Diamond Path Students Help Floating Classroom Reach Milestone

An educational field trip for students on Tuesday also helped a local riverboat reach an attendance milestone.

The Apple Valley students went aboard the Anson Northrup, helping push the Big River Journey classroom program to the 50,000 mark for number of students served, according to a news release from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The 15-year-old program, started under the umbrella of the National Park Service’s Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, is supported by nine organizations, the release said.

Students on the field trip traveled by boat from Harriet Island to Fort Snelling State Park, learning about wildlife in the river area and using microscopes and binoculars to observe insects, birds and rocks, according to the release.

They learned about water pollution and about being a riverboat pilot, visited the pilot house; they also heard from a soldier in costume at Fort Snelling.

Students often continue their river studies in the classroom after having taken the Big River Journey, the release said; it's estimated that about 4,400 students will participate in the program between now and June.