VOLUME 6 ISSUE 1 - FALL 2002
Spotlight || What's Happening || Wish List
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Summer 2002
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EPA Award
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 Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project receives an award from the Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 on June 6, 2002. Kathy James, UUSD Board member Cathy Monroe, RVOEP Board member Kay Heath, UUSD Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Harris, RVOEP Board chair Laura Yoshii, EPA Deputy Regional Administrator |
Ed Lukas
Ed Lukas says that it was when he retired as Maintenance Foreman after 22 years with the Ukiah Unified School District that he really went to work! RVOEP has been very fortunate that much of his work has been for us.
Ed has been involved with RVOEP from the beginning and is a key behind-the-scenes volunteer that keeps things rolling. Quite literally…he is one of the people making sure the compost in the composting privy is turned regularly. But that's just the beginning of the many things Ed does.
He has done the electrical wiring for buildings, most recently the new building next to the gazebo. He has also done a lot of work to make the buildings more safe and secure, including tasks such as putting a sturdier roof on the storage building and installing heavy screens over the windows. The list goes on and on. Currently, he is working on installing a drinking fountain and an on-demand faucet where kids and adults will be able to wash their hands after their explorations. He plans to install a small gravel pit around the faucet so the kids won't get muddy feet when they wash.
A man of many talents, Ed also contributes to the project by sharing his wonderful photography skills. Some of you may have attended his Wildlife Photography workshop at RVOEP last year. If you missed it, you may have another opportunity to attend his workshop next spring.
The reason he puts in a lot of time at RVOEP, he says, is that "it's enjoyable because it's for the kids". It's also nice, he says, to work with Cathy Monroe and other like-minded people who believe in the importance of giving kids first-hand experiences with nature. He hopes that the community will appreciate the many opportunities available through RVOEP and remember all the work behind the scenes.
Thanks, Ed, for your years of support!
Educational Program
In his book Ecoliteracy, Mapping the Terrain, author Fritjof Capra reminds us: Our great challenge is to create sustainable communities.. The first step… is to understand the principles of organization that ecosystems have developed to sustain the web of life… Teaching this ecological knowledge--which may be called "principles of ecology," "principles of sustainability," "principles of community," or even the "basic facts of life"--will be the most important role of education in the next century.
RVOEP provides a place for acquiring ecological literacy. Students need their own experiences with nature to become citizens who care about and are knowledgeable about natural systems. "Enthusiasm for nature is always based on personal experiences," outdoor educator Joseph Cornell reminds us. So we invite teachers and students to experience RVOEP with Amy, Helen, and our wonderful docents. Our activities are grade appropriate, hands-on experiences that help students understand ecological principles and develop a reverence for nature.
We work with teachers to connect classroom programs with RVOEP programs. Last year a number of 3rd - 5th grade classes from Oak Manor, Redwood Valley, and Yokayo participated in a "Fish In Schools" unit. Students raised steelhead in the classroom, conducted a habitat analysis of the Russian River at the RVOEP, and then released their fish. Some teachers connected their trips to the RVOEP with Moon Journals, while others used units from "A Child's Place in the Environment," "Adopt A Watershed," or linked field trips with special lessons in nature writing and sketching. These links generated excitement and enthusiasm while providing students with an important context for their learning.
RVOEP's Educational Coordinator Helen Menasian will contact teachers soon with details about the fall program and scheduling field trip scheduling.
For further information about the educational program, to volunteer, or to schedule a field trip visit rvoep.org or contact: Helen Menasian at Redwood Valley School, 485-0690 (2-4pm), 743-2065 (home), Email: hmenasian@pacific.net.
This issue of the newsletter starts the sixth year of publication!
Several exciting things have happened during the summer. On June 6, 2002 the RVOEP received an award from the Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 - an article and picture can be found elsewhere in this newsletter.
Early in July we learned that the Mendocino County Tobacco Settlement Advisory Committee had awarded funds to create a website for the RVOEP. Valerie Brownrigg of Wild Iris Design has designed our website which should be operational by the time you receive this newsletter. Visit us at www.rvoep.org and learn more about what we do and see photos of the students learning on site. We will also be posting our quarterly calendar of workshops and workdays. Check it out!
Late in July Charlie Hoyt, a member of Boy Scout Troop 77, lead a team in constructing our long awaited watershed display board as his Eagle Scout project. This is the third time we have collaborated with young men from Troop 77 on their Eagle Projects; what a nice partnership this has become. Tim Walls is now coordinating the effort to get the displays mounted to go onto the board, with the cooperation of others.
Boy Scouts pitch in to help with Charlie Hoyt's Eagle Scout project:
the construction of RVOEP's watershed display board.
Through funding from our site improvement grant from the State Department of Education we have been able to equip the new storage shed and purchase additional picnic tables and instructional materials. Special thanks go to Ed Lukas, Duane Wells, Bill Smith, Helen Menasian, Joe Barnwell, Michael Lucas, Jennifer Harris, Cathy Monroe, Tim Walls, and all of the others who have helped in this improvement to our facility.
Our biggest need now is for additional funding for bus trips. The cost for each bus will almost double over last year's costs. The Ukiah Educational Foundation has granted one-third of what we need for the coming year. Other proposals are pending, and we feel that we will be able to cover the increased costs this year. If any of you would like to sponsor a bus for one of the school trips, please contact us at 485-7935 or 743-2065.
Helen is anxious for the school year to start bringing eager youngsters to the RVOEP to learn more about their relationship to the environment. We only continue to improve!
We are in need of the following items:
- 2 legal-size filing cabinets (any number of drawers)
- Bookcases
- Lightweight folding tables
- Educational display for solar panels and composting toilets
- Additional signs to be posted at the river
- Old shower curtains which can be sewn into sit-upons
- A working 10-gallon aquarium
- More docents!
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Summer 2002
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