Hellgate Elementary Exploration

October 15, 2019
By Bailey Bartell

Hey everyone! I felt incredibly lucky to go with Deb, the Executive Director of WEN, to the classroom as well as the field on this recent project that we accomplished. The WEN team and about 20 volunteers took the entirety of Hellgate Elementary’s second grade class to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) for a field trip. With support from the Hellgate PTA, WEN was able to reach close to 180 students in order to expose them to the river ecosystem. 

While in the classroom, Deb began the lesson connecting the students to the river by thinking about things they already know. We talked about what allows us to know that a river is healthy and what we wonder about rivers. We drew pictures of what a healthy river looks like and we collected some wonderful curiosities from the kids like: how far does the river go? Where does it come from? How do we know if it is clean? How do the bugs get there? In addition to introducing musings about the Clark Fork River, we played games and sang songs to help us learn how to identify a mayfly, stonefly and caddisfly. These were the same aquatic macroinvertebrates that we searched for during our field trip at Grant Creek.

On the mornings of our five field trip days, volunteers arrived to the RMEF early to collect insects from the creek for the students to search for in tubs and identify. I was able to guide the experience for students as they found and sorted these various aquatic macroinvertebrates. The level of excitement that was derived from each insect was contagious. Each time a student found a new insect, they would exclaim and treat it like a prize they won. This reaction came from all the students. It was really fun to watch the students who were hesitant in the beginning become excited and involved in the process of searching through the tubs of cold water, insects and detritus. The energy was palpable and helped to create an engaging and positive learning environment.

In addition to finding macroinvertebrates, the students wandered through the property on their riparian walk. They were introduced to the concept of what makes up a riparian area and the benefits of maintaining the natural spaces next to our water sources. We talked about what animals live there, what plants and space help to create a healthy riparian area and took time to connect to the place. We accomplished this by taking interactive walks around RMEF’s property. We listened to the creek sounds, made observations about the downed trees and tall grasses and became young scientists by drawing in our field journals to document our findings.

We ended our afternoons with an active game, Macroinvertebrate Mayhem, that models what happens to our rivers when heat and sediment are introduced to the cold mountain streams. The students were a caddisfly, stonefly, or mayfly and moved down a cold, clear river. As heat and sediment moved into the river as well, the cold water insects changed to warm water compatible insects. At the end, we discussed how the river goes through yearly cycles and why it is important to maintain healthy conditions of cold, clear rivers as much as possible.

I feel incredibly lucky to have witnessed the relationships built with WEN from introductions to waving goodbye after being told one thing that they learned while being with us.

Rattlesnake Creek Discovery

WEN's First Summer Camp: A Reflection

     The 2018 Rattlesnake Creek Discovery Summer Camp, in partnership with the Missoula International School, was a full week of fun, play, and learning. Six children attended Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. On the first day, the Rattlesnake Creek explorers collected macro-invertebrates from two different locations, then learned how to identify and draw these aquatic insects.

    Tuesday was introduction to bug anatomy, and more exploration north of the Pavilion. The explorers ventured off into the riparian area along Rattlesnake Creek and discovered interesting critters. The day ended with a cool down in the creek!

     On day three, we mapped Rattlesnake Creek and created our own maps of Greenough Park. We also measured the velocity of the Creek with our sticks and painted rocks with Pam Ward (our guest instructor from Sussex School). Lastly, we rounded out the day with Bull trout game fun!

    Thursday we did a water cycle game and journaled about being a water drop. Cas Smith (our hydro-geologist guest presenter) taught a lesson on groundwater, which included exploring various wells in Greenough Park. The afternoon concluded with watercolor painting and Lego building.

     On our last day, the children collected sticks as we hiked and explored through Greenough, and then we used those sticks to construct “dreamboats”. Afterwards, we launched our boats down the Creek. Finally, we celebrated this special week-long summer camp with a macro-invertebrate mayhem game, and said farewell to the Rattlesnake Creek.

     As the partner of an ex-river guide, I've heard (and fallen in love with) a phrase that seems to capture the spirit of this camp, "Let's just read and run." Read the river, then run it accordingly. While developing the Rattlesnake Creek Explorations Camp, we built a structured schedule which we followed every morning. I was an afternoon volunteer and witnessed firsthand how the overall mood vacillated in the full-belly, post-lunch afternoon heat. The children would either rally energetically after a quick dip in the creek, or feel lethargic. 

     
     It seemed that they fed off of each other's energy, without any verbal communication. It was so fun to read them, and then help steer the afternoon schedule according to their wants and needs. We had so much fun every afternoon. Whether we were taking a break from the heat and painting rocks inside an MIS classroom, focusing on a groundwater lesson, or playing with spray-bottles at the Greenough playground- this camp was totally kid-centric. It was so fulfilling to help facilitate the creation of positive summer memories for these six, very awesome kids. 

 

This camp couldn't have happened without the leaders from the Missoula International School and Watershed Education Network: John Walker and Deb Fassnacht. Special thanks to our guest instructors Pam Ward and Cas Smith! Shout-out to our volunteers: Madeline Wilber, Cassie Sevigny, Markus Boyer, and Eli Santos.

I look back on this summer camp fondly, and consider it a huge success. We at WEN are looking forward to Summer 2019, and the possibility of offering more camps like this. 

Thanks for reading, and happy first day of Fall!

Katrina Thorness

Watershed Education Network

Communications Coordinator

802 East Front St.

Missoula, MT. 59802

Ph (406) 541-9287

E: water@montanawatershed.org

www.MontanaWatershed.org

Check us out on facebook for updates. 

Katrina is a part-time Communications Coordinator who is focusing on becoming a 'Jane of All Trades' in life, and for WEN. She assists with program development, and has worked on projects for YCC, AIS, and School Stream Monitoring. One of Katrina's life goals is to continue nurturing a community of outdoor learning in the region.

Chief Charlo Get Excited at Rattlesnake Creek

With our gear carefully situated, listening to the quiet of the Rattlesnake Creek, we awaited the students of Chief Charlo Elementary. The school bus entered the parking lot of Greenough Park and the 5th graders rambled out, talking excitedly among themselves. The volunteers' anticipation mounted as the teacher, Kevin Cashman, lead the students across the bridge of the creek towards the workstations. And with a rush of joy and squeals of delight the kids were upon us, eager to dive into the world of macro-invertebrates. 

First, a little context. To conduct a biological assessment of the Rattlesnake Creek, 300 macro-invertebrates are gathered to determine if a stream is polluted. Macro-invertebrates are animals that do not have backbones, but are visible to the naked eye. Certain macro-invertebrates are sensitive to pollution in the streams, such as mayfly and stonefly nymphs, and their presence or absence can indicate the overall health of a stream. The Watershed Education Network collects this data to keep community members aware of the quality of the water, and to empower students to understand the importance of our watershed.

The students rushed over to the tables, bubbling with enthusiasm as Mr. Cashman directed the kids into their groups. "Tanagers, and Western Meadowlarks will go into the creek! The Clark's Nutcrackers and the Pileated Wodpeckers will collect the bugs!" And with that the 5th graders scrambled about to their respective stations.

The Tanagers, about six kids, pulled on waders and armed themselves with nets, then went to the waters edge where I told them about the crab walk. "First thing is safety", I call out, "and to be safe in the creek we will be doing the crab walk whenever we are walking in it". With exaggerated movements, I demonstrate the crab walk, where you walk sideways down the river so as to avoid slipping. The kids head into the water and I take them down to riffles where the macro-invertebrates hang out. Three of the 5th graders eagerly hold the nets, while three others stand a few feet in front and start the shimmy. The shimmying disrupts the insects, and are directed by the current of the creek into the awaiting nets. Giggles echo out of the cool afternoon as the kids trade places, the former getting ready to shimmy, and the latter taking the nets. With the nets full of bugs and debris, the Tanagers head up to tubs full of water waiting on the bank where the nets are upended. With the task of netting the bugs finished, the children take the waders off and get ready to start collecting the macro-invertebrates.

Spoons and ice cube trays have taken the place of nets and waders, as I tell the 5th graders to search for the bugs like a stork, calm and unhurried. The Tanagers set about with quite a many "oohs" and "ahs" as the macro-invertebrates that they worked so hard to collect flit about the tub, diving for the leaves and other debris. With steady hands, the kids dip the spoons in, carefully uncovering and lifting the bugs out of the tubs and into the ice cube trays. "One macro-invertebrate per cube", I tell the Tanagers, as spoons laden with treasures appear out of the tub. Once a few fine specimens are found I take out the dichotomous key, an identification tool that consist of a series of choices that lead the user to the correct name and picture of an the macro-invertebrates that we are searching for. First, we look to see if the creatures have shells or not. "No shells!", the kids cry out. Second, we look to whether legs are involved with our little friends. "Legs!", the 5th graders say, and we continue down the key to the majority of the macro-invertebrates found in the stream being mayfly nymphs. After the Tanagers enthusiastically identify the creatures they are set free back into the Rattlesnake Creek.

Today was an exciting day for me. Experiencing the joy and vigor that a child greets its world with is uplifting to say the least. Moments of a persons existence are made when introduced early to the wonders of life. I feel very proud to hopefully be a part of something so significant. Being shown the beauty and life thriving silently in the river can be sometimes all it takes for a person to become acquainted with a sense of wonder that quietly guides them through life. Perhaps this placement of wonder actually took place, or perhaps a group of 25 children just had an absolute blast. Either one I will take. One thing for sure is that I look forward to more outdoor adventures with the Watershed Education Network, where we teach kids of the unseen world bustling in our streams.

-WEN Volunteer

Swan Field Trip

This last Tuesday, Kitty and I headed up to the Swan Valley in the early morning. We sleepily arrived and set up for the field trip and waited for the kids to arrive. As the students rolled out of the bus, their enthusiasm for the field trip was contagious. This group of students had been going out on our WEN field trips every spring and fall since they were in 3^rd grade, and were excited to learn more and build upon what they had already learned in the previous years. At the bug station, students excitedly ran over to me, eyeing the waders already. As we talked about the different kinds of aquatic macroinvertebrates in the river, I was surprised by how much the older students remembered. Finally, the students were able to get into the waders and collect the macroinvertebrates in the river. We found so many mayflys! We also found a couple of ‘mystery bugs’ that the students we able to identify through our dichotomous key. As they proudly told me what each bug was named, I was reminded that no matter how much we think we may know about something, we can always learn something new.

WEN is now offering summer day camps!

The Watershed Education Network is excited to announce that we are now offering summer day camps!

River Explorers (ages 8-14): June 20-24 (M-F) 1-5 pm $150

Does your child enjoy creative time outside? During this camp, we will spend the week exploring Missoula’s riverside environments. Activities will include guided observations, field journaling, storytelling, art activities and rich river science topics. 

Watershed Scientists (ages 8-14): July 18-22 (M-F) 1-5 pm $150

This camp is a great stepping stone for all you future field scientists! We will spend the week taking a closer look at the health of our own local watershed. Activities will include in depth water chemistry, aquatic macroinvertebrate (bug) studies, exploration of riparian ecosystems, and more. Students will get to create their own river field science notebook.

For more information or to reserve your spot, contact Kitty Galloway at 541-9287 or water@montanawatershed.org

 If these weeks don’t work but you’re still interested, if you have a group of 7+ kids excited about water, or if you have a young river explorer, age 5-8, who wants to learn more about water this summer, please contact us at the WEN office! We may be scheduling additional weeks for more children or younger ages, pending interest.

We hope to see you on the river this summer!