We are so lucky to have a small creek that runs directly behind our school. Within a minute or two after leaving our classroom, a gravel trail leads us to a grassy meadow next to the creek. This flat space serves as an outdoor classroom for our class. We can frequently be found near the creek journal writing, sketching, and researching. My deepest desire is that my students will become stewards of this area, and work hard to keep it a healthy, clean habitat for wildlife in the area. The creek was once listed as one of the most polluted waterways in our state. There was little to no vegetation along the creek bank, and the only macro invertebrates that could be located were all extremely tolerant of pollution. This needed to change.
I reached out to our local watershed council and met Goldie Warnkie. She readily shared her knowledge with me and helped us polish an annual event which we lovingly termed Watershed-A-Palooza Day. The three third grade classrooms would spend an afternoon exploring various stations around the creek. We went on a nature hike with a representative from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, at another station, the children were making leaf rubbings with members of our local arts council. In addition, Mrs. Warnkie brought the watershed stream trailer, a huge model that showed the children how water interacts with the land, plants, and structures around it. The day was a hit!
The following year, we added a clean-up day to our list of activities. Students and their families, along with teachers and other volunteers joined up to remove invasive plants and cut canary grass that was choking native plants out.
In addition, we teamed up with the Department of Fish and Wildlife to begin raising salmon in the classroom. We were gifted a large aquarium, complete with chiller and stand. The children and I added gravel, hiding places, and plastic plants. The Department of Fish and Wildlife representative, Antonio, spoke to the kids about the needs of salmon, and how important it was to have cold, clean, running water. The children journaled each day on the 100 eyed eggs entrusted in our care. We watched with joy as they hatched. Some cried when we discovered a couple had died. Through it all, a month and a half later, we were ready to release the now salmon fry into the creek. It was truly magical.
Student teams presenting at the Watershed Symposium
As our resources and activities grew, we were invited to present at the Watershed Symposium, where my third graders stood shoulder to shoulder with high school and college students who presented their restoration projects to local professionals. The children worked hard preparing Google Slide presentations and paper models to enhance their presentations. We finished the day, learning about local marine life from marine biologists who were very impressed by the kids and their knowledge.
As the restoration project continues to evolve, we are in our fourth year. This year’s students added a field trip to a local fishery where they spoke with fish biologists and even fed huge adult salmon who were getting ready to lay eggs.
The children also created leaf traps to analyze the macro invertebrate population in the creek. This year we discovered large numbers of mayfly larvae which are extremely sensitive to pollution. This means the health of the stream is improving and our efforts are working! On Earth Day this year, we plan to plant over a hundred native trees to our creek banks .The children will someday sit under these trees with their children and reminisce about their time in third grade and all the adventures we had together.