Science
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The Chautauqua grounds were developed on the shores of Lake Madison, a glacial lake in Easter South Dakota. The surrounding area was prairie grass lands. The Chautauqua site offers many opportunities for studying the natural prairies.
South Dakota Content Standards addressed include:
- understand basic structures and their functions in common plants
- describe behavioral and structural adaptations plants and animals make to survive in a given environment
- describe various influences human activity can have on ecosystems.
- describe important South Dakota natural resources.
Prairie Trees
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| Picture of Chautauqua Grounds around 1900 | Picture of tree planted at the Chautauqua grounds as it looks today. |
The developers of the Lake Madison Chautauqua understood the importance of trees. During the first year, they planted over 2500 trees on the Chautauqua grounds. Research these sites to learn more about the importance of trees and their age.
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Use the Climate Change Calculator to figure how many trees your class needs to keep its air clean.
Big Trees
Go to the National Register of Big Trees and check out the tallest and biggest circumference trees. Do you have any in your neighborhood that could match or beat them? To measure the circumference, have the students use a piece of string to go around the tree and then measure the string. To estimate the height, take a picture of the tree with a child standing beside it. Use the child as the unit of measure.
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| If the child is 4', then the tree is approximately 12'. | If this child is 4', then this tree is approximately 24'. |
To get a more accurate measurement, hold
a meter or yard stick upright and measure it's shadow. Then,
measure the shadow of the tree.
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x/y = t/s |
So, the height of the tree+s(x/y) Example: if x=3' and y=1 1/2', and the shadow of the tree=10', then the height of the tree is 20' t=10(3 / 1 1/2) |
| For an excellent story about how one man is trying to save the big trees, go to A Tree Project Helps the Genes of Champions Live On. |
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Glacial Lakes
What do the glaciers have to do with the Lake Madison Chautauqua? Well, Lake Madison is part of the Prairie Coteau region of eastern South Dakota. It is part of a string of glacial lakes that are the heritage of at least three glaciers which covered eastern South Dakota. The last of these receded about 10,000 years ago.
Use these sites to research how the glaciers helped form the prairie lakes in South Dakota and how those lakes are enjoyed today.
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All About Glaciers (look at the glacier story slide show!)
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| Original trees planted on the Chautauqua grounds | Those trees today |
Field Guide to the Prairie
The prairie is one of North America's great ecosystems and a vital habitat for many plants and animals. The prairie once spread across 1.5 million square kilometers of the Great Plains. These sites will help students understand and appreciate the great prairies of the upper Midwest. Both of these sites have excellent resources for teachers and students.
Want to find out about South Dakota's grasslands? Check out find a forest or grassland at the USDA Forest Service site.