Wow! We've been busy!

Welcoming Becca Paquette - New Program Coordinator

We know, we know - it's been quite some time since new words made their way onto the blog. This fine blog seemed to have been swept away in a strong current, and we've finally found it washed up on shore. In the hiatus, so many fantastic things have happened! From field trips for all ages to the numerous WEN Talks (formally Advanced Training sessions) to the Stream Team collecting great samples, there hasn't been a dull moment.

We've also had the great pleasure to welcome new members to our team, the latest being Program Coordinator Becca Paquette. Becca comes to us from over the river and through the woods, across the plains and over some hills - all the way from the East Coast! She studied Zoology at the University of New Hampshire, and has recently moved to Missoula for new experiences.

Becca brings a wealth of knowledge and high energy to the position, and in a few short weeks has already settled into place. Be sure to say Hi when you see her at our next event!

Speaking of our next event - keep your eyes peeled for our Facebook and email updates - Our next WEN Talks event is on Thursday, May 22 with Pat Saffel of Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks! Hope to see you there!

Photos by Mike Lessard

The Why of WEN.

I was new to WEN when I started out here as a Compact Service Corps member.  The last month and a half has been spent getting my feet wet (!) in a whirlwind of Mayfly Flings, programs and Stream Team planning.  Throughout my learning and orientation process I’ve found a group of folks who care so deeply about teaching people the importance of environmental stewardship that they volunteer their free time; asking no compensation other than the knowledge that they are making a difference in children’s lives and thus the world—of course, the ability to hang out with some of the coolest people in Missoula is also a huge plus!  It’s inspiring to see the volunteers and the WEN crew in action.  I truly believe in what we do here and I’d like to take a moment to give an example of why it’s so important.

Last week I had the pleasure of working with Kitty on developing a program for Willard Alternative High School.  For the first two days we went in for class visits, discussing groundwater and the connection between Wilderness and our watershed’s health.  The visits went great and the students were presented with a lot of interesting knowledge and seemed quite engaged.  Yet there still seemed to be a slight sense of disconnect, a few blank stares, a little bit of shifting in chairs.  Some folks just are not hardwired to absorb a full spectrum of knowledge from a classroom.  I know because I am built the same way.  I never learn quite as well as when I’m out and about and getting my hands dirty.  With that in mind, it came as no surprise that our final day with Willard went so well.  Every single student out on the river was actively engaged and excited about the experiments they designed.  There were no blank stares, no restless shifting, only smiling faces absorbing experience.  To me, that’s the heart of what WEN is all about; it’s what the heart of all good education is about.  The class visits are wonderful and really fun; the knowledge we present is important and valuable; putting it all into perspective by physically interacting with the river is invaluable.  I’m very excited to spend my time working with some of the coolest and most passionate people in Missoula doing something that benefits students so much.

Jared Betz

Community Coordinator

Watershed Education Network

(406) 541-9287

Sanders County Water Festival

On Tuesday, October 9^th I tagged along with Kitty to help out with the Sanders County Water Festival. As we drove Highway 200 from the National Bison Range to Thompson Falls Kitty let me know that we would spend the day with students from each town we passed: Dixon, Plains, Paradise.  By the end of the festival we had used the Enviroscape, a watershed model, to educate most of the fifth graders from a 100-mile stretch of the Clark Fork. Students learned about point and non-point sources of pollution and different contributors to pollution in a watershed including farms, sub-divisions, factories and forests. We all worked together to dream up pollution simulations and brainstorm solutions to mitigate damage to the watershed.

Check out this Sanders County video from 2011!

The WEN Enviroscape was one of a series of stations through which students explored their watershed. Representatives from Fish and Wildlife used games to teach about fish life cycles, forest service personnel provided hands on training in tree identification, and local consultants taught some traditional crafts built from the riparian environment. At the end of the day I couldn’t help but think it doesn’t just take a village to teach a child, it takes the many villages within a beautiful watershed to teach children to be stewards of place. 
Jess Kindred
Volunteer

Why I don't do kids...Oh, wait....yeah

On May 3^rd, we asked a group of kindergartners – “Did you see the river last week?  What was it like?” Out of a flooding of answers (pun intended), we heard “It’s so brown!  And super high!  And moving so fast!  It’s like at blood levels…BLOOD levels!!!” He probably meant flood levels, at least that’s what I hope he meant.

The next day, we asked a group of high school students at a Flagship outing the same question.  Silence.  Then there was one raised hand followed by, “It was like, yeah.”  She meant the same thing as the 5-year olds, but it was SO huge she was at a loss for words.

After a three year absence, I’m back with WEN for the month of May as a field assistant.When I started here as a volunteer in 2006, my motto was “I don’t do kids.”  Since I’ve been back it’s all I’ve done, and happily so.  They never fail to surprise me and they really do say the funniest things.  Like this little gem (on preventing pollution): “What if we placed security guards at places people pollute?  And when the guards are off duty, we should have sensors in the ground that will call 9-1-1 as soon as pollution is detected.” I like your thinking, kid.  So, how does it feel being back on the WEN team?  It’s like, yeah…

It's moments like these that make me smile every day!

See you at the river!

Heidi Sedivy

WEN Field Assistant

Grant Creek Stream Team

As a new intern to WEN I have already had some awesome experiences and have learned so many new things!! I attended a groundwater presentation two weeks ago, and got the fortunate experience of attending a stream team session with Kevin and Lindsey this past Sunday.  Upon my arrival at WEN the weather was an unfortunate gray skies, and light snow. After loading up the truck and meeting the two awesome folks I was to spend the next few hours with, I found the sky looking a lot less gray.  The three of us headed to Grant Creek, near the Elk Foundation in order to test the PH, dissolved oxygen, velocity, and macro-invertebrate selection of the creek.  After unloading the equipment and setting it up, we began work right away. Lindsey got to work testing the dissolved oxygen and teaching me the ins and outs of the chemistry involved. Kevin and I put on waders and headed a little deeper into the creek in order to catch some macro-invertebrates.  Doing a little "jig" in order to get the little guys out of their hiding, I did what looked like the twist, and we caught mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies, and other "macros" with a net and poured them into the bucket for further observation.  We had fun discovering the different "macros" in the creek, it was a hide and seek game played on a very tiny scale with plastic spoons.  Once we separated the little guys, we identified and counted them.  We then sent them back on their way down the stream.  After this was finished, all that was left was the velocity check for the stream.  Very scientifically measured, we timed the amount of time a tennis ball took to make it down stream from a measurable distance.  We did this ten times to average and ensure accuracy.  All in all it was a great way to spend a Sunday outdoors.  We measured the health of Grant Creek and I got to visit a new creek in Montana.

-Carlee Webb
Intern for WEN

Stream Team Unite!!!

This past Monday, President’s day, the stream team headed out to take water samples from Patty Creek. When we arrived at our site destination below the holding pond, we were surprised to find the stream dried up! So we threw our gear back in the car and headed to Rattlesnake Creek. After the gear was set up we were ready to perform chemical experiments to check the oxygen levels of the creek while other stream team members were strapping on their waders and preparing to step into the freezing cold water…brrrr. After about a half hour we had already confirmed the oxygen levels in the creek and were waiting to sort invertebrates into ice cube trays to be counted and recorded. There sure is something special about watching these tiny little bugs swim around in a plastic container. My imagination was set free as I tried to fathom how many of these little critters there are just living in this one small waterway. It’s amazing! Thanks to everyone who made my first stream experience one to remember. 

Katie Thurlby
Volunteer
Watershed Education Network

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.

Science In The Name of Fun

Volunteer Coordinator Will Ridlehoover braves the clark fork in the name of science!

Adversity often inspires ingenuity. At least it did with Will and I on the Clark Fork last Sunday.
Our weekly Stream Team outing focused on a section of the river just down-stream from the Madison Street bridge, and as with any wide river, the physical attributes of the Clark Fork presented certain challenges for data collection that had to be overcome.

The Stream Team typically examines three major characteristics of the river. Chemical, biological and physical attributes are measured in order to give us an accurate picture as to the character and health of the river. The physical examination is comprised of factors such as water velocity, bank width, water depth and overall morphology or the "shape" of that river's section. All factors are easy to measure in small streams, but a several hundred foot wide river presents a few challenges of equipment and logistics. Luckily, Will and I were feeling particularly industrious that day, and he had some swimming trunks in his car.

Typically the river's depth and width area easily measured with a depth pole and survey line respectively, but the fast moving and especially deep water combined with the extremely wide section we chose to measure made our typical methods impractical. So with a few handfuls of rocks inside of the nylon bag of a throw rope and the use of a sharpie I fashioned a makeshift depth gauge inspired by my youth on the Mississippi river and the endless reminders of how Samuel Clemens chose his famous pseudonym. In the mean time, Will paddled his way across the river with the aid of an inner-tube to fix a static line to the opposite bank and returned to begin the measurement process. Using the static line to hold his position in the river, Will worked his way across and dropped our makeshift depth gauge every "tube width" (3 foot 2 inches) and sounded off a reading to be recorded on shore. Sixty five readings later, we determined the width to be no less than 205.83 feet across and an average depth of around 3.5 feet.

While this data was useful and important to record for many reasons that any WEN volunteer can explain,  the process of collecting it was important for some reasons you may not expect. Namely, it was hilarious. As Will worked his way slowly across the clark fork, the rest of the team recorded the data and chuckled at the increasingly louder depth reports echoing across the water, and the impressed expressions upon the faces of passers by. We always have fun on Stream Team, but when afforded the opportunity to innovate, be bold, and a little bit silly with like minded folks on the banks of a neighborhood river the experience becomes that much more powerful and rewarding. I can't wait for next week, maybe we'll find a way to build a submarine from Tupperware containers and driftwood.

--
Clinton Begley
OfficeCoordinator
Watershed Education Network

Our Favorite Photos

The photo is one of my favorites. At no more than 5 years old, clad in blue corduroys and a striped red shirt, I stand off balance on the rocky shore and focus on counting the skips my carefully selected stone makes across the river. Just one skip. Behind me, on an upside down bucket, sits my grandpa. With suspenders on, and aluminum can in hand, he counts along with me. I'm fond of the photo for many reasons, but recently I was reminded how much it is simply a great capture of how lucky I was so grow up spending time at the river.

Missouri's North River  | 1986

 
The reminder came this week when a kindergartner, spoon in hand over a plastic tub crawling with aquatic macroinvertebrates fresh from the Clark Fork asked me: "how did we get so many crawdads in here?" The question was a perfectly rational question to ask. It is the fact that I had the responsibility and privilege of answering it that made me realize just how important the roles of WEN educators really are. And, in the absence of an organization like WEN in my home town, how lucky I was to have that role filled by my family when I was a kid.

Growing up with a small river flowing through our family farm, and the great Mississippi charging south just a dozen blocks away from our house in town I had no shortage of opportunities to experience a river. But most importantly, my family was always there to introduce me to those opportunities, the fun of the river, and it's significance. But not every kid is as lucky as I was, and the opportunities in our own back yards mean nothing without guidance and introduction from thoughtful families, friends and community organizations.

Clark Fork River | This Week

We had a dozen or so pairs of wide eyes, and highly raised hands at Clark Fork this week. But most importantly we had a dozen or so smiles as the four and five year old's caught and counted mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies on the bank of an important river in their own back yard. Because while the youngsters may not retain the exact reason that these creatures are important to their ecosystem, they will certainly remember why the ecosystem was important to them on that warm September morning at the river.

---
By Clinton Begley
Office Coordinator
Watershed Education Network

Bitterroot River Field Trip

Last week, WEN had a great time leading students from C.S. Porter to the Bitterroot River. We taught them all about the biological, physical, and chemical aspects of their nearby river. Take a look at the day through this video courtesy of Clinton Begley!

Miller Creek Field Trip

 Ever wonder what it is like to be at the river with WEN? Now you can feel like you are at the river's edge with us by watching this great video by WEN's AmeriCorps member Clinton Begley.

Miller Creek Field Trip

Liam Wood Fly Fishers and River Guardians

WEN has created a new crop of fly fishers and river guardians!

Everyday from August 15th to 19th, WEN had the opportunity to teach high school students more about river stewardship through the social lens of fly fishing. It was great to see them in one week learn about the responsibility that comes with fly fishing to protect and care for our local rivers. At the end of the week I noticed a huge change in their attitudes compared to the beginning of the week. I also felt like I learned so much as the week went on; it is amazing what can happen in one week!

My favorite moment of the week: the students peacefully fly fishing at the Bitterroot River on the last afternoon

River Poems

In the past two weeks, WEN taught a Words with Wings summer camp session where students learned about the history of the Clark Fork River. Then they reflected on what they had learned and wrote some wonderful poems! Read some selections below:

Kitty Galloway, WEN's program coordinator (left) and Lynne Dickman  (middle)
from Ice Age Flood Institute teach river history to  Sheryl Noethe (right) and the
Words with Wings students

Bret Lunder

WHAT DOES A RIVER MEAN?

What does a river mean to me?

A river means life for fish, water

for ground, food for humans.

A river is what keeps the food chain

flowing.

Rivers are what give earth its beauty,

its light, its refreshment.

A river is the home for fish, otters,

snails, beavers, many animals.

Without the rivers, the earth would be

dry. Without rivers, there would be no way

for the osprey to find food, no way for beavers

to build their dam, no way for fish to swim.

Earth would be a dry ball of dirt, no grass,

no fish.

Life—that is what a river means to me

and to you.

Shelby Kinch

TETRACTY: THE RIVER

Clear

water

rushing on

bathing in the

warm sun, a home for glittering scales and

shimmering fins, a place for smoothed rocks.

The river with

the power

of a

horse

strong,

happy

to be free

dipping between

rocks, it gently swirls through time, welcoming.

On and on it flows until the sting of

salt burns its eyes.

Peace at last

ocean

home.

KoesslerTolleson Knee 

FLY POLE

Invisibility itself whips through the air

welded to a fly that is happy when bitten.

Green cord with a mind of its own

hooks onto invisibility’s tail

for a better view

of the monster with gills and fins

that might be dinner.

Fiberglass trees committed for life

to helping the fly and its procession

married to it by silver rings.

When the wheel stops turning

all wait

for a fish to fall

for the bait.

Meredith Walker

ODE TO THE CLARK FORK

On and on

rushing

on and on

splashing

on and on.

There is a river of power

that runs through Missoula.

Clark Fork is its name.

Home of the trout,

home of the waves,

home of the hearts

of its people.

Kayaking waves, so fun,

mostly manmade

but rapids required.

Cool and favorite haunt of dogs.

Peace, power,

and driftwood logs.

Origin of noise,

it always bustles.

Sandy, buggy, beaches.

Birds call, rushes rustle.

Preserved exoskeletons

and rocks galore,

waves lap against the shore

always changing more.

Boy Scouts at SKC!

 This past WEN led the Boy Scouts on an adventure to learn about aquatic macroinvertebrates around Salish Kootenai College. Check out our pictures!

Huston Thompson and Deb Fassncacht led the aquatic
macroinvertebrate station

Students play the Macroinvertebrate Mayham game

Students learn how their bug should move as a part of the
Macroinvertebrate Mayham game

Huston Thompson catches some Aquatic Macroinvertebrates

WEN heads to Victor School to teach about Groundwater

Like others before it, the early morning began with coffee. I sipped it slowly as we loaded the car. We had a large plastic model town called an Enviroscape, a groundwater flow model, and equipment to help 30 6th grades at Victor School build their own aquifer. Kitty, the Program director, and Hillary, WEN's summer VISTA and I hopped in the car and headed south into the Bitteroot Valley. We arrive in the small town of Victor with early, but circled a few blocks before we finally stopped at a gas station to ask for directions to the school. We pulled up and signed in, admiring the class photos dating back to 1927 on the walls. When we entered the classroom the happy teacher greeted us and we started setting up. The build your own aquifer activity was engaging. Students first tested how much water moved through one of the 4 substrates they had samples of : sand, gravel, dirt and clay. Then they took three of those substrates and made their own aquifer.

We then cleaned up the aquifer and set-up two stations: the groundwater flow model and Enviroscape. I lead the plastic Enviroscape town station while Kitty lead the groundwater flow model and Hillary took pictures. I was a bit apprehensive because it was almost summer and these kids were antsy. I started by introducing the town and talking about 4 types of pollution represented by the acronym ANTS: air, nutrient, toxic, and sediment pollution. Then I directed their attention to the plastic farm and asked why farms are good. The kids immediately started talking about pollution and I realized they hadn't been paying attention. I asked who knew someone who was a farmer and almost all the kids raised their hands. Then I asked again why farms are good. "Food!" shouted one student. "Yes food is very important and all food comes from farms" Then I asked, "What kind of pollution would you find on the farm?" The kids thought for a minute then one kid raised his hand and suggested smoke from the tractor. "Yes," I said reaching into a Ziploc bag I had hidden behind the Enviroscape. I pulled out a bottle of bubbles and asked, "who wants to show us air pollution?" Ten hands shot up in the air. I chose a student and watched as bubbles floated and landed all over the town. The students went on to talk about the benefits of suburbs, logging, factories and trucks. Then they guessed almost every type of pollution. They poured chocolate syrup on the road to represent someone pouring out oil, sprinkled chocolate chip dog poo, spread hot coco powder sediment and Kool-aid powder pesticides. Then I gave two students squirt bottles and the Enviroscape town had a rain storm. Exclamations of disgust rose from the students as dark, murky water flowed down the streams and into the lake. Then I discussed ways people and governments avoid these kinds of pollution through berms, fencing off cattle and other preventative measures.

When it came time to circle up Kitty asked what the students remembered from the field trip I was a bit nervous. They were obviously distracted by the proximity of summer break and I questioned how much they had learned. To my surprise many hands shot up in the air and they began talking about key points about aquifers, groundwater, and the Enviroscape lesson. They remembered that they should recycle oil and not pour it down a drain, and that you shouldn't let your dog poop in the river. I smiled. To hear those kids talk about what they'd learned I knew our lessons were not something they would soon forget. I sipped my last bit of coffee and felt energized, not from the coffee, but from the knowledge that we had made a difference in these students' lives.

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!

Have you noticed something different about the Prairie?

Sussex School is working hard at the John Pierce Native Plant Prairie! This past Wednesday they continued weeding the area of invasives and began planting native plants. Come by and see the progress they have made in between the WEN office and the river trail!

 

 For more information about the Sussex School project or WEN's week curriculum, call 541-9287 or email water@montanawatershed.org

3rd Annual Mayfly Fling

WEN's 3rd Annual Mayfly Fling was great! We had so many hard workers who helped put on this annual fundraiser, and it was so great to see all of the community support that WEN has gathered over the years. So many businesses contributed through sponsorships and donations. These contributions, along with the people who attended, will provide much needed funding for WEN's spring and summer watershed education programs. And it was such a fun event on a warm spring day!

WEN depends on generous community donors! For more information about how you can help sustain our watershed education programs contact Deb Fassnacht, Executive Director at 541-9287 or water@montanawatershed.org

Earth Day with MUD!

This past week, WEN joined MUD's Earth Day along with other environmental groups in Missoula. Even though it was a chilly day, lots of people showed up and many kids were instantly attracted to our tub of aquatic macro-invertebrates  that we had gathered from the Clark Fork River. Earth Week is a perfect time to learn more about your local watershed! Check out the pictures from MUD's Earth Day below.

 

Happy Earth Day everyone!

Sussex School Adopts John Pierce Native Prarie

Rivers and Plants go together! 

This past Wednesday, Pam and Lisa's class came to explore, observe and document the first signs of spring and new life in the Pierce Native Prairie. Throughout the spring the class will return to this prairie to help restore it to its natural state. While developing this stewardship, they will also learn a lot about native and invasive plants! 

Watch for more plant activities this spring with Sussex School and the Pierce Native Prairie!