Planting along Whychus Creek

A fun, but cold day of restoration work

One of the many willows planted along the banks of Whychus Creek

Happy to be doing hard work

Making sure the hole is deep enough for the alder tree

End of the day of planting with the hard working 6th graders

The Students from Sisters Middle School were asked to be apart of a restoration project along Whychus Creek, which they gladly accepted. With gloves on and shovels in hand they proved to be hard workers, planting a few hundred plants, helping to transform the bare banks of the creek into a future healthy riparian zone. Even though the mornings were freezing cold, the students were troopers, doing their part in the restoration project. This was their third outing to Whychus Creek, where they learned more about the creek and riparian plants. Next week will be their last Fall outing, but the project will continue for the rest of the year.

Ryan Ranch Data Collection

Taking photo points at each of the 6 transects

Taking a break in the Reed Canary grass

Making sure the data is correctly taken

Identifying and measuring the DBH of live trees

Using calipers to measure dead and down wood for carbon data

Finishing the day up with reflection

It has been a journey of learning for the past 6 weeks for the 7th graders from REALMS. They finished up their last field day of data collection at Ryan Ranch this week. As an overview, the first day to Ryan Ranch, they came as first timers with wide eyes and open minds, ready to learn and take in all that they could about the place. The second field trip was the first day of data collection. They were learning to be scientist in the field which takes extra effort when faced with the unexpected and cold weather. They were troopers though and were good scientist, collecting good data. The data collected was from soil moisture and type to shrub and ground cover identification to large tree counts. The students learned a tremendous amount and by the end of the day were experts in their data collection methods. This week was the last field day for the students and by the end of the day they all felt a strong connection to the place of Ryan Ranch. The weather held off just long enough for the last carbon data to be collected. The goal for the last day was to collect carbon data for a plot of land in the forest near the meadow. This will then be compiled in the class room, using math and science together to see how much carbon is stored in the forest around Ryan Ranch. All in all, the students had a wonderful time at Ryan Ranch and will continue to work with the data that they collected through out the winter. In the spring the students will have the opportunity to revisit the meadow and river again, looking at it through artist eyes.

Thanks to a recent grant from the Roundhouse Foundation, Sisters Middle School students discover Whychus Creek with the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council!

Discovery of a snow berry!

Having fun on the log bridge

Sketching an aspen tree for the Whychus Creek field guide

Learning how to identify the different trees along Whychus Creek

Reflecting on the day

Enjoying the fall colors and the beauty of Whychus Creek

On the scavenger hunt for new plants and wildlife

Last week, we had our second field trip to Whychus Creek with 120 students from Sisters Middle School. We began our field studies by hiking into Whychus Creek canyon at the Discovery Outpost. The days were so beautiful! Aspen and alder trees were changing colors and the resident golden eagle flew above us in the blue sky. The students went on a discovery scavenger hunt to find new plants and signs of wildlife. Some of the investigative students found deer tracks and raccoon tracks. Owl  feathers and deer bones were found by another group of explorers as well. The students had a blast learning about the ecology of Whychus Creek through hands-on investigations. We finished each field study with a short writing project to reflect upon the lessons of the day. The kids spread throughout the canyon to write and reflect on what they had discovered about the botany and wildlife that call Whychus Creek their home. Here is a short poem written by Ross, an 8th grader from Sisters Middle School:

Whychus Creek

Slashing, gurgling,
Sweeping downward
Through palisades of pine trees.
Ever moving,
Ever flowing, it is a stream
And will be for evermore.
Rocks and trees
All dependent on its fertile soil.

REALMS at Ryan Ranch

We had two beautiful days for the first field trips that the 7th graders took to Ryan Ranch. Students were able to explore and discover the secrets of Ryan Ranch. The students learned a little about the history of the giant meadow and they began learning about the plants that can be found along the Deschutes River. This week, they will be putting their new knowledge into action while they collect vegetation data along six different transects. REALMS students will compare and contrast the differences and similarities between the meadow and the pine forest. They will compile their data in order to compare it to last year's student collected data collected. Hopefully, the days will be sunny and warm for the students. Stay tuned for fun pictures from our next two field days...

Busy Fall

Looking at the calendar, it looks like we have filled up October with field days working with local schools! We are excited for more days in November out in the field, to accommodate excited teachers to get their students outside. We are hoping for a very temperate November, lets all hope for a beautiful fall.

Last week was our first outings with Sisters Middle school, out at Camp Polk Meadow. The 7th and 8th graders collected a lot of information about the flora and fauna of Whychus Creek for their end project of field guide for the creek. We are starting to work with REALMS this week. They will be learning about general information about Ryan Ranch, the history, and the proposed restoration project for Ryan Ranch. The students will also have an introduction into the plants that can be found in the area to prepare them for the next outing when they will be collecting data from a preset transect. This will be happening this Wednesday and Thursday, so look for an update and fun pictures later this week.

Camp Polk Field Trip

6th graders learning about the Camp Polk Meadow restoration project from Ryan Houston

Drawing and learning about the plants that grow by Whychus creek

The 5th grade class after a fun day

It was a beautiful day out at Camp Polk Meadow! There were 60 students from Sisters Middle School that spent 2 hours in the meadow and learning about their local watershed. The 5th and 6th graders had a great time exploring the meadow and checking out the creek. Frogs were jumping around everywhere and grass hoppers created excitement when they flew into us. The students learned about the restoration project happening in the meadow and learn about the importance of a healthy stream. The weather was perfect for the students to sit along Whychus Creek and in the meadow to draw the wildlife and plants they saw on their first field trip on Whychus Creek. On Thursday there will be 60 more students, 7th and 8th graders from Sisters Middle School, that will have the opportunity to explore and learn about their creek. This is the first of four outings that these 120 students will be going on. The next trip will be in a few weeks and upstream from Camp Polk Meadow. There will be more updates about this project in the coming weeks.

Deschutes Children's Forest

Emerging from a strong coalition of local partners, the Deschutes Children's Forest provides a network of outdoor places and programs dedicated to moving all children along a continuum of learning, exploration, and healthy living through engagement with nature. The Upstream Project seeks to help achieve the mission of the Deschutes Children's Forest. Take a peek at the YouTube video for the Deschutes Children's Forest to see for yourself!!

New Projects

This fall we are very excited to be working with many different schools from Bend and Sisters in their local watersheds. Next week we will be starting a year long project with Sisters Middle School, with the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, to create a Whychus Creek field guide for the local community to use. They will learn about the history of Whychus, the restoration work, even participating in a stewardship project themselves and learning more about the land and where they live including plant and wildlife. This should be a very fun and engaging project for all 120 students participating! We are also working with Bend High, Miller Elementary, Pine Ridge, Highland, and REALMS of Bend, so far. Stay tuned for the growing list of schools and students we will be working with this year.

Place Based Education

The Upper Deschutes Watershed Council believes that community education is at the core of long-term conservation and watershed restoration. Without education, the accomplishments of today will be lost in future generations.The Watershed Council coordinates place-based education opportunities to help local students reconnect to the natural world. Providing hands-on education projects, the Watershed Council guides local students to forge a lifelong, caretaking bond with their local watershed. By helping students develop a sense of self while they also develop a sense of environmental stewardship, the Watershed Council seeks to ensure the health of Oregon's rivers and streams for generations.