Nisqually River Education Project
Nisqually River Education Project 12501 Yelm Highway ! Olympia WA 98513 ! (360) 438-8715 January 21, 2016
January 21, 2016 It is a pleasure to write this letter in regards to our long standing community partnership with Eatonville Elementary School. We have worked together for six years. They are a high quality A-STEM school where students and staff energetically and enthusiastically participate in classroom instruction and field experiences. The Nisqually River Education Project, the Nisqually Land Trust and Nisqually Indian Tribe collaborate with Eatonville Elementary on multiple endeavors, the first being the water quality testing. Data from the local streams are collected twice a year. We offer teacher trainings and in-class support for students as well. We discuss the results and possible causes, then explore possible solutions to any problem data. Along with water testing Eatonville Elementary participates in salmon carcass tossing into the streams and rivers surrounding Eatonville. This is done to restore nutrients to the ecosystem that would have been provided by spawning salmon, which are now very low in number. In fact, the Steelhead and Chinook salmon are both listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. Along with salmon tossing our students plant native trees and shrubs along the creeks and rivers to restore riparian zones by preventing erosion, providing habitat and keeping temperatures cool. Select students from each class attend the annual Student GREEN Congress at The Evergreen State College. At this event students report on their water testing results and present to other groups of students that have tested the river in other locations in the Nisqually Watershed. They also attend workshops on topics pertinent to budding naturalists, such as identifying marine mammals, dissecting salmon, building bird houses, etc. We have had a long and productive relationship with Eatonville Elementary School. I am confident that their students and staff will continue to be enthusiastic about our projects and innovative in creating solutions to our local environmental issues. Sincerely, Sheila Wilson Nisqually River Education Project Program Director (360)438-8715 [email protected]
January 21, 2016 It is a pleasure to write this letter in regards to our long standing community partnership with Eatonville Elementary School. We have worked together for six years. They are a high quality A-STEM school where students and staff energetically and enthusiastically participate in classroom instruction and field experiences. The Nisqually River Education Project, the Nisqually Land Trust and Nisqually Indian Tribe collaborate with Eatonville Elementary on multiple endeavors, the first being the water quality testing. Data from the local streams are collected twice a year. We offer teacher trainings and in-class support for students as well. We discuss the results and possible causes, then explore possible solutions to any problem data. Along with water testing Eatonville Elementary participates in salmon carcass tossing into the streams and rivers surrounding Eatonville. This is done to restore nutrients to the ecosystem that would have been provided by spawning salmon, which are now very low in number. In fact, the Steelhead and Chinook salmon are both listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. Along with salmon tossing our students plant native trees and shrubs along the creeks and rivers to restore riparian zones by preventing erosion, providing habitat and keeping temperatures cool. Select students from each class attend the annual Student GREEN Congress at The Evergreen State College. At this event students report on their water testing results and present to other groups of students that have tested the river in other locations in the Nisqually Watershed. They also attend workshops on topics pertinent to budding naturalists, such as identifying marine mammals, dissecting salmon, building bird houses, etc. We have had a long and productive relationship with Eatonville Elementary School. I am confident that their students and staff will continue to be enthusiastic about our projects and innovative in creating solutions to our local environmental issues. Sincerely, Sheila Wilson Nisqually River Education Project Program Director (360)438-8715 [email protected]
