Submitted Photo
Beth Miller, North Dakota Forest Service, introduces students to native tree species during the Rolette County Day Camp June 25.

BELCOURT – Students from across the region came together June 25 at the Anishinabe Learning, Cultural and Wellness Center for a hands-on introduction to conservation. Hosted by Rolette County Soil Conservation District and the Anishinabe Center, with support from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the event offered interactive learning grounded in cultural and environmental stewardship and featured interactive learning stations led by NRCS staff and natural resource professionals.

Students rotated through six learning stations, each lasting 25 minutes, highlighting soils, wetlands, engineering, rangeland, wildlife and tree identification.

Presenters included:

– Adam Flaagan, NRCS tribal liaison for Spirit Lake Nation, and Stephanie Baker, soil conservationist with the Bottineau Field Office, demonstrated soil science.

– Rebecca Watkins, Natural Resources specialist, Rugby Field Office, led wetland exploration.

– Jeff Desjarlais, NRCS tribal liaison for Turtle Mountain, shared wildlife insights.

– Beth Miller, North Dakota Forest Service, introduced students to native tree species.

– Yolanda Schmidt, Rangeland Management specialist, Rugby Field Office, presented on range management.

– Dan Julson, NRCS civil engineer, and Tory Nygaard, engineering technician with the Devils Lake Field Office, covered engineering concepts.

The day camp was designed to foster environmental awareness and stewardship among youth by integrating science, cultural knowledge and interactive learning in a natural setting.

Roanoke officials announced the construction of the 8-field complex in conjunction with Play It Forward, a non-profit focused on youth sports, last July.

The gist

The sports complex should open in the first half of 2026, said Dave Dickson, co-founder of Play It Forward and developer of the Roanoke Sports Complex.

“This partnership is a major step forward for Roanoke, offering a premier venue for youth sports that will drive economic growth and bring new opportunities to our community,” Roanoke City Manager Cody Petree said in the release.

Prep Baseball, an independent scouting service for amateur baseball players, will host 44 weeks of youth baseball events at the sports complex and eight weeks of national tournaments annually, according to the release from Play It Forward.

“We are thrilled to partner with Prep Baseball,” Dickson said in the release. “Our mission has always been to create meaningful sports experiences that bring communities together, and this partnership helps elevate that vision.”

The Roanoke Sports Complex’s opening was delayed from its original fall 2025 opening date because an agreement with the city of Fort Worth fell through, Dickson said. Fort Worth officials planned to offer water to the site, but weren’t able to. The project developers made new plans to bring water to the site, which include running a 4,000-foot water line down SH 114 to the development, Dickson said.

The background

Play it Forward leased 122 acres of land from the city on SH 114 and Cleveland Gibbs Road to construct the $70 million mixed-use development, Community Impact previously reported.

The Roanoke Sports Complex will have athletic training facilities, retail businesses, restaurants, parks, trails, a hotel and eight baseball fields once it’s fully finished.

The fields can also be used for lacrosse, softball, 7-versus-7 football and rugby.

Remi Napier, a DBC group leader, explained that the director of DBC connected with TBNMS to bring the young people to the sanctuary for a field trip.

“They had conversations about bringing some kids here and just learning more about Thunder Bay and everything that’s happening,” Napier said. “So we said, ‘Of course we want to go!’”

Napier explained that DBC doesn’t have much to do with boxing, the sport, but is more about mentorship.

The DBC mentorship program is for those ages 8 to 18, Napier said.

Courtesy Photo Students from the Detroit Boxing Club (DBC) are seen on Wednesday learning to snorkel in the outdoor training tank at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena.

“The goal is to train our kids for life,” Napier said. “We are bringing them to different experiences that they don’t know about, bringing in professionals to the program because Thunder Bay has come down to Detroit before and talked to our students. So it’s really about giving them and showing them that you can do this, too. This experience is also here. So really giving them that push to succeed in life.”

Napier said that one student, Alton Jones, has been especially enjoying the TBNMS experience, toting around a GoPro camera and leading with enthusiasm.

“Learning about the shipwrecks is fun,” Jones said. “We get to learn about all the different stuff we didn’t know … how long (the shipwrecks) have been here … it was really fun having the experience to come out here.”

Sophie Stuart, TBNMS education and outreach specialist and volunteer coordinator, explained that the DBC students learned how to snorkel in the outdoor training tank at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center Wednesday. On Thursday, they went on a morning glass bottom boat tour to view shipwrecks, and then were preparing to go on a marine debris monitoring excursion to North Point Nature Preserve that afternoon. After their monitoring excursion, the students planned on having a bonfire and roasting marshmallows.

Stuart said that marine debris monitoring is a fun and easy way to incorporate sight-seeing and science.

Courtesy Photo Students from the Detroit Boxing Club (DBC) are seen on Wednesday learning to snorkel in the outdoor training tank at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena.

“It’s an easy way to get kids out on the beaches that aren’t from the area,” Stuart said. “It gives them a citizen science project to do … it’s quick and it’s fun. We make it like a treasure hunt.”

Stuart added that the marine debris monitoring is part of a larger, national marine debris database that NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) uses to track the health and quality of beaches.

“We fill out a worksheet that tells us about the conditions of the beach before and after the cleanup,” Stuart said. “Then we remove and document any debris that we find and put it into categories such as plastics, metals, woods, glass, rubber, and other … we classify it as much as we can.”

Stuart explained that TBNMS conducts marine debris monitoring at five sites within its three-county coverage area — Alpena, Alcona, and Presque Isle.

“We have a 100-meter established section of beach and then we choose at random four or five meter transects within those 100 meters,” Stuart said. “We average between 10 to 20 pieces.”

Courtesy Photo Students from the Detroit Boxing Club (DBC) are seen on Wednesday learning to snorkel in the outdoor training tank at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena.

Stuart noted that the beaches that TBNMS monitors accumulate significantly less debris than in other places.

“Whereas on a beach in California or Florida, you’d have a thousand pieces,” Stuart said.

Stuart explained that TBNMS does a lot of community outreach and having DBC visiting the sanctuary is a profound connection.

“I think one of the incredible things is that this was a cooperative agreement that came from a community partner,” Stuart said. “This was not a connection that we knew about ahead of time … a community partner who said, ‘We see the work you’re doing at NOAA. We see the work that they’re doing at DBG and we want to combine these two organizations’.”

Stuart said the sanctuary looks forward to DBG visiting and the two organizations are working to expand their bandwidths to bring more youth to TBNMS next summer.

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.

kAmw2?D>6J6C 8C25F2E65 7C@> }@C>2? w:89 $49@@=[ H96C6 D96 A=2J65 F?56C 4@249 $96CC: r@2=6[ 367@C6 2EE6?5:?8 E96 &?:G6CD:EJ @7 r@??64E:4FE] (9:=6 2E &r@??[ D96 H2D 2 >6>36C @7 E96 32D<6E32== E62> 2== 7@FC J62CD 2?5 H2D A2CE @7 E96 a___ }2E:@?2= r92>A:@?D9:A E62>]k^Am

kAmu@==@H:?8 96C 4@==686 A=2J:?8 42C66C[ w2?D>6J6C 4@24965 2E E96 &?:G6CD:EJ @7 ~<=29@>2 7@C `_ J62CD] $:?46 =62G:?8 ~&[ w2?D>6J6C 92D @776C65 AC:G2E6 2?5 D>2== 8C@FA 32D<6E32== EC2:?:?8 2D H6== 2D AFE @? G2C:@FD 32D<6E32== 42>AD]k^Am

kAm%9:D H66<[ w2?D>6J6C AFE @? E96 42>A 7@C 2C@F?5 `b_ J@FE9 32D<6E32== A=2J6CD] k^Am

kAm“ xEVD 366? E96 3:886DE 3=6DD:?8 E92EVD 366? D@ >F49 7F?[” w2?D>6J6C D2:5] “x 5@ 2 =@E @7 AC:G2E6 EC2:?:?8[ 2 =@E @7 D>2== 8C@FAD[ 3FE :EVD ;FDE C62==J 6I4:E:?8 E@ C6249 2 3:886C 8C@FA 2?5 E@ 36 7C@?E @7 2 3F?49 @7 <:5D]”k^Am

kAmw2?D>6J6C 92D @G6C 2 5@K6? 2DD:DE2?ED 96=A:?8 AFE @? E96 42>A[ H9:49 D6A2C2E65 E96 2E9=6E6D :?E@ 7@FC 4@FCED 32D65 @? E96:C 286D] %96 4@2496D C2? 2E9=6E6D E9C@F89 2 G2C:6EJ @7 5C:33=:?8[ D9@@E:?8 2?5 @E96C 32D<6E32== 5C:==D E9C@F89@FE E96 E9C66\52J 42>A] k^Am

kAm|2?J @7 E96 2DD:DE2?ED H6C6 32D<6E32== A=2J6CD H9@ 925 AC:G2E6 @C 8C@FA EC2:?:?8 H:E9 w2?D>6J6C[ :?4=F5:?8 D6G6C2= H9@ E@@< A2CE A2DE 42>AD 9@DE65 3J w2?D>6J6C] $96 25565 E92E D@>6 @7 E96 2DD:DE2?ED 2C6 >6>36CD @7 E96 ?:?E9\8C256 3@JDV 32D<6E32== E62> D96 4@2496D]k^Am

kAm“ |J 7:CDE :?G:E6 2=H2JD E96> 2?5… E96J 4@>6 2?5 E96JVC6 2 A2CE @7 :E] $@ xVG6 8@E }@C>2? w:89 $49@@= 8FJD[ }@C>2? }@CE9 8FJD[” D96 D2:5] “x ;FDE 92G6[ 8FJD 2?5 8:C=D[ x D9@F=5 D2J[ x ;FDE 92G6 2 =@E @7 E96 9:89 D49@@= 4@>>F?:EJ 4@>6]”k^Am

kAmw2?D>6J6C D2:5 D96 92D 925 D6G6C2= 2E9=6E6D 8@ @? E@ A=2J 4@==686[ :?4=F5:?8 }@C>2? ?2E:G6 r92?E26 t>3CJ[ H9@ A=2J65 2E %6I2D %649 &?:G6CD:EJ 2?5 $@FE96C? |6E9@5:DE &?:G6CD:EJ[ 2?5 92D C6EFC?65 367@C6 E@ 96=A @FE 2E w2?D>6J6C’D 42>AD] |25: (:==:2>D[ H9@ A=2J65 2E ~&[ 92D 2=D@ 2DD:DE65 D6G6C2= 42>AD]k^Am

kAmw2?D>6J6C D2:5 D96 ?6G6C EC2:?65 (:==:2>D 3FE >256 2 4@??64E:@? H:E9 96C 32D65 @? E96:C 6IA6C:6?46 2?5 E:>6 2E ~&]k^Am

kAm“ xEVD ;FDE 8C62E E@ 92G6 E9@D6 <:5D E92E 92G6 925 E96 5C62> @7 A=2J:?8 4@==686 32D<6E32== 2?5 E96? 249:6G65 :E… E@ 4@>6 324< 2?5 E@ 36 DE2?5:?8 7C@?E @7 E96D6 <:5D 2?5 AC@G:5:?8 2 8@2= @C 2 5C62> E92E[ ‘w6J[ J@F 42? 36 E9:D] xE A@DD:3=6] w6C6VD 2 <:5 7C@> }@C>2? w:89 $49@@=] w6C6VD 2 <:5 7C@> rr$] %96J 92G6 8@?6 @? E@ 4@==686 2?5 92G6 366? 23=6 E@ A=2J 32D<6E32== @? 2 7F==\C:56 D49@=2CD9:A[” w2?D>6J6C D2:5]k^Am