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.