By Stella Little, TIRN Communications Intern
This past month, fifty 5th graders from Mark Day School in southern Marin were welcomed to the SPAWN headquarters for a day of exploration and learning. Led by SPAWN staff and accompanied by teachers and parent chaperones, they were given a comprehensive overview of Turtle Island’s work and the opportunity to explore the beautiful Olema campus.
Students participated in different activities throughout the morning. Ken Bouley, TIRN’s Executive Director, guided children along the restored flood plain completed by SPAWN off of Lagunitas Creek, where they participated in planting basket sedge along its lower elevations.
Sierra LeTourneau, our Salmonid Monitoring Intern, presented on the life-cycle of the Pacific salmon, complete with mini models of the species in their various stages of development. The students learned much about a fish they may have formerly only recognized on their dinner plate, including how adult spawners become food for the entire creek ecosystem after they die, supporting the habitat and their descendants for many years to come.
Students next visited the creekbed with Stella Little, Communications Intern, where they were led through a tree identifying exercise and had the chance to gleefully spot the orange bellies of California newts along the water’s edge. Returning from the creek, students made leaf pressings with paper and beeswax crayons from the trees they’d observed.
Kristen Hopper, Nursery Manager, worked with the 5th graders to transplant the seedlings of redwoods and woodland strawberries, and as the warm day wore on, their labor was rewarded with a cool spray from the garden hose.
Many curiosities were explored that morning. A contingent of students visiting Mark Day School from South Africa, and courageously rallying against their jet leg to learn about California’s local flora and fauna, wanted to know if there were highly poisonous snakes on the trail. They were assured they were safe with us!
In times such as ours, a little bit of dirt, curiosity, and connection can go a long way in making one feel more whole again. Hopefully, this year will include many more exchanges with bright-eyed 5th graders, and continued opportunities for them to venture into the outdoor classroom!
