May is drawing to a close and I realize that this is the
first (and only) blog post for the month. It’s been a busy month with most
weeks full of a variety of activities that demanded my attention and kept me
out of the office. However, I didn't want to end the month without highlighting
a few of the things that occurred, so here they are.
Several weeks in
April and May saw me helping with science field days around Wenatchee. First
was a 5
th grade shrub steppe experience, next a similar experience
for 1
st graders, after that a kindergarten walk, and finally at the
end of the month a 4
th grade science day revolving around fish and
hydroelectric power. That seems like a lot, but for the most part I really enjoyed
all of it. I helped with plant identification and counting, native wildlife,
ecosystems, and fish statistics. It was good that I had a presence there, both
as an Americorps member and as a representative of Cascadia. Cascadia has an
effect, both directly and indirectly, on many of these ecosystems through their
work in conservation and restoration. It’s helpful to be able to introduce the
kids to the ideas of natural ecosystems and the organizations that are involved
with preserving them.
May’s next event was Kids in the Creek (KITC). KITC is a
program put on by Cascadia in partnership with the US Fish & Wildlife Service
and the Forest Service, along with many others. The program is designed to get
young high school students hands on science through a variety of stations. Half
of the stations are ‘dry’ and include: water quality, fish health, and riparian
vegetation. The other half are ‘wet’ stations. Requiring the students to don
waders and get in the creek (hence the Kids in the Creek). These stations
include: invertebrate investigation, stream health, and flow. KITC occurred in
early May and brought roughly 300 students through the 3 day program. The
overall goal is to connect the classroom science with real-life experiences,
showing students that science is not just boring class time.
The third week of May I was out of the office driving
halfway across the county to Minnesota to canoe for a week, and then driving
back to Washington. I mention this because of some of my observations along the
way. In many locations on my drive I noticed fields tilled right up to the
water lines on creeks, rivers, and lakes. There was no buffer. Anything applied
to the crops could run into the water. Erosion was rampant in spots with 10 foot
vertical banks slowly eating into fields because there was no riparian
vegetation to secure the soil. It was obvious the natural ecosystem had been
destroyed in many areas leaving only countless fields behind.
That’s about it for the month of May. Everything that
occurred managed to shrink to a manageable text level, but only because I don’t
want to get into all the details. I spent much of my time at education and
outreach events, which is great because that’s what I’m here for. I feel like
several hundred students learned a little more about the environment through my
actions.
