Soil Tunnel Provides a Worms-Eye View of the Earth

Passing under “tree trunk roots,” visitors were treated to an earthworm’s perspective of the life that thrives in the soil when they entered the room-sized, inflatable “soil tunnel” exhibit at the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) GreenFest weekend event at the Garden State Exhibit Center.

Exhibit sponsors were on hand throughout to guide visitors through the tunnel and explain the role that soil plays in their everyday lives.  With its oversized earthworms, grubs, and other soil critters, the interior of the soil tunnel generates curiosity about the world below our feet, while the exterior shows various soil profiles found throughout New Jersey.

“Soil is the basis for so many vital functions, yet it is one of the most overlooked natural resources,” said Somerset-Union Soil Conservation District Manager Ernest Thurlow.  “Soil acts as nature’s recycling system, a water purification system, a habitat for soil organisms, a source of nutrients for the food we eat, and much more .  We are hopeful that this exhibit will draw more attention to this most critical resource.”

The New Jersey Association of Conservation Districts partnered with NRCS, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, and New Jersey’s 15 Soil Conservation Districts to design and create the soil tunnel.

Find out more about the 2009 National Soil and Water Stewardship Week April 26–May 3, 2009. 
Your contact is New Jersey Department of Agriculture public affairs specialist Lynne Richmond at 609-633-2954.