This school year, third through 12th grade students throughout the basin, from Aberdeen to Tumwater to Onalaska, participated in Chehalis Basin Education Consortium (CBEC) activities. Through their watershed studies, water quality testing and hands-on involvement in restoration projects, students learned about stream chemistry and flow, habitat, weather, human impacts on the watershed, flooding, salmon recovery, riparian zones and general ecology. Many students also were inspired by the Chehalis watershed to create beautiful works of art and poetry.
Enjoy this special student edition. Discover how our local youth "connected to their Chehalis watershed," and how through their civic action they contributed to the long-term health of the watershed.
Streamwalk surveys and water quality testing along the Wishkah River with students from Mrs. Klinger's 4th grade class from Simpson Elementary School.
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This year eight students were selected by their teachers as Chehalis Basin Watershed Stewards in recognition of their exceptional efforts in protection of the Chehalis watershed.
From left to right: Hannah Bortel, Andrea Ostwald, Sammi Zuvich, Shelby Duffy, Michaeljon Hayden, Lacie Wilson, and Tanya Maari.
Hannah Bortel, 6th grade, McDermoth Elementary School, teacher: Jolene Powell."Hannah is outstanding out in the field with the water quality testing. She also came to class before school to prepare for the student congress. Hannah is exceptionally responsible, insightful and wants to be a marine biologist" said Mrs. Powell
Lacie Wilson, 8th grade, Rochester Middle School, teacher: Martin Woodruff. "I selected Lacie again for this honor as Lacie is a "take charge" individual. She tries to do her best and is always eager to volunteer. Lacie has been a very positive addition to my Project Science class," said Mr. Woodruff.
Tanya Maari, 8th grade, Rochester Middle School, teacher: Martin Woodruff. "Tanya took the testing of water quality at our various sites seriously. She was always very organized and taught the 7th graders about water quality testing very well" said Mr. Woodruff.
Michaeljon Hayden, 8th grade, Onalaska Middle School, teacher: Jan Lindsell. "He gets it," said Mrs. Lindsell. "Michaeljon understands the importance of doing your part to take care of our environment and making a small ecological footprint. When our class conducted surveys of their electrical usage at home, Michaeljon's family used half of what his classmates did."
Andrea Ostwald, 4th grade, Simpson Elementary School, teacher: Stephanie Klinger. "Andrea is the first student that I've had who really connects with her role as a watershed steward. She is really amazing. Recycling in the classroom is happening because of her," said Mrs. Klinger.
Sammi Zuvih, 5th grade, Elma Elementary School, teacher: Angie Salvaggi. "Sammi brought strong experience in water quality testing as she transferred from Simpson Elementary School. She was great at helping teach her fellow students about water testing," said Mrs. Salvaggi.
Tommy Boursaw, 6th grade, Adna Middle School, teacher: Shirley Reboin. "Tommy has a great excitement for water quality monitoring and is always willing to speak up and help out," said Mrs. Reboin.
Shelby Duffy, 4th grade, Washington Elementary School, teacher: Heather Sprague. "Shelby is a model student and citizen. She has done an excellent job in understanding the concept of "what is a watershed." She always does what she can to help, even if it is just sharing her ideas," said Mrs. Sprague.
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Each year, River of Words® conducts a free international poetry and art contest for youth on the theme of watersheds. The contest is designed to help youth explore their own watersheds, discover the watershed's importance in their lives, and express what they've learned, felt and observed in words and images. All entries of Washington State non-finalists from the International Contest are returned to the CBEC, which then conducts a regional contest, "Words and Images from the Watershed: Washington's River of Words." This year, 770 Washington State entries were submitted. Included in this publication are some of the winning art and poetry entries from Chehalis basin students. Judging was conducted by artist and professor Lucia Harrison and her students, Taylor Pittman, Education and Outreach Specialist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Carol Boyer, Literacy Content Specialist with Educational Service District 113. Visit http://cbec.esd113.k12.wa.us to view all of the winning Washington State entries. If you would like a hard copy of "Words and Images from the Watershed: Washington's River of Words" 2007 Art and Poetry Contest Winners, please contact Kathy Jacobson, CBEC Coordinator at kjacobson@esd113.k12.wa.us.
The Waterfall
I saw a waterfall.
I felt really happy.
I heard splashes!
I touched the water coming down.
I smelled the forest.
And now I think that it is good.
Charles Poole, 1st Grade
Onalaska Elementary (OASIS)
Teacher: Cathy Murphy
1st Place Category I WA State and Chehalis Watershed
Watershed
Rain of peace,
Seas of dreams,
Lakes of language,
Or so it seems.
Streams of inspiration,
Creeks of conversation,
Ponds of relaxation,
Waterfalls of imagination,
Rivers of Words,
Oceans of thoughts,
Brings tides of hope,
Does it not?
Mekajyla Ensley, 4th Grade
Simpson Elementary
Teacher: Melissa Ashlock
1st Place Category II WA State
Home
Home in the forest the trees dance.
Home in the Pacific the waves sing.
Home in the river coyotes howl,
Crows fish,
And rabbits nibble away on grass.
The river,
The Pacific
The forest
All my home.
Brittain Daniels, 4th Grade
Simpson Elementary
Teacher: Julie Aldrich
1st Place Category II Chehalis Watershed
Spring of Life
Within the forest, life is everywhere,
Wise old willow, sleepy black bear,
Dusty ferns and banana slug,
The forest is a spring of life;
Still as death, yet so alive,
Tiny green frog takes a dive
Into water, smooth as glass, crystal clear,
Breaks the silence, just an instant,
Like an eagle piercing cry,
Breaks through, reaches high,
Majestic cedar breaks through canopy,
The forest-spring reaches out,
Cries:
"Be intrigued, be caring,
Love, know,"
Watch it grow,
Spring of life.
Chelsea Sonnenberg, 8th Grade
Chehalis Middle School
Teacher: Rachel Dorsey
3rd Place Category III WA State
Squirrels
Happy,
Daring,
Stop,
Fallen acorn,
Scurry over,
Gnaw,
Bucktooth smile.
Hillary Tak, 8th Grade
Chehalis Middle School
Teacher: Rachel Dorsey
Searching
The roots are born
They reach deep into the ground
Wiggling around other creatures
Searching, reaching.
A sapling becomes
The roots push deeper
Finding hidden nutrients
Soaking up the water
Searching, reaching.
Winter comes
The new tree is covered in ice
The roots still digging farther
Searching, reaching.
The tree grows older
Its trunk now full of branches
The roots grow bigger
It is hard to spread
But the roots do not slow down
Searching, reaching.
A fire, earthquake, a storm
Birds, deer, humans
No matter what they do
The roots still dig deeper
Searching, reaching
Abby Glen, 8th Grade
Chehalis Middle School
Teacher: Rachel Dorsey
1st Place Category III WA State
Nature's Domain
As I sit here, on this fine rock,
I wrap my arms about my legs.
I close my eyes and open my ears, letting the sounds of nature fill me.
The larks sing their love songs,
The fish playing in the clear blue waters of the river,
The eagle soaring above me, in his majestic brilliance.
The snakes slither to and fro, basking in the sun,
The rabbits bounce all around, with joy in every spring,
The trees hum their own sweet melody as the soft summer breeze gracefully blows through their branches.
The Sunflowers, Tulips, and the Daisies all smile up at the clear blue sky.
The shadows keep their secrets hidden in their mysterious darkness,
And I think to myself...
We are but mere humans in Nature's Domain!
Kayla Mortenson, 7th Grade
Rochester Middle School
Teacher: Pat Mott
1st Place Category III Chehalis Watershed
Eagle Art and Pen Charles Poole, 1st Grade Onalaska Elementary (OASIS) Teacher: Cathy Murphy 1st Place Category I WA State
A Sunny Afternoon Daelin Malizia, 4th Grade Simpson Elementary Teacher: Karen Boyer 3rd Place Category II Chehalis Basin
Mother Nature Courtney Edlund, 6th Grade Rochester Middle School Teacher: Sue Holmes 1st Place Category II Chehalis Basin
Untitled Madison Didion, 4th Grade Simpson Elementary Teacher: Julie Aldrich 2nd Place Category II Chehalis Basin
Rolling Fog Rayne Dorsch, 7th Grade Rochester Middle School Teacher: Pat Mott 3rd Place Category III WA State
Winter with the Wolves Hitomi Bremer. 8th Grade Rochester Middle School Teacher: Pat Mott 1st Place Category III Chehalis Basin
Heart of the Forest Samantha Huriavi, 8th Grade Rochester Middle School Teacher: Martin Woodruff 1st Place Category III WA State
Night Hawk Katelyn Dobbs, 8th Grade Rochester Middle School Teacher: Martin Woodruff 2nd Place Category III WA State
Peaceful Pondside Kenna Fosnacht, 6th Grade Rochester Middle School Teacher: Sue Holmes 3rd Place Category II WA State
Loneful Bird Samantha Grindrod, 8th Grade Chehalis Middle School Teacher: Rachel Dorsey 2nd Place Category III Chehalis Basin
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by James Villa and Marandia Case, 5th graders, Boistfort School
This past October, students at Boistfort School have planted over 200 trees to help support the bank of the South Fork of the Chehalis River across the road from the school. The bank has been eroding away. When the mud falls into the water, it dirties the water and is not a very good habitat for salmon to live in. Once the trees are mature, they will also provide shade near the water, which will keep the water cooler. Salmon live better in cooler water.
The Chehalis River Basin used to have a very large salmon run up the river. As we students restore the bank, we are delaying the further erosion by the river and helping to create a better habitat for the salmon. We have also been mulching the trees. Mulching helps control the Reed Canary Grass that chokes out trees and prevents them from growing well. Mulching is not a very hard process. Well, for us it was. Mulching 200 trees took a while! First, we laid old newspapers around each tree. Then we gathered compost and bark, covering the newspapers. The newspapers will soon rot and also turn into compost, therefore protecting the trees from the spread of the Reed Canary Grass.
As for weather, we have been working in rain, snow, and sunshine. The snow was occasional, but it rained a lot! That did not stop us, though! In November, there was flooding which washed out about three feet of the bank and a few trees. Hopefully, there will be no more flooding.
We interviewed a few students and asked them how they felt working on the project. "It was kind of hard," said Jesse. "It was freezing!" said Alexis, "but it felt good helping the environment." "I thought it was hard work and challenging," Kaylene stated. "I hope we see a few more salmon coming up our river in a few years," said Emily.
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8th grade Rochester Middle School "Project Science" students mentor 7th graders on water quality testing.
Throughout the school year, CBEC teachers and their students are involved in the study of the Chehalis Basin and learn ways to protect the health of the Chehalis watershed. Through water quality monitoring using chemical tests, probeware, and EPA streamwalk surveys, students learn to assess the health of the water. In the fall and winter, more than 800 CBEC students from Onalaska to Aberdeen monitored water quality at over 24 sites.
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On March 28th, the Sixth Annual Congress was conducted at Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen. More than 120 student delegates from throughout the watershed (Aberdeen, Adna, Montesano, Mary M. Knight, Elma, Rochester, Centralia, Boistfort, and Onalaska) met with resource professionals to share and analyze their water quality data, participate in hands-on workshops, and develop plans to improve the health of the watershed. Students worked together to develop a proclamation that expresses their commitment to caring for the watershed.
We, the students of the Chehalis River Basin, are committed to contributing our time and efforts in protecting and enhancing the water quality of our watershed. We intend to carry out these efforts in our day-to-day activities. The following are recommendations we feel would benefit our watershed and surrounding communities:
By engaging in these activities, we will be good neighbors. We understand that clean waterways and healthy riparian areas will help ensure the health of our watershed for all living things that rely on them.
We will remember that we all live downstream.
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Chehalis Basin Education Consortium (CBEC) is a partnership comprised of Educational Service District 113, school districts, the Washington State Department of Ecology, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, Grays Harbor College, Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, the Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force, Grays Harbor Audubon Society, the Chehalis River Council and the Chehalis River Basin Land Trust. The primary goal of the consortium is "to improve student learning and community education in the region by linking Washington's Essential Academic Learning Requirements and assessments to environmental issues that are part of the Chehalis River watershed."
This watershed approach can assist other school/agency partnerships in environmental education, monitoring, community involvement and service learning projects.
If you are a 4th -- 12th grade teacher interested in becoming involved with the CBEC, please contact: Kathy Jacobson, CBEC Coordinator at (360) 464-6722 or kjacobson@esd113.k12.wa.us
Funding for CBEC and this special issue of Drops of Water has been provided in part through EPA Grant No. C9-00044903-0 to the Department of Ecology from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.