Three streams near the school were used by the whole class to investigate water quality and other observations:
See also:
Classroom Library of resource material
Examples of forms used for recording site data
Catherine Creek
One of our most successful field trips during the course was to Catherine Creek, the site of thousands of years of Native American plant–gathering, a modern-day cattle ranch, and now a protected area managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Catherine Creek allowed us to look at all of the questions about place we wanted our students to consider–from the forces of geology and economics to the very personal.
Kanaka Creek
Kanaka is a small stream located only a few blocks from Stevenson High School, so this became our most frequently visited stream. Students conducted several field studies on this stream and used it to think about land use, about what happens when human and biological communities try to exist in the same space, and about their own relationship to the river.
Wind River
Students visited the Wind River, a tributary of the Columbia located a few miles east of Stevenson, several times during the semester to conduct water quality tests. The Wind is a traditional salmon stream that is currently being closely monitored by government agencies and gave students a significant stream to study and become acquainted with.
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