All sixth grade students in Lakes Region Middle School will be involved in the LEA's environmental education program. In some schools fifth graders are included. The LEA provides technical support. As students progress from sixth grade through high school, LEA provides environmental education along the way. They learn about the forest plant identification and types of forest, and stream ecology.
Students learn to collect and identify samples of macroinvertebrates.
Macroinvertebrates are the larvae and tiny critters who inhabit streambeds, and are reliable indicators of the health of a stream. Those students then return to their classrooms where they teach others what they have learned. This program is conducted in the classroom and in the field, and eventually reaches all 300 students in the school. At the Lake Region High School, students in the Living Connections Program, do community service projects for academic credit. Students in the Environmental studies class are involved with LEA programs.