Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project

Spring 2005

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It has been a busy fall and winter at the Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project. About 800 students visited the site for fall field trip programs. Continuing our habitat restoration project, Mr. Stearns’ fifth graders and Jan Petitte’s third graders from Redwood Valley Elementary School worked together to plant native sedge on the riverbank. If it survives the winter, this will help control bank erosion and improve wildlife habitat. Chuck Williams of the Native Plant Society provided Whiteroot sedge, a native basketry material, and taught the importance of native plants to our riparian ecosystem.

The RVOEP Educational Team has been spending the winter months taking a little of the outdoors into UUSD classrooms. About 360 students participated in the classroom part of RVOEP “Flight School,” where they learned about our local birds and their special adaptations. This spring these students will visit the RVOEP to experience our spring bird migration first-hand and work with Audubon members to identify some of our local birds and learn about their habitat needs. Other students have been investigating the structure and function of animal skulls as they learn about some of the mammals that inhabit Mendocino County. Second graders discovered that human waste and landfills destroy animal habitat as they participated in a special program called “Learning to Live Lightly On the Earth ---Lessons from the Forest.”

The importance of Oak Woodlands was the focus of another winter program, and students that participated in this program will come out to the RVOEP to observe and gather important data about the inner workings of a forest ecosystem. At various schools in the district, students are raising steelhead in their classroom and learning about the lifecycle of steelhead and salmon. Many of these students will be involved in conducting a riparian habitat assessment along the Russian River at the RVOEP to see if our river is a good home for their fish. Experiences such as these connect classroom curriculum to the real world and help students develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become responsible stewards of our earth.

Spring field trips will begin in the middle of February and continue until school is out for the summer. We anticipate that well over 2000 students will participate in a wide variety of hands-on outdoor programs at the RVOEP this school year. Programs are conducted, weather permitting, every Tuesday through Friday. Visitors are welcome and can make arrangements to see our programs in action by calling the RVOEP Educational Coordinator.

Whoo-whu-hu-hu-WHOO-WHOO will be the first one to spot the Great Horned Owl that hunts in the forest at the RVOEP? Perhaps we will entice him to answer when we call owls during NIGHT CAMP this March. Night Camp is a special 2-hour family adventure during which we explore nature after dark. Telescopes scan the sky to find distant constellations, night insects are caught and observed, myths and legends about the night sky are shared, and, of course, keen ears listen for the sound of night animals as we hike through the Enchanted Forest in the dark. Look for details about Night Camp in the Workshop section of our newsletter.

The Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project is made possible through the generous contributions of our community. Duane Wells and Bill Smith have worked hard this winter to keep our trails cleared and draining. As spring approaches volunteers will help cut grass, hoe poison oak, and repair winter storm damage to get the site ready for field trips. Other members of our community have made financial contributions to help purchase supplies and materials for special programs, pay for staffing needs, or sponsor bus trips. Though the RVOEP is a special project of the Ukiah Unified School District, it receives no funding from the district. The need for meaningful, outdoor environmental education has never been greater. We invite you to join the team and support this effort by volunteering, becoming a member, or making a financial contribution.

Link to Previous Newsletters:
Spring 2003 || Summer 2003 || Fall 2003 || Spring 2004 || Fall 2004
Current Newsletter

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