There are still available spots for high school students in Heal the Bay’s Creek Week Summer Institute in August. The days are full of adventure and learning about our local watershed. The sun is bright and warm, and sometimes you slip in the mud. What more could you ask?
The first day starts with the following question: What is a watershed? The response: blank stares and confusion.
Creek Week hopes to fix that by taking high school students through the path of our watershed from the mountains into downtown L.A. and out to the ocean, teaching about just how important the watershed is in moving water throughout our environment.
“There’s a river in LA?” Our students ask that question with a quizzical expression. Hanging out in beautiful natural spaces like the Big Tujunga Creek, it’s not that hard to believe. If only we had a nickel for every time a student asked us if they could jump in. But as we travel down farther into the concrete jungle of downtown L.A., let’s just say there are fewer volunteers for water collection. At one site this summer they weren’t even allowed in the water at the river’s edge!
But with each new day, students learn the science of looking into nature. Teams watch for soaring birds, count darting fish, and measure chemical concentrations, discovering what field science can tell them about the health of the river.
Other hands-on crafts, games, and guest speakers from Heal the Bay keep spirits high after the science of the morning. From improv to human pyramids, students laughed as they learned important lessons about environmental stewardship and advocacy.
And by day five, the students can define a watershed, conduct assessments to determine watershed health, and are prepared to share their new knowledge with their community. Change is in the adventure. Join us as we teach students how to protect what they love!
Find out more about our August 6-10 Creek Education program. Cost: $200
–Edward Murphy
Heal the Bay Secondary Education Coordinator
