Updated Agenda !!! (July 28)
Engage your students in citizen-science and STEM activities related to your local river and water sustainability July 31 – Aug. 2, 2014!
Would you like hands-on experience in assessing the health of your local watershed and being able to teach that to others? If so, please join teachers, students, and watershed leaders at the amazing Gila River in Cliff, New Mexico, to learn ways to determine the health of your watershed, fisheries, and local rivers.
We are collaborating with the Gila Conservation Education Center (GCEC) for the training ~they are helping us contact teachers and will have staff at the training too. To learn more about GCEC click here. To get directions see map and notes at the bottom of this page.
Please click here to download, review and sign Assumption of Risk and Photo Release form — River Source Risk-Photo-Release Form
Thursday, July 31st (final agenda)
1pm. Registration, choose your bed or a camping space
1:30 p.m. The importance of the Gila Moutains and the Sky Islands and threats to native fish species including streamflow in river ecosystems. (presentation by Jill Wick Gila trout biologist for NM Game and Fish)
2pm. The importance of variability in streamflow for river ecosystems (Martha Cooper-Schumann)
2:30pm New Discover New Mexico Wildlife curriculum intro and activity (Colleen Welch)
3:15pm River Ecology & Fisheries Program Watershed Watch intro and review of teacher’s primary objectives, work context and goals.
4pm. Walk a valley cross-section of the Gila River Valley & “reading the landscape” activity with GPS unit.
5:30pm. Complete settling in to camp spots, beds, set-up outdoor kitchen.
6:30pm. Dinner (we prepare this all together)
Then Free Time: Campfire music, river art & philosophy, peer mentoring
Friday, August 1st
7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Head to Gila River Box (where there is water in the river!). Fish sampling, water chemistry and benthic sampling, fishing skills.
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1pm. Overview of the new Watershed Watch guidance documents & how they can be used; PowerPoint demonstration of introductory lesson for students
1:00 p.m.
A: Biological monitoring of rivers using benthic macro-invertebrate lab methods- (Carlos)
B: Using free geographic information systems (GIS) and maps to explore land use, historic versus current conditions, and developing hypotheses and data analyses for river ecology studies.
C. Chemistry lab basics & training in use and maintenance of instruments
4:15 p.m. Wrap –up: Reviewing basic SOPs for River Source programs, equipment maintenance to prevent spread of exotics, Lessons learned & discussion (Rich, Carlos, Colleen)
5:30 p.m. Dinner
6:30 p.m. Games, music; check-out equipment to program-sponsoring teachers
7:30 p.m. Free Time: Campfire music, river art & philosophy, peer mentoring and bug sorting
Saturday, August 2nd
7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. Breakfast
8:15 a.m. Data interpretation for chemistry and insect data, How to Turn Data-to Info activity for students. Intro to WatershedWiser.org (create a site and add data).
11:30 a.m. Consultation & completion of Memorandums of Understanding & equipment check-out and
Loan agreements with River Source staff (Carlos and Rich)
12:00 p.m. Active Lunch: Cleaning up & Clearing Out
1:30 p.m. or so…. Closing and farewells
To reserve a space send email to Carlos. For existing sponsors indicate number of days and dietary and lodging preferences (camping or not). For new candidates indicate study purposes as well as food and lodging preferences.
For further information please contact: Rich Schrader – ">t, (505)660-7928 Rich or (505)231-4860 Carlos.
Directions to Lichty Center – Gila River Farm of The Nature Conservancy
Click here for more info on the Lichty Center. The Lichty Center is located in the floodplain of the Gila River valley about 35 miles (45 minutes) from Silver City.
Directions: Take Hwy. 180 approximately 30 miles west of Silver City. Drive past the turn-off on Hwy. 211
towards Gila. Take the second turn for Hwy. 211 in Cliff. After about a mile on 211, go left (north) on Hwy. 293
and drive to mile marker 4. Take a right immediately after the mile marker sign, turning into the driveway
with a small sign that says “Gila River Farm”.
If you are coming from the direction of Reserve, New Mexico, turn left (head north) at the first Hwy. 211. After about a mile on 211, go left (north) on Hwy. 293 and drive to mile marker 4. Take a right immediately after the mile marker sign, turning into the driveway with a small sign that says “Gila River Farm”.
(505)231-4860 Carlos
(505)660-7928 Rich
