Exhibit teaches importance of soil, farmers' roles

By MATTHEW WEAVER

Capital Press

Few people would expect to tear up at a museum exhibit about soil, but it's happened.

Siobhan Starrs, project manager for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, said viewers have become emotional as they watched a video on the problems caused by soil degradation, such as the 1930s Dust Bowl.

The video is part of the Smithsonian exhibit "Dig It! The Secrets of Soil," which opens Feb. 4 at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane and runs through September.

Agriculture is integral to the exhibit, Starrs said. One section focuses on the challenges farmers face, raising crops to feed a growing population.

Starrs said the exhibit tells farmers' stories from various viewpoints. It encourages a better understanding of what farmers must go through to sustain their operations.

In an interactive computer station, people can play the role of a farmer and select different crops, deciding which tillage methods and how much fertilizer they'd like to use. The computer shows them the outcome, Starrs said, and they can change the scenario and try again.

Other topics include the impact of urban sprawl on agriculture.

The exhibit opened at the Smithsonian in July 2008 and was on display for 18 months. There were hopes for a national tour, but it only went to Durham, N.C., and then back into storage, Starrs said.

"It was the most popular exhibition we've ever had in terms of teacher participation and workshops," she said, noting there were different groups involved each week through organizations such as the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and FFA.

Roughly 3,500 students are slated to tour the exhibit this spring.

Jim Armstrong, director of communications and policy for the Spokane Conservation District, said all class spots are filled through June, but some spots are still open in September.

Armstrong attributes the strong response to a teaching workshop last summer. Second- and fifth-graders are the primary grade levels participating, he said, but the exhibit appeals to all students.

"The message here is the importance of soil," he said. "If we can't grow it, we have to mine it. Everything we touch every day is related in some way to soil, and we depend on it for absolutely everything we do."

"Whether you be 4 years old, 40 or 80, it's a rare opportunity that you don't have to travel to D.C. to see this kind of exhibit," said NRCS Washington State Soil Scientist Kevin Sullivan.

Online

Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture: www.northwestmuseum.org

Dig It! The Secret of Soil: http://forces.si.edu/soils