A grant awarded by the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada to Sierra Nevada Journeys will allow hundreds of students in Northern Nevada to gain valuable watershed education.
RENO, Nev. (December 19, 2022) — Students throughout the Truckee Meadows will get to participate in Sierra Nevada Journeys’ water education program thanks to a $30,542 grant awarded by the Truckee River Fund at the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada.
Students will participate in “Hands in the River,” a watershed education program by Sierra Nevada Journeys. Imagine a bus packed with students, lots of chatter as they’re excited to be on a field trip. They exit the bus with their backpacks in hand and are welcomed by Sierra Nevada Journeys instructors at one of our field site areas – the Nature Conservancy’s McCarran Ranch Preserve.
As a warmup, the students participate in a few teambuilding games and activities. It gets the kids moving and their minds in the present moment. They start to relax, enjoy nature, and just be kids. Then they hike down to the Truckee River, learning about native and invasive species along the way.
At the river, students record their observations, collect data, and enter their findings into their science journals, reinforcing concepts previously taught in the classroom. They explore, assess, and collect data about the health of the Truckee River Watershed by observing the river, collecting macroinvertebrate species for study, and discussing how we can use the data to make a determination of river health.
Fields days like this help students understand important science concepts related to the Truckee River and articulate how their actions affect the Truckee River watershed and local ecosystems. With this new-found knowledge, students naturally adopt environmental stewardship practices that help reduce water pollution and other human impacts. The program also embeds opportunities to build critical thinking skills, productive discussion practices, and social emotional learning.
“At Sierra Nevada Journeys, we believe that science and nature are for everyone. We prioritize partnerships with schools that primarily serve youth who have historically been denied access to high-quality science education and outdoor learning experiences. With this funding Sierra Nevada Journeys will serve 24 classrooms, ensuring we address the science and outdoor equity gap,” said Sean Hill, CEO, Sierra Nevada Journeys.
The Truckee River Fund Advisory Committee and the boards from the Truckee Meadows Water Authority and the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada lead the grant funding. The purpose of the Truckee River Fund supports projects that protect and enhance the water quality of the Truckee River watershed – our primary drinking water source for the Truckee Meadows.
