Great Lakes Explorer’s Club Hosts USACE Buffalo District Biologist

Published Feb. 26, 2016
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District Biologist David Leput visited Buffalo public Schools West Hertel Academy, Buffalo, NY to discuss the Regulatory and Civil Works Programs, and to educate students on the science of environmental restoration.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District Biologist David Leput visited Buffalo public Schools West Hertel Academy, Buffalo, NY to discuss the Regulatory and Civil Works Programs, and to educate students on the science of environmental restoration.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District Biologist David Leput visited Buffalo public Schools West Hertel Academy, Buffalo, NY to discuss the Regulatory and Civil Works Programs, and to educate students on the science of environmental restoration.

A group of 14 students in the Great Lakes Explorer’s Club were presented with an overview of the Regulatory Program, including a discussion on how Mr. Leput came to where he is today: working as a biologist at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Leput also discussed the larger Civil Works Program and pointed out some of the more prominent aspects, such as the construction of dams and flood control projects. Leput emphasized that students don’t have to look far to see examples of USACE projects at work. Every student raised their hand when asked whether or not they’re familiar with the Outer Harbor or Buffalo River, both of which benefit from UASCE Civil Works and Regulatory activities.

Leput had a clear knack for distilling complex environmental topics, from climate change to environmental degradation, into simple easy-to-comprehend concepts for students to understand.

He described two very relevant and local environmental restoration projects undertaken by the USACE Buffalo District: Times Beach Nature Preserve near the Buffalo Outer Harbor, and the Braddock Bay Ecosystem Restoration Project, in Greece, NY. Students were educated on the basics of environmental restoration and what it takes to bring these types of projects to fruition.

The discussion finished with an interactive activity in which the students were asked how they might implement an environmental restoration project. The students were given a specific restoration goal and were directed to discuss in small groups various methods they might employ to achieve that goal.

“The student’s responses were creative, insightful, and included a host of out-of-the box suggestions that underscored the imaginative power of young minds,” said Leput.  

These types of presentations, which take student’s minds out of the classroom and showcase real-world applications of science and technology, are invaluable to the educational development of young people interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) topics.