Sierra Nevada Journeys was proud to work alongside some of our valued partners to bring an amazing workshop to a cadre of our local educators last weekend at Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge. The wetland area near Fallon, NV was the backdrop to a day that involved natural history education, learning how to monitor watershed health and productivity, and an afternoon spent with a unique opportunity to kayak on the refuge’s waterways!
The day began at the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribal (FPST) facilities with a presentation by Mary Kay Wagner with the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection, which was designed to give workshop participants a beginning understanding of wetlands and their importance. Susan Sawyer, with the Fish and Wildlife Service followed with a fun, hands-on activity where everyday items were used as metaphors for wetland functions. For example one gentleman pulled a box of band-aids from the container, and all learned about how wetlands serve as a healing ground for injured birds traveling on their seasonal migrations. Mary Kay and Susan were assisted by the knowledgeable Lou Loftin, with the North West Regional Professional Development Group, especially in the prehistoric geology realm, of which our state has an incredible history. Carmen Gonzales, the Environmental Protection Specialist with the FPST, gave everyone background information on the cultural history and customs of the Paiute people whom inhabited the Stillwater area for hundreds of years.
Following our classroom session the caravan of workshop participants moved out onto a waterway to learn about how professionals assess the health of a watershed. This was accomplished through examining the macro-invertebrate populations that can be easily pulled from the water and examined with small hand lenses, and was facilitated by Linda Conlin with River Wranglers whose framing of this activity involves calculations designed to teach students how to gauge the health of their rivers by determining species ratios. This is always a popular activity, especially with students, everything from water fleas to damsel-fly larvae were discovered! We also did some traditional water testing using instruments to determine water and air temperature, conductivity, pH, turbidity, and levels of dissolved oxygen. It was exciting to be assisted in these experiments by a professional such as Carmen Gonzales! Laurie Gray, with Sierra Nevada Journeys, facilitated the day’s final education event, sharing an activity that highlights the camouflaging done by birds and their prey, which all the educators were excited about taking back to their classrooms! Teachers left the workshop with WOW (Wonders of Wetlands) Activity Guides, Project Learning Tree PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guides and a wide array of other valuable resources provided by our partners.
The highlight of the day for all, however, was the stellar kayaking adventure upon the refuge itself. As we paddled among the cattails and “tules,” the water reflected the afternoon sunlight to cast a warm glow while Bob Goodman from the Audubon Society taught us about bird identification and behavior. It was a valuable experience for everyone, and each participant took away a greater appreciation for our local wetlands, and our need to act as stewards to protect such beautiful places.
Sierra Nevada Journeys would like to thank Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, River Wranglers, US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Audubon Society, and the Fallon-Paiute-Shoshone Tribe for being such great partners in helping us achieve such a great workshop!
Leave a comment
Comments feed for this article