Saturday Science Academy

           After  long summer reprive— the Saturday Science Academy is back in full swing.  This was the first of seven Saturday Science Academy (SSA) events to be hosted by the Science Program of Northwest Indian College (NWIC) for the Fall Quarter 2011.  The day began early, but promised warm fair weather and the beautiful escape to an autumn-colored landscape.  Students arrived and checked early around 8am and then gathered to travel 1 ½ hrs to the North Cascades Institute (NCI).  Because of travel restrictions we forfeited starting games before leaving on our journey. Along the way, we met up with youth from the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe at Rockport, WA who would be joining the other youth in the day’s activities.  Eventually, we arrived at our first destination at the Newhalem North Cascades National Park Visitor’s Center.  There students met Mike Brondi and his assistant named Echo, as well as guest interns from the Student Conservation Association (SCA) who welcomed and introduced the youth to the National Park.  Students gravitated to the mountainscape model of the park where buttons and lights named each major peak, valley and river system.  Mike and his crew also led students through the hands-on learning center for a quick park video and brief introduction to the biological diversity of the North Cascade Mts.

We left from the visitor’s center around 11am to travel east to Diablo Lake.  As we arrived at Diablo Lake we followed a road path across the great expanse of the Diablo Lake Dam nearly 400 ft above the valley floor.  At the end of the path we arrived at the North Cascades Institute to join the National Public Lands Day Celebration.  Students began with a short hike into the woods to examine a recent rock and debris flow that changed the growing forest dynamics around the trail.  Students learned how to tell the age of a young evergreen tree by its annual whorl of branches as well as how to identify various native trees, shrubs and herbs of the forest ecosystem.  After the hike students gathered at the lake for a BBQ lunch and rest from the morning hike and discussions. 

After lunch students gathered around the lake beach for discussions with Mike Brondi and the SCA interns about public lands: who the land belongs to, how it is managed and what they can do as teens to help care/ encourage Park health and sustainability.  These discussions were followed by introductions to high school students engaged in the NC Wild program led by NCI during the summer.  The NC Wild program encourages outdoor environmental learning and recreation as well as public lands service and youth leadership.  Eight students from high schools in Skagit, Whatcom, Snohomish and King Counties shared their personal stories of two weeks working, learning and relationship building in the wilderness.  Each shared how the program changed their outlook on the need for and care of public lands.  Afterward, the SSA students learned about the work NC Wild and National Park Staff completed in re-building degraded trail and removing invasive plant species.  The day ended with students walking across the dam and looking in awe out over the sunny valley before heading out on the long journey home.

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US Forest Service News!

This was the seventh of seven events with 12 youth attending from diverse tribal backgrounds (Swinomish, Lummi, Nooksack, etc) along with several NWIC student volunteers to help lead and guide youth.  The day began with the arrival of a busload of students from Swinomish followed quickly by morning games.  The game this week was called “Shark Out of Water”, a variation of a popular swimming pool game known as “Sharks and Minnows.”  One student would be the shark and all other students would be trying to avoid being eaten (tagged) by running back and forth between safety zones away from the shark.   The shark would yell “Go” and players would run from one safety zone to the next and as they were tagged they would have to sit down right where they were tagged and would subsequently become baby sharks.  These baby sharks could also tag players, but could not run like the larger shark.  Players would continue to run between the zones avoiding the sharks or being tagged until finally there was one player left.  This player is the winner and also becomes the next shark for the following new game.

                After the games, students loaded up into the van and headed off to Glacier WA and the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.  We made a quick stop at the Nooksack River Casino parking lot to pick up two students from Mt. Baker HS who were to join us during the service learning event.  Within an hour students were piling out of the van as we arrived at the Forest Service Public Service Station and Educational Center.  Students were immediately drawn to the large Douglas Fir tree cut that standing upright to demonstrate both the large size and age of the tree.  Students gathered by the tree cut and listened to two seasoned USFS staff and Stella Torres, and AmeriCorps intern welcome them to the forest and the grandeur of Mt. Baker.   Next, students were ushered inside to the public service station where they were greeted by figures like Smokey the Bear, small stuffed wildlife, and the fresh wood and earth smells of a log cabin.  Forest Staff guided students to a large table-sized model of the mountains and surrounding landscape to help identify where the students were currently located, some of the major landmarks like rivers and lakes, and to showcase the snow-capped Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan. 

                After a brief discussion and short questions, students piled back into the vans and headed off to Boyd Creek Interpretive Trail. Once there, students hiked the trail and watched in awe the bubbling creek and cascading falls from the mountain valley trickle beside the trail they walked.  Once back at the trailhead students were instructed on the value of service-learning and volunteerism, the importance of trail maintenance, and proper tool safety.   Students were divided up into teams of three and given a task (washing interpretive signs, brushing debris off the boardwalk, trimming limbs encroaching on the trail, or cutting back weeds alongside the trail).  The students quickly set themselves to work and diligently worked to restore the overgrown and weathered trail.  By the time lunch came along, the students had nearly finished the boardwalk and several piles of debris were stacked. 

                Throughout the day’s activities in the National Forest, a staff member of the Forest Service’s public relations department (Kelly Sprute) interviewed and photographed students as they worked and rested. Students enjoyed the conversations and welcomed his questions which would be published in the monthly Forest Service magazine and local newspapers. After lunch students used teamwork, a wheelbarrow, and several rakes to remove the debris piles and clean up the trail with final touches.  The youth were worn out, but satisfied with the changes and better look of the beautiful trail. 

Finally, students were treated to a break and reflection lesson with Lindsay Taylor of NSEA, who helped students envision the journey adult salmon make as they venture back to their homes in the National Forest and eventually spawn the next generation of young fish to migrate back again to the ocean.  Boyd Creek was one such stream in the National Forest that salmon migrated to for spawning and by caring for this trail and the surrounding habitat, these students were caring for the health of the stream which supported the life of young salmon. At last, the day finished with goodbyes and a long journey back home to the bay.  Students left for home recognizing their ability to support their community while also caring for the wildlife and environment they cherished.

This was the sixth of seven events which hosted more youth than any single SSA event prior.  There were 24 youth from diverse tribal backgrounds (Swinomish, Lummi, Nooksack, etc) along with several NWIC student volunteers to help lead and guide youth.  The day began with introductions of the two instructors for the day, Rachel Garcia and Ryan Crim, followed by recognition of the NWIC student volunteers.  Once introductions were completed, the youth participated in a group team building activity called 123…Look.  This game begins with participants in a large circle.  The objective is to not get caught looking into another participants eyes.  Everyone starts with their eyes closed and as the leader says “123…look” all participants must open their eyes and look at another participant.  If two participants are staring at each other they are out of the game.  The game continues successively until there are only three participants left.  Two participants will look at each other and the last one standing is the winner.  After playing two games, students loaded up in vans and headed for Larrabee State Park and Wild Cat Cove.

                Once the vans arrived at the state park, students assembled at the park green to listen to the Rachel and Ryan teach.  Before students were introduced basic principles of understanding of the intertidal zone, they participated in an interactive Tilingit traditional story of how tides came to be.  Several students took up character roles and became the voices of creatures such as Raven, Great Mother and Everyman.

After the interactive play, students were introduced to the working forces of gravity that drive the movement of tides: primarily the sun, the moon, and earth’s own gravity.  Each of these sources of gravitational pull work together to influence when and how strong tidal action is within a given area.  As these forces oppose each other tides are weak and generally shallow to neutral in change, but when these forces are aligned, tides can be extremely low or high.  On this day, forces were aligned and were expressed in a very low tide that would expose tide pools and hidden intertidal habitat.  Students were also introduced to the various sub-intertidal zones in which different marine species live like the spray zone, the high tide zone, and the low tide zone.  Several students volunteered to be representative models of each sub-zone in order to help other students understand the differences and challenges marine life face in each sub-zone.  

Following the engaging instruction of intertidal marine life, students eagerly devoured lunch under a hot mid-day sun.    And once sunscreen was applied, students raced down to the beach at Wildcat Cove.  Students were given three sheets of information: 1) a factsheet about various marine life, 2) a laminated picture ID of various marine creatures and 3) a BINGO game style worksheet for students to draw and identify the plants and animals they found.  Students worked together in teams of 4 & 5 to fill out their BINGO worksheets and once completed, earned a reward (a small candy bar) for their hard work in discovery and curiosity.  Ryan and Rachel worked throughout the afternoon to help students identify and locate hard to find marine life under small cobble and between rock crevices. 

Students laughed and “ahhed” at the astounding sizes, shapes, colors and forms of each creature living among the rocks, pools and algal grasses.   As the afternoon quickly moved on, so also rose the ocean tide once more and students were gathered again for a final reflection and sharing time of all that they had discovered.  The day ended with lively discussions on the van ride home and a circle of student celebration in the log building where the day began.

This was the fifth of seven Saturday Science Academy (SSA) events to be hosted by the Science Program of Northwest Indian College (NWIC).  The day began quickly as the youth settled into their seats to listen to a special guest, L. Jessica Urbanec.  Jessica, a Lummi Native and Elder, began by introducing Terri Plake, herself and the value of understanding geology.  She spoke to the youth about the earth as the sacred place of native peoples and as essential to life of native peoples.  Plants animals and human beings depend upon the unique geology of the region to thrive.  After listening to Jessica, the students loaded up into the vans and headed off to Chuckanut Drive (St. Rt. 11). 

The first stop of the day was outside of Chuckanut Manor to examine the bedrock foundation of the Chuckanut Mts.  This bedrock, called Phyllite, was formed before and supports the most exposed upper rock layer of Chuckanut Sandstone that is most prevalent along the scenic drive.  The students looked at the shimmery layered flakes of mica and minerals that composed the Phyllite.  The next stop was at a car turnout where Terri talked about the historical glaciations which carved out the basin and hills that are the Puget Sound.  Today this turnout provides a beautiful view of ocean filled troughs and verdant hills of vegetation.  Along with great views of the Puget Sound, across the street from the turnout was an exposed outcrop of fossil laden shale.  Terri had the students identify the types of fossils.  They quickly recognized the fossils as leaves and twigs and palm branches.  Each student quickly snapped pictures with cell phone cameras and oohed and awed over the amazing shapes and patterns and sizes of the fossils.

After the second stop was lunch at the Larrabee State Park under a designated pavilion.  At lunch time, I introduced students the outdoor ethics of “leave-no-trace” practices.  These ethics speak to caring for the environment by observing practices such as planning ahead, disposing of waste properly, leaving natural objects as you find them, minimizing campfire impacts, respecting wildlife and being considerate to other hikers and visitors.  These principles are adhered to and promoted by the National Park and National Forest Service and a more complete list of practices can be found at the Center for Outdoor Ethic’s educational outreach website: (http://www.lnt.org/programs/principles.php).

In addition to “leave-no-trace” practices, I introduced the idea of civic responsibility to environmental stewardship.  Larrabee State Park was having their annual volunteer park cleanup day at the same time of our visit.  This volunteer work was hosted by the WA State Park Service and the North Sound Conservancy (NSC), a non-profit organization seeking to help care for and manage public lands in Whatcom and Skagit Counties.  A representative of NSC visited with our youth, explained the work being done in the park and the value such volunteer work has for the community which enjoys the park.  Park staffs are limited in their personnel and have a large piece of land to manage.  Thus, it is a welcomed event where many volunteers and extra hands tackle a long list of cleanup and management jobs.  NSC brings the volunteers, hard work is done, projects are completed, and the greater community enjoys the recreational facilities and trails of the park.  This is a collaborative partnership and effective effort which benefits everyone involved.

We arrived at the third stop of the day, after a short hike from the pavilion to Wildcat Cove.  Students were quickly drawn into the beautiful ocean beach and large boulders for climbing.  It was a perfect natural setting for learning that offered first-hand examples of beach erosion by wind, rain and tidal action.  Students examined honeycomb weathering in the sandstone and the small pebbles and sediment which made up the beach.  The students recognized the differences in the composition of the beach pebbles and that of the common sandstone cliffs that surrounded the cove.  Terri helped students connect glacial activity to the introduction of granitic rocks…how glaciers plowed and hauled harder granite rocks down through the Puget Sound and left them behind when the glaciers melted.  During this stop at the beach students were paired up and asked to take time to reflect and answer questions about the future of the beach and the many uses humans have for rocks and minerals.

Finally the last stop of the day concluded with a thorough examination of a topographic map of Larrabee State Park.  Students were introduced to the various features of a map such as the compass rose, contour intervals, magnetic declination, township-range grid system, etc.  Each feature gave insight on how better to understand human influences on geography, location and placement, and elevation.  After learning map features, students were introduced compasses, how they are used and their practical use for hikers and geologist.  By the time teaching lessons were finished and students had arrived back at NWIC, there was only time enough for a closing ceremony circle to congratulate students on their success as learners of geology.  Though it was a busy day, students enjoyed the scenery free of rain and were intimately familiar with how the Puget sound was formed and earth processes that shape the landscape where they live.