Watershed Explorers

The Parks Foundation Watershed Explorers program is designed for third through fifth-grade elementary students and enhances curriculum standards in environmental science, biology, chemistry, and more.

Watershed explorers utilize The Napa River Bay Trail, Wetlands Edge trailhead, the heart of the American Canyon outdoor community. This beautiful spot is one of the most biodiverse areas of the San Francisco Bay Area and is easily accessible to the community. Students participate in a three-part series focused on protecting and learning about our watersheds.

Watershed Explorers aims to protect our environment by getting students involved in hands-on learning about healthy ecosystems, water quality, plant and animal lifecycles, and the human impact on our surrounding habitats.

Watershed Explorers is reliant on many strong partnerships. Ten classrooms at three elementary schools are participating in our third full year of programming. With funding from the Napa Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Parks Foundation will hold its first watershed cleanup day open to all fourth-grade participants and their families. Check back soon for more information on our Capstone Day.

kids around a table with woman holding water jug

kids watching a teacher teach about nature

Our approach is unique in that it pulls in experts in their field of study to give children an opportunity to learn “from the source”. In addition, students are out of the classroom and in the natural environment allowing them to study hands-on. The project aims to motivate youth to protect our watersheds by getting students real-world learning about healthy ecosystems, water quality, and plant and animal lifecycles. Our goal is for every fourth grader in American Canyon to participate in this program in the 2023-24 school year.

Session 1: A one-hour, in-class presentation about the Napa Watershed and its connection to San Pablo Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Students will learn about the American Canyon Wetlands as a filter for the entire water system, reclamation, and biodiversity.

Students will practice making observations in a nature journal. The focus is on collecting metadata and recording what you see in whatever way works best for you. There is no “right way”.

Session 2: Wetlands Field Day. Classrooms visit Wetlands trails. There, students will have the opportunity to get “hands-on” by visiting four education stations. They have the opportunity to test water, track animal behavior, fish for plankton, learn about the first people, identify birds, and more. Students will use their nature journals to draw and record their experience.

Session 3: The Parks Foundation brings the Outdoor Connection, a trailside learning center, to the school or neighboring park providing students with opportunities to engage with various educational tools such as the topographic water table, augmented reality sand table, telescopes, and more. Collaborating with naturalists or environmental scientists, students gain insight into careers in watershed protection. They document their experiences as Watershed Explorers in their nature journals, identifying three strategies to safeguard the local ecosystem and beyond.

Students participate in pre and post-program surveys to document their desire to protect our watersheds, engagement in learning, and interest in further conservation careers.

The benefits of environmental education are many. Participation in these hands-on programs helps students develop their leadership skills, promotes problem-solving, encourages critical thinking, fosters a love of learning, encourages them to make connections between subjects, helps them identify science as an academic career, and promotes physical activity.

Visit our virtual Watershed Explorers activities and field trip by clicking HERE. You will learn what a watershed is and why ours is so important, how to create and use your own nature journal, and go on a virtual field trip to the American Canyon wetlands.

What Students & Teachers Say

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Thank you so much for creating this wonderful experience for my students. This program was a fantastic way to foster engagement with the unique and important environment that is right here in their backyards! I really appreciated each person’s contributions! We are so grateful to have been a part of this pilot program. I give my full endorsement to making this program more broadly available!

– Teacher

Thank you for making time for us to have fun and learn about cool things. I appreciate you giving us tips… and teaching us about the wetlandsand cool and interesting facts about the Pomo Tribe!

– Eldon, 4th Grade

Thank you for everything you taught us. My favorite part was all of the different types of animals and plants that I saw.

– 5th Grader

Thank you Joy, Danielle, Sal, Jessica, Pam, and Ray! Thank you guys for teaching us about so many things. My favorite part was making the necklaces.

– 5th Grader

From our Students

Our Program Partners

Watershed Explorers

Benefits

The benefits of environmental education are many. Participation in these hands-on programs helps students develop their leadership skills, promotes problem-solving, encourages critical thinking, fosters a love of learning, encourages them to make connections between subjects, helps them identify science as an academic career, and promotes physical activity.

Visit our virtual Watershed Explorers activities and field trip. You will learn what a watershed is and why ours is so important, how to create and use your own nature journal, and go on a virtual field trip to the American Canyon wetlands.

Send questions to [email protected].

This program is made possible by the California Coastal Commission’s WHALE TAIL® Grant