Kids in the Creek: An Award-Winning Watershed Curriculum

The Kids in the Creek program uniquely combines classroom and outdoor experience while focusing on watershed functions. Over 400 high school students and 40 resource specialists and volunteers gather every year for two to three days to participate in this Central Washington natural resource learning event. Program partners include the US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, Cascadia Conservation District, Washington State Department of Ecology, and City of Wenatchee. The Kids in the Creek Program includes a curriculum package that is taught both in the classroom and the field. Teachers from approximately ten schools use the Kids in the Creek curriculum to introduce key concepts and terminology and to offer students hands-on learning in the field. Area resource professionals, guide students through a series of five or more stations where they learn about the watershed, stream habitat, water quality, riparian areas, macro-invertebrates, fish health, and how to apply new knowledge in watershed planning. The field day culminates with the "Watershed Wonders" station, where students work in teams to develop and present land management scenarios while working through the complexity of decision making. The students and volunteers come away with an understanding of how to assess the complexity of stream conditions, how human actions can affect stream health, and what it's like to be a natural resource professional. The learning concludes back in the classroom where teachers summarize data and review the natural resource management scenarios. Currently, updates to curriculum, further development of national education standards, and development of a new website are in progress. The Kids in the Creek program has gained attention and use by outdoor educators across the country. It is in its 18th year and has won the 2006 National Association for Interpretation (NAI) Award for Curriculum and the Washington State Festival and Events Association Award for Outstanding Environmental Education. The curriculum and further information is available at http://www.fws.gov/leavenworth/kc.html and http://www.cascadia.org/index.php?page id=229