December 2015

Dear Partner:

 

In November, you and the Board of Directors provided great donations for our Fall Challenge. We thank those who participated so far.  We could use a little more to support our youth programs---we need about $2,498 for Summer 2016.  Can you help?

All donors who provide $100 or more will be invited to our Spring Watershed Tour!

 

What programs?  CWP and our partners are engaged in: YES! Youth Engaged Stewardship in its 5th year of success; internships to support YES! and outreach to local teachers. We just completed a multi-watershed shared history project for the Elgin and Altar Valley Schools. 

 

Have you viewed the YES! video produced by Arizona Public Media yet?  It's called The New Keepers and may be found at:  https://originals.azpm.org/arizonaillustrated/ The New Keepers

 In 2016, we'd love to do a teacher workshop including hands on opportunities to tour the watershed or produce lesson plans for in and out of the classroom learning. 

 

The summer 2015 YES! program was once again incredible.  The youth really pushed their project planning to include two study grids testing a variety of restoration techniques. 

  

 

    

What is needed?   Your support would do this:

$700 support a YES! student in the summer 2016 program

$500 cover curriculum materials for a teacher workshop

$250 provide a stipend to a graduate of YES! to reward their work

Thank you Linda!  Thanks Larry and Tahnee!

$100 purchase restoration and monitoring materials

Thank you Tom and Shela

$  50 Pay for volunteer refreshments or food for the youth

$  25 Pay for field tools    Thanks Chris, Mead and Robin!

 

Any amount helps to add curriculum and resources for teachers and others to use at Las Cienegas or in the Cienega Watershed on the web page Educational Opportunities at Las Cienegas NCA on www.cienega.org

 

Please renew your membership with the CWP or make a donation to this program.

 

What else are we and our partners up to? Here's a sample (also go to www.cienega.org):

 

The FROG Project: This program works to make sure that non-natives are removed from the watershed, especially highly destructive bullfrogs and crayfish. Why? A bullfrog can travel 7 miles devouring everything. Now the FROG team monitors to ensure that they don't return. More info: go to:   https://sites.google.com/site/frogspotsprogram/

 

Assessing the health of the watershed is a project that CWP and partners have deliberated during a number of State of the Watershed Workshops.  In 2015-2016, we intend to define a handful of indicators that will tell us where the Cienega Watershed stands today and then measure against for the future.

 

More About YES! This story isn't about teen labor. The YES! youth form a youth board, receive leadership training, learn about ecosystem components and current issues; then, design and implement a restoration project. In 2013-2015, students organized a volunteer day expanding their positive impact. The 2016 program gets underway in June through YES! Partners: CWP, Empire High School, BLM and the Ironwood Tree Experience.  More info? Go to:     http://www.cienega.org/yes/

 

 

Sincerely and on behalf of the Board of Directors, Shela McFarlin, Chair