Micheline G. Miglis Superintendent Program Showcase: Outdoor Education August 2013
15 field trip days through one epic 6th grade Feather River Watershed year
•Founded in 1988 as a 2-day, free residential camp •UC Berkeley (facility) •Plumas & Lassen National Forests (instructors), •Feather River College Outdoor Recreation Leadership •Expanded to 3 days in 1998, then 4 days in 2000 •Whitewater Rafting initiated in 2002 (FRCORL) •Watershed curriculum piloted in 2000 & implemented
county-wide in 2003 •Feather River Coordinated Resource Management Group
4-Day Residential Outdoor School
“The Feather River Watercourse” - aka Plumas to Pacific is our own source to sea curriculum
One field trip each month follows every step of their water drop journey
Feather River Watercourse “Plumas to Pacific” Collaboration with
Feather River Coordinated Resource Management Group Education Goals Meaningful hands-on, real- world learning Elementary Education Capstone Stewardship Goals Understanding of their watershed from source to sea Informed citizen is a better steward
Headwaters: Our Backyard Home Find the first drop and follow it
Where does our water come from? Where do we come from? Find the source of our watercourse
Trip by trip and through seasons we follow the flow to
see where it goes, and what happens to it
What does it affect? What affects it? Snowpack storage
The source of our water is the source of the state’s
water – Lake Davis, Frenchman Lake, Antelope Lake
Feather River Watercourse “Plumas to Pacific” 7 Uses of FR Water Municipal/Domestic Environment/Wildlife Agriculture Recreation Hydroelectricity Business/Commerce Transportation
Headwaters of the
California State Water Project 25 Million Californians
Watershed Language: you can’t walk it if you can’t talk it Vocabulary Watershed Headwaters Tributary Confluence Watershed Divide Diversion Delta
California State Water Project Lake Oroville Complex Domestic & Municipal At 770’ Oroville Dam holds back Feather River water that will hydrate the state
25 Million Californians
Wildlife – The Feather River Mitigation Fish Hatchery Steelhead & Chinook Salmon Agriculture Flood Control
Recreation
Sacramento Valley & Delta Agriculture “Food Grows, Where Water Flows” 45% of nation’s fruit, vegetables and nuts grown in California Gray Lodge Wildlife Area Before 1850 & Today Verona – Confluence of Sacramento & Feather Rivers Port of Sacramento “Serving the Rice Industry” Delta – From Wetlands to Farms Cost & benefit
California Aqueduct Banks Delta Pumping Plant California State Water Project uses gravity to transport
water. When sea level is reached in the Delta, the plumbing gets really interesting Over 600 miles, pumping plants, reservoirs, etc.
Visit to the Harvey O Banks Delta Pumping Plant Who gets how much, when, and for what purpose? Considerations
Domestic/Municipal (25 Million) Agriculture Fish (Delta Smelt, Chinook Salmon)
Estuary & Ocean Amtrak - Martinez to Oakland beside brackish water
of the estuary - Grizzly Bay, Honker Bay, Suisun Bay, San Pablo Bay, San Francisco Bay Ferry from Oakland to Pier 41 & Aquarium of the Bay Golden Gate Bridge walk Beneath us flows our Feather River water into the Pacific Ocean
Bay Model in Sausalito Water Challenge (not enough water to go around)
“Whiskey’s for drinking, and water is fighting over!” Twain
Rodeo Beach and Duxbury Reef
15 field trip days through one epic 6th grade Feather River Watershed year
