• Programs give students and teachers hands-on experience understanding watershed health
  

  Robert Semple Elementary students hike from Glen Cove Waterfront Park in Vallejo to Benicia State Recreation Area to study the appearance of plants and animals in the fall as part of the Watershed Explorers program. These students will return in the spring to continue their research.
  Photo courtesy of the Solano RCD

SOLANO COUNTY – This month the Solano Resource Conservation District (Solano RCD) continues engaging more than two-thousand Solano County youth in its Watershed Explorers, Biomonitoring, and School Water Education Programs. These programs will continue through May and include students from each of Solano County’s seven cities and school districts.

The Watershed Explorers program transforms third grade students into local watershed scientists learning the value of Solano County water and collecting critical ecological data on behalf of researchers across the United States. As part of a new program component initiated last fall, the participants become phenologists, or scientists that observe and record information about changes in nature across the different seasons. Around 800 students that participated in the fall are returning this winter or spring to compare their observations and 700 new students will be collecting data for the first time. The data is submitted to the USA National Phenology Network where it can be utilized to better understand how plants, animals, and ecosystems respond to changes in the climate locally, regionally, and nationally.

As part of another hands-on citizen science opportunity, nearly 500 high school students are participating in the 11^th annual Solano County Biomonitoring Program, measuring and analyzing the biological, chemical, and physical elements of local creeks to determine their overall health. The results of these studies can be used by local officials or agencies to identify the necessary actions, if any are needed, to mitigate pollution and improve regional water quality programs or restoration efforts.

“Participants in both the Watershed Explorers and Biomonitoring Programs are collecting information that anyone in Solano County can use to use to understand the health of our local watersheds,” shared Allison Martin, Education Program Manager with the Solano RCD. “This is the eleventh year of the biomonitoring program, making it one of the only long-term water quality studies being conducted by citizen scientists in California. Our Watershed Explorers will be collecting their data for at least the next three years.”

Water from source to sink, water conservation, stormwater pollution, and the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle ‘Triple R’ message are also integral parts of these and other Solano RCD programs, including the School Water Education Program (SWEP). SWEP offers K-12 teachers in-class lessons and labs, field trips to the Dunnell Nature Park and Education Center in Fairfield, and Project WET teacher training and resources. The next Project WET training will be held on Saturday, February 23 and teachers can register on the Solano RCD website, solanorcd.org.

The Solano RCD is a non-regulatory special district to the state of California that works to protect, restore, and enhance Solano County watersheds through its diverse education, restoration, and partnership efforts. Its environmental education programs serve over 8,000 students annually with funding support from the cities and county of Solano, Solano County Water Agency, Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District, Vallejo Water Conservation Program, Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District, the Greater Vallejo Recreation District, California State Parks Habitat Conservation Fund, and Potrero Hills Landfill. Learn more atsolanorcd.org or call (707) 678-1655.

Sharing is caring!