Santa Rosa Press Democrat Press Democrat, The (Santa Rosa, CA)
October 5, 2011 LEARNING ON THE RIVER: 7TH-GRADERS LEAVE CLASSROOM FOR NATURE EXPERIENCE IN JENNER
Author: KERRY BENEFIELD/ THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Edition: FIRST EMP
Section: Local
Page: B1
Index Terms:
RIVER EDUCATION CHILD ENVIRONMENT ANIMALS BOAT RESEARCH Estimated printed pages: 3 Article Text:Standing on a tiny island in the middle of the Jenner estuary Tuesday morning, guide Marisa Tonello gathered a handful of clipboard-wielding seventh-graders from Santa Rosa around a small pile of poo."So this is a really popular scat area isn't it?," she said. "There are three different kinds of poop here," she said. A stick was used to break open the small pile that was the focus of the seventh graders' investigation into what animal produced the dung. Students guessed: Bobcat? Deer? Rabbit? "That's a meat eater, for sure," Tonello told them. "This poop that's here -- aka scat -- did you notice there is no vegetation in it?" The group's quest to determine what kind of animal might have left its deposit on the small, grassy patch of land in the middle of the Russian River was part of a day-long, annual expedition led by Willowside Middle School science teacher Debbie Grima-Lowe. Grima-Lowe has been bringing her seventh-grade science students to the waters where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean for field lessons for eight years. Students get a kayak safety lesson, climb aboard their one- and two-person boats and set out to investigate water quality and plant and animal life. Guides from WaterTreks EcoTours lead students around "Crab Island" to collect plant specimens, shoot pictures of scat and animal tracks and take water samples. "We may not always see the animal. We may see scat. We may see tracks," Grima-Lowe said. "Why are we seeing just scat? Why is this animal here?" Although the students paddled heartily on the smooth waters of the estuary between stops, it was not all fun and games. When Logan Conner and Travis Broadhead came back from standing knee deep in the water with turbidity readings that were dramatically different, Grima-Lowe turned them around and sent them back into the water. "This gives us more experience than being in a classroom, being out here in the wilderness," Broadhead said. Students, who come to Jenner in groups of about 30 over five days, will compile their data in class and study the findings of all seventh-grade researchers. Students got an extra dose of reality last week when they found waters still tinged red from the algae bloom that forced the emergency closure of abalone season and killed shellfish, including chitons, sea stars and other invertebrates along the coast. Grima-Lowe leads the trip each year "so that science makes sense, so they can connect the dots with the experience they have had." Students will create spreadsheets showing the changes in water quality, evidence of a variety of animals and even the amount of trash found in the water and along the shores. "We found Styrofoam bowls, plastic, a sign, some plastic bits, metal and some at the bottom of the river and it is probably going to end up in the ocean," said student Griffin Becker as he toted a plant specimen box filled with sea lettuce, vetch, horsetail and pine around the island. Becker said the day was a success. "We are actually out in the field learning stuff instead of just watching videos and reading books," he said.
Staff Writer Kerry Benefield writes an education blog at extracredit.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. She can be reached at 526-8671 or [email protected]. Caption:
PHOTO: 3 by JOHN BURGESS / The Press Democrat 1.Caleb Felton, 12, center, paddles Tuesday with other seventh-graders, teachers and parents from Willowside Middle School who explored the mouth of the Russian River.
2. Willowside Middle School seventh-grader Mason McAlister holds a praying mantis found Tuesday on an island at the mouth of the Russian River.
3.Willowside Middle School seventh-graders Logan Conner, 12, left, and Travis Broadhead, 12, test the turbidity level of water near the mouth of the Russian River on Tuesday. Memo:
For more photos from the class expedition, go to pressdemocrat.comCopyright (c) 2011 The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA)
Record Number: 1110055310055
October 5, 2011 LEARNING ON THE RIVER: 7TH-GRADERS LEAVE CLASSROOM FOR NATURE EXPERIENCE IN JENNER
Author: KERRY BENEFIELD/ THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Edition: FIRST EMP
Section: Local
Page: B1
Index Terms:
RIVER EDUCATION CHILD ENVIRONMENT ANIMALS BOAT RESEARCH Estimated printed pages: 3 Article Text:Standing on a tiny island in the middle of the Jenner estuary Tuesday morning, guide Marisa Tonello gathered a handful of clipboard-wielding seventh-graders from Santa Rosa around a small pile of poo."So this is a really popular scat area isn't it?," she said. "There are three different kinds of poop here," she said. A stick was used to break open the small pile that was the focus of the seventh graders' investigation into what animal produced the dung. Students guessed: Bobcat? Deer? Rabbit? "That's a meat eater, for sure," Tonello told them. "This poop that's here -- aka scat -- did you notice there is no vegetation in it?" The group's quest to determine what kind of animal might have left its deposit on the small, grassy patch of land in the middle of the Russian River was part of a day-long, annual expedition led by Willowside Middle School science teacher Debbie Grima-Lowe. Grima-Lowe has been bringing her seventh-grade science students to the waters where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean for field lessons for eight years. Students get a kayak safety lesson, climb aboard their one- and two-person boats and set out to investigate water quality and plant and animal life. Guides from WaterTreks EcoTours lead students around "Crab Island" to collect plant specimens, shoot pictures of scat and animal tracks and take water samples. "We may not always see the animal. We may see scat. We may see tracks," Grima-Lowe said. "Why are we seeing just scat? Why is this animal here?" Although the students paddled heartily on the smooth waters of the estuary between stops, it was not all fun and games. When Logan Conner and Travis Broadhead came back from standing knee deep in the water with turbidity readings that were dramatically different, Grima-Lowe turned them around and sent them back into the water. "This gives us more experience than being in a classroom, being out here in the wilderness," Broadhead said. Students, who come to Jenner in groups of about 30 over five days, will compile their data in class and study the findings of all seventh-grade researchers. Students got an extra dose of reality last week when they found waters still tinged red from the algae bloom that forced the emergency closure of abalone season and killed shellfish, including chitons, sea stars and other invertebrates along the coast. Grima-Lowe leads the trip each year "so that science makes sense, so they can connect the dots with the experience they have had." Students will create spreadsheets showing the changes in water quality, evidence of a variety of animals and even the amount of trash found in the water and along the shores. "We found Styrofoam bowls, plastic, a sign, some plastic bits, metal and some at the bottom of the river and it is probably going to end up in the ocean," said student Griffin Becker as he toted a plant specimen box filled with sea lettuce, vetch, horsetail and pine around the island. Becker said the day was a success. "We are actually out in the field learning stuff instead of just watching videos and reading books," he said.
Staff Writer Kerry Benefield writes an education blog at extracredit.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. She can be reached at 526-8671 or [email protected]. Caption:
PHOTO: 3 by JOHN BURGESS / The Press Democrat 1.Caleb Felton, 12, center, paddles Tuesday with other seventh-graders, teachers and parents from Willowside Middle School who explored the mouth of the Russian River.
2. Willowside Middle School seventh-grader Mason McAlister holds a praying mantis found Tuesday on an island at the mouth of the Russian River.
3.Willowside Middle School seventh-graders Logan Conner, 12, left, and Travis Broadhead, 12, test the turbidity level of water near the mouth of the Russian River on Tuesday. Memo:
For more photos from the class expedition, go to pressdemocrat.comCopyright (c) 2011 The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA)
Record Number: 1110055310055