Environmental Education in the Pacific Northwest


Eelgrass Restoration in Puget Sound


health of a Willamette River


tributary, and


investigating the efficacy of diatoms as a biological indicator of water quality. In the field, students


learned how to record qualitative


Diack Foundation Supports Science at Northwest Academy


Lara Aston, left, and Sue Southard of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory work with staff from the Suquamish Tribe, and National Oceanic


and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to bundle eelgrass for an eelgrass restoration project at the old Milwaukee Dock site off Bainbridge Island. They tie five eelgrass rhizomes together with a twist-tie before transplanting in a sub-tidal area.


Eelgrass is recognized as one of the most valuable ecosystem components in Puget Sound. This project will contribute to the Puget Sound Partnership’s goal of increasing the amount of


eelgrass habitat by 20 percent over the current baseline by 2020. From NW Treaty Tribes Magazine. Photo by Tiffany Royal.


Applications for Oregon Outdoor School Funding Due November 14, 2017


This is an exciting time for Oregon and


for Oregon’s 5th and 6th grae students as OSU Extension works in collaboration with schools, partners, and communities to launch the statewide Outdoor School program.


Applications for 2017-2018 Outdoor School funding have been distributed and are available to all districts and ESs that have completed master agreements with OSU. Applications are due November 14, 2017.


For more informa-


tion, visit the website at www.extension. oregonstate.edu/outdoor-school.


CLEARING Fall 2017 Over the past two years, generous


funding from the Diack Ecology Educa- tion Program has greatly enhanced the quality of high school science education at Northwest Academy. Receiving an educator grant (2014-2015), as well as a student grant (2015-2016) catalyzed opportunities for student-directed experiential learning, fostered scientific thinking skills, and encouraged students to develop connections with the scientific community. With the purchase of Vernier sensors, digital probes, and LabQuest2 devices, students have been immersed in laboratory investigations that foster collaboration, quantitative analysis, and mathematical literacy. Students are now able to collect data in real-time, investigating scientific theory in the lab. From these experiences, students have developed a more nuanced understand- ing of key environmental science topics, including nutrient cycling, stream health, and the use of organisms as biological indicators of water quality. The equip- ment purchased from Diack funding has created a lasting legacy for science educa- tion at the school.


During the 2015-2016 school year,


funding from Diack enabled teachers to create a Science Research Program for high school students at Northwest Academy. This year long independent study course allows motivated students to pursue research in the sciences. This year’s projects included studying the


www.clearingmagazine.org


and quantitative data, test stream water, and assess field sites and habitat characteristics for suitable data collection. Funding from Diack helped students develop a working laboratory at the school: we purchased a centrifuge, vortex mixer, Falcon tubes, Motic camera, weigh boats, E.coli bacterial test kit, rain gauge, field bag, waders, and an ipad for data collection. It was rewarding to watch students’ ideas develop into testable research questions and to observe the shift in their thinking. They created research posters, papers, and presentations. In the process, students demonstrated academic autonomy, developed strong verbal skills, and learned how to write a scientific paper. Through a partnership with The


Wetlands Conservancy, students adopted a data collection methodology to develop a “scorecard” system to rate the health of each stream using biological and chemi- cal metrics. Students developed confi- dence in their work as they shared their findings with the larger community at the Oregon Youth Environmental Science Summit, and at regional and state science fairs. In 2015-2016, Jared Kerman, who received the Diack grant, and his lab part- ner, Sarah Hatcher, won the Oregon state nomination for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. Teachers at the school acknowledge the support of Diack for fostering creative thinking and encouraging students to assume the role of researchers. -from Diack website - www.diackecology.org


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