Lower Truckee Snapshot Day, Spring & Summer Day Camp WEI

Project Description:

Great Basin Outdoor School is taking on the responsibility of hosting the Lower Truckee River Snapshot Day. Our first-year goals are to achieve continuity in keeping this citizen science data collection project alive and to educate members of our community on the importance of conserving our watershed via a hands-on sampling experience while also keeping participants safe. The success of this event will be measured by sites successfully sampled and more importantly, by volunteers reached. Specifically, we plan to host at least five sampling sites, and reach at least 20 participants assuming we will be operating during a pandemic. We plan to keep all participants safe by sending members of each household to separate sites, targeting families as volunteers. Results are to be reported in the collective Tahoe Truckee Snapshot Day Annual Report, as well as within Great Basin Outdoor School’s own annual report.

Great Basin Outdoor Schools Watershed Education Initiative goal during both our Spring Break Adventure Day Camp and our Summer Break Day Camp is to educate our students on the importance of protecting our watershed through hands-on lessons and activities while meeting state standards. During these programs we will also be reaching underserved students of Washoe County, providing them with the often-overlooked opportunity to attend camp while engaging in hands-on science in the outdoors. Our goal for 2021 is to educate210 students at our Spring and Summer Break Adventure Day Camps along the Truckee River and to reach at least 30 children who attend schools with a free and reduced lunch percentage of 50% or greater. Spring and Summer Break Day Camps Watershed Education Initiative’s success will be measured with pre & post assessments taken by the students upon arrival and post departure. The number of children whose knowledge is enhanced as a direct result of our program will be detailed in our annual report.

TMWA Benefit:

 Hosting the 2021 Lower Truckee River Snapshot Day event as well as our Watershed Education Initiative during our Spring and Summer Break Adventure Day Camp advances the Truckee River Fund’s grant priority number VI Stewardship and Environmental Awareness. Snapshot Day’s entire focus is to get citizens involved in hands-on water quality monitoring and to better understand what impacts water standards. The public’s involvement in the Lower Truckee River Snapshot Day will promote community interest and inspire future conservancy. At both our Spring and Summer Break Day Camps we implement educational programs that are centered around the hydrosphere, perform a water quality monitoring day, trace the Truckee River watershed, introduce point and non-point source pollution via a visual experiment, and teach children various ways to protect their watershed. Students contribute via community service clean up events in Mayberry Park where they collect data on trash collected to see first-hand what ends up in their drinking water source. Both projects implement education directly relating to water quality and watershed conservation and promote students and community members becoming environmentally aware stewards.