January and February - an Education Whirlwind!

Our environmental education programs, which blend scientific learning with a passion for place, have been running full-tilt in January and February.  In two short months, we have worked with more than 130 students, for nearly (an amazing) 1500 contact hours!  For me, this second number is the most exciting, as it reflects a growing shift in our programs.  Rather than short workshops, we are working with groups of students on multi-day programs, developing a rapport that allows us to better fulfill the ERC mission of connecting people to place. For example, we delivered a four-week snow science program (which aligned nicely with district standards) to all of the 5th graders at Bellevue Elementary, and a similar three-week program to the GATE 5th graders at Hemingway.  The Sage School Master Naturalist program has been hugely successful.  The students and faculty are concluding research projects that will help local agencies, including studies on boreal owls, pollutants in stored snow, and the impacts of the Castle Rock fire on local wildlife.  Even though the students and staff have clocked enough hours for Master Naturalist certification, we have been invited to deliver more programs this spring.  Lastly, SAS! has been a wonderful new adventure.  Each week, we work with 4th and 5th graders at Bellevue and Hailey Elementary schools, and we write a blog of our adventures.  See what we have been up to! Spring holds more of the same, with a continuation of our public Master Naturalist program, the Sage School Master Naturalist, and SAS!  We’ll also conduct recycling programs for the 4th and 5th graders at Bellevue, orienteering courses for Hemingway’s 5th graders, and a dendrochronolgy program for Hemingway GATE 5th.   Add the Environmental Education Outreach Program for all of the valley’s 2nd and 3rd graders, a water conservation initiative with YAK, an electronics clean sweep with the WRHS Environmental Club, and planning for summer, and you can see that the whirlwind will continue! To learn more about these programs, to learn how to bring a program to your child’s classroom, or to get involved, please contact me at 208-726-4333, x4 or email lisa at ercsv.org.