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Connections with the Natural World in Action

Day-long field trips allow fifth and sixth graders experience the diverse terrain of near-shore environments and take home a new perspective of their coastal home

How does the ocean influence you, and how do you influence the ocean?

If you’re a fifth or sixth grader living on the coast in Lincoln County, there are few better places to discover this than the Beaver Creek Natural Area, part of South Beach State Park.

Here Oregon State Parks has established a biologically rich learning laboratory where trained staff lead about 120 students each year in hands-on exploration of the near-shore environments.

A 2014...

Teens in the Umpqua Explorers program gain self-confidence, friendships, and knowledge of the natural world.

Growing up in the lush Umpqua River Valley, a teenager might take for granted the rich natural heritage in his or her backyard.

The Douglas County Museum aims to change that.

“The museum is all about inspiring our community to see the big picture, and to feel like they're connected to each other and to the environment,” says Kelly Hibbert, Museum Education Coordinator.

For the past seven summers, Hibbert has led groups of 13- to 17-year-olds to...

Ed Jensen Hosts Successful Tree and Shrub Walks in Portland and Corvallis

Every year, the City of Portland hosts Arbor Month to draw attention to the 1.5 million trees in city limits! Ed Jensen conducted trips at Hoyt Arboretum in Portland co-sponsored by Portland Parks, Hoyt Arboretum, and World Forest Center; at Tryon Creek State Park in Lake Oswego (where RRM grad Deb Hill is the park ranger); at Peavy Hall for the Corvallis Natural Areas Coalition; and at Bald Hill for the Corvallis Greenbelt Land Trust. High attendance and favorable responses at these events suggest that they are an important way for the College to connect with local communities.

Students become scientists through StreamWebs

It’s a warm spring morning as sixth-grade students from Eddyville Charter School tromp through the forest to get to their field site. For most of them, this is their fist visit as scientists, but they have been studying data from the site in class and will return three times a week throughout the unit. Sean Bedell—their teacher—is using the Oregon Sea Grant (OSG) StreamWebs program to meaningfully engage his students in citizen science.

“I show them all of these different sample methods like transects and temperature, and the kids come up with...
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