Sarah McLellan
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 11 2008 10:47 pm
Southwest Valley fifth-graders preparing for a nature walk were briefly distracted when a special discovery was made.
A turtle was found crossing a gravel road.
"This is the stuff that happens out here all the time," said Heidi Vasiloff, a biologist and coordinator for the Wetland and Wildlife Workshops.
The workshops, sponsored by the Arizona Game & Fish Department, teach students about nature and wildlife.
"Our goal here is to expose kids in a tangible way to outdoor sciences," Vasiloff said.
Toni Aldaco, a fifth-grade teacher at Corte Sierra Elementary School in Avondale, said making observations and applying scientific processes is a connection the workshop makes to the curriculum.
"The scientific method is something we focus on with our fifth-graders," she said last month, when her class went on a field trip to the Tres Rios Constructed Wetlands Demonstration Project in west Phoenix.
About 3,000 students have participated in the program over the past three years, Vasiloff said, and the workshops, which have ties to state education standards, continue to spark interest.
"Everyone wants to come back," Vasiloff said, explaining that teachers are asking to integrate the workshops into their curriculum.
The Wetlands Demonstration Project is nestled next to the 91st Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant. The wetlands act as a natural purifier for the water it receives from the treatment plant.
"We really want (the students) to connect how important water is to wildlife," Vasiloff said.
The location's proximity to schools and availability of picnic tables and restrooms made the site a suitable spot for the program, said Mike Rupp, an instructor with the workshop.
Rupp, a member of the Desert Rivers branch of the Audubon Society, conducts the bird observation segments of the program and said it's "fulfilling and fun" to see the students react to wildlife.
"They just love getting out into nature and seeing this stuff firsthand," he said.
Rupp hopes the students feel a "sense of ownership" after the workshop, something that can breed an interest in the environment and conservation.
"We encourage all the kids to come back," Rupp said.
Besides identifying species of birds, students perform water-quality tests, take a walk along a nature trail and are introduced to live wildlife.
Students receive a booklet to accompany the tasks they participate in, allowing them to record their observations and measurements.
"We're trying to get them to feel like biologists," Vasiloff said.
Corte Sierra's Aldaco said she and her students did not know what to expect but the students enjoyed the experience.
"They were really engaged," she said. "I would definitely want to bring my kids again next year."
A version of this article may have appeared in your community Republic.
