{"id":13576,"date":"2026-06-02T08:52:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T13:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&p=13576"},"modified":"2026-06-03T09:04:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T14:04:58","slug":"lessons-on-the-river-students-wildlife-experts-team-up-to-create-interpretative-signs-on-hintgen-island","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/lessons-on-the-river-students-wildlife-experts-team-up-to-create-interpretative-signs-on-hintgen-island\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons on the river: Students, wildlife experts team up to create interpretative signs on Hintgen Island"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Photo:<\/a>
UWL students in Professor Laurie Harmon\u2019s Environmental Interpretation course collaborate with local wildlife experts to develop digital interpretive signs highlighting Hintgen Island\u2019s environment, history and biodiversity.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not many students get the chance to travel to class by airboat, but a group of UWL students are among the few who can say they have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students in Professor Laurie Harmon<\/a>\u2019s Environmental Interpretation course got that once-in-a-lifetime experience through a Community Engaged Learning<\/a> (CEL) partnership with the Upper Mississippi River Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The class is creating a series of digital interpretive signs for Hintgen Island, allowing visitors to scan QR codes and learn about the island\u2019s environment, wildlife and history through student-designed content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Harmon, the project came together through a casual conversation with Fritz Funk, president of the Upper Mississippi River Chapter, and quickly proved to be an ideal fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
With funding from a grant obtained by the Izaak Walton League, students traveled to Hintgen Island by airboat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe already do so much experiential learning in the major,\u201d says Harmon, referring to the Outdoor Recreation, Tourism & Event Management (ORTEM)<\/a> major. \u201cHaving the class formally designated as \u2018CEL\u2019 elevates the visibility on campus and in the eyes of the students.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With funding from a grant obtained by the Izaak Walton League, students traveled to the island by airboat \u2014 a first for everyone in the class.\ufeff<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot surprisingly, we had perfect attendance that day,\u201d Harmon jokes. \u201cIt was their first time on an airboat and their first time boating on the river with ice. It was a high-energy experience, but it was also the only safe way to get there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once on the island, students worked alongside local experts in areas such as birding, plant life, freshwater mussels, water quality and river history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey brought in volunteers with an incredible amount of expertise,\u201d Harmon says. \u201cStudents were able to choose who they wanted to learn from and explore the island with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A slide from senior Hannah Budig\u2019s project, \u201cHintgen Island: Friend or Foe?\u201d, which explores the island\u2019s native species.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sophomore Liam Guyette says learning directly from experts was a standout part of the experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy favorite part was getting out to Hintgen Island and learning directly from people who care so much about the river and the environment,\u201d Guyette says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior Hannah Budig agrees, saying the same interactions made the course especially meaningful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing able to pick the brains of individuals who practice our course materials as a profession was invaluable,\u201d Budig says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost classes in the ORTEM major prioritize community-engaged learning, and that\u2019s one of my favorite parts,\u201d she adds. \u201cIt\u2019s so rewarding to see concepts from class come to life and make a positive impact on our community.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final product \u2014 a series of digital signs built around a central theme \u2014 will give visitors a new way to experience the island. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool knowing that something we made could actually be used by visitors,\u201d Guyette says. \u201cThis class helped me see how important it is to connect people to their local environment in a way that\u2019s interactive and meaningful.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Harmon, that connection is the goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t ask for a better Community Engaged Learning project,\u201d she says. \u201cStudents are working with something local, something meaningful and creating something that gives back to the community.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch the journey by airboat to Hintgen Island.\ufeff<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n


About the program<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

UWL\u2019s Community Engaged Learning program matches local businesses and organizations with faculty experts seeking real-world experiences and skill applications for their students.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizations can submit project ideas through the UWL Community Idea Exchange<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faculty can apply<\/a> to have their course designated for Community Engaged Learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A three-year, $100,000 gift from Advisors Management Group (AMG) to the UWL Alumni & Friends Foundation<\/a> is providing resources that make it easier for faculty to develop and sustain community-based projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Written by UW-La Crosse <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwlax.edu\/news\/posts\/lessons-on-the-river\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not many students get the chance to travel to class by airboat, but a group of UWL students are among the few who can say they have.  Students in Professor Laurie Harmon\u2019s Environmental Interpretation course got that once-in-a-lifetime experience through a Community Engaged Learning (CEL) partnership with the Upper Mississippi River Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America.  The class is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":13577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[104],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-13576","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-la-crosse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/13576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13576"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=13576"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=13576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}