Article by Lacey Greene
Appearing in the Nov. 30, 2002 Inyo Register
With the hope of engaging seventh graders in science, the Eastern Sierra Watershed Project (ESWP) is implementing a new countywide field program that integrates students with the Lower Owens re-watering. Over the next two months, every seventh grader in Inyo County will visit survey sites along the Lower Owens River channel to learn local natural history and biology. Volunteer docents have set up five field stations: weather observation, wildlife observation, soil composition and quality, plants, and stream morphology. Each station has a hands-on component and focuses on scientific observation and inquiry.
There are two field sites for students along the historic Lower Owens River channel, which dried after the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) diverted its water into the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913. These sites were chosen because of they will be affected by the re-watering of a 60-mile reach of the river channel scheduled for June 2003. In future years, students will compare their data with past data to look at how the re-watering changes the environment. The program is designed to engage students by making them part of this unprecedented rewatering event.
To help manage students in the field, the program depends on public support. The ESWP docent program trains interested community members to help teach the seventh grade students. Docents choose which of the five field stations they prefer to manage and are then provided with training in that area along with additional training in student management and the scientific process. Having docents allows the students to work in small groups, each student receiving some one-on-one attention to help them work through the activities at each station.
Docents are enthusiastic about the program for a variety of reasons. Val Cameron, a retired teacher, likes the program because of its revolutionary approach. "I taught science for four years and we never had anything like this. It is a very unique and valuable program." Another docent, Bruce Klein, thinks the program will have long-term effects on the students. "I believe in getting our kids out of doors to learn about science, to learn about our local ecosystems. Hopefully it will lead some kids into science professions here at home."
At the five field stations, students will learn to identify common plants and animal tracks, and will gather and record scientific data on relative humidity, barometric pressure, and soil pH. Local seventh graders will also learn transect and quadrant survey methods, and they will use Global Positioning System (GPS) units to determine their location.
The Eastern Sierra Watershed Project (ESWP) directors, Katie Quinlan and Leigh Parmenter are organizing the docents. The ESWP has already developed and implemented a sixth grade component of the program and will expand to the ninth grade over the next two years. Along with docents, science teachers and students throughout Inyo County are participating. The main goals for ESWP are to develop outdoor science curricula that correlate with state standards, involve current resource issues, and include local cultural history. In addition to the docent program, Quinlan and Parmenter plan teacher trainings and create curriculum kits to help teachers expand their science programs.
