.

The students also reported that this hands-on experience in sustainability and problem solving demonstrated how their learning in class can be applied to address a real world issue.

The lessons these students were able to take away from this experience was collaborating with one another in a professional manner and completing a project which will have a genuinely positive impact on the world around them. These lessons will be helpful in whatever career the students go on to eventually pursue.