Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1151066
Out There by Gregg Losinski 62 IDAHO FALLS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2019 The Internet is a truly amazing thing. Like an oracle, it provides access to an incredible amount of the knowledge accumulated by man over the ages and unfortunately plenty of stuff that also might be bogus. Hopefully, we've all learned that just because we saw it on the Internet doesn't make something automatically true. One neat aspect of the World Wide Web is all the cool images and videos it snags of wildlife. While these digital renderings of reality are great teasers, we are tremen- dously fortunate to have access to real flora and fauna close at hand. Nature education and scientific apprecia- tion are enjoying a renaissance period right now in Idaho Falls. Thanks to the generos- ity of our hometown Carnegies like Greg Carr and Bill Mauk, we are seeing great learning laboratories built to support our already stellar city zoo, formerly known as the Tautphaus Park Zoo the expansion of the Museum of Idaho. While the city truly does own the zoo, our museum actually is an independent entity that needs all the support it can get. A newcomer to this nature education revival is the East Idaho Aquarium. Like a sunken treasure, it is hidden in a re-pur- posed movie theater complex inside a shop- ping center. It is harder to find than Davey Jone's treasure chest, but definitely worth the effort. This bold attempt to expose the landlocked citizens of Idaho Falls to the denizens of the deep is a truly honorable thing. Trying to develop and maintain this aquatic exploration center is a bold move worthy of community support. Visiting all of these fine education centers is as close as some people might ever get to the exotic animals of Africa, occupants of the deep blue sea or the museums of Europe. The thing that makes all these places so great is the chance for hands-on experi- ential learning. Unlike just seeing it on a LCD screen, you get to experience what the skin of a stingray feels like when it swims up to feed from your hand or experience the olfactory pungence of a penguin on a hot summer day. The museum has an end- less supply of hands-on exhibits designed to help create better understanding of the world we live in. Online learning can be a good thing, but using all your senses to understand how interconnected things are is where true learning occurs and creates a platform for growth. In addition to visiting these institutions you can also volunteer at a variety of levels to help expose others and grow yourself in the process. For those that really want to get their hands dirty there are volunteer opportunities with the Idaho Master Naturalists that involve all kinds of educational outreach, citizen science and just good old-fashioned hard work in the outdoors. The Internet is a truly incredible resource, but seeing how it all fits together in the world is where true education occurs that is not just for the kids. We adults still have plenty to learn. IF Learning In The Off-Line World Nature education and scientific appreciation are enjoying a renaissance period in Idaho Falls.