The River Mile Newsletter

The River Mile Network

An Education Program of the National Park Service

July 7, 2021 News

Upcoming Events

Investigating Ice Age Floods

Inquiry & Discovery of the National Geologic Trail & Beyond

Hybrid Live Educators Training

Friday August 13, 2021

9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Pacific Time

FREE

Virtual and In-Person

In-person will be at the REACH Museum in Richland, WA

Join educators from around the region as we explore best practices for engaging students in NGSS-aligned investigations into the phenomena that transformed Northwest landscapes and the practices scientists have used to unlock the mysteries of the Ice Age Floods.

We will introduce you to the new Ice Age Floods Educator's Guide produced by the National Park Service and written by Rick Reynolds, Engaging Every Student.

Includes:

Washington Teachers

6.5 Free STEM clock hours will be awarded to everyone who completes all portions of the live training: either in-person or online. Meets STEM requirements for Washington teacher certification renewal

Oregon Teachers

Certificates of Completion for 6.5 PDUs will be awarded.

Idaho Teachers and Most Educators

An option for 1 graduate credit may soon be available from the Univ. of Idaho; stay tuned for details. Some states accept University of Idaho professional development credit. Be sure to check with your state.

For More Information and To Register...

Investigating Crayfish

+ Freshwater Ecosystems

Science Educators Hybrid Live Training

Thursday August 12, 2021

9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Pacific Time

FREE

Virtual and In Person

In-person will be at the REACH Museum in Richland, WA

Learn to engage grade 2-12 students in fascinating crayfish studies in this hands-on STEAM workshop. Rick Reynolds, veteran educator and author of Investigating Crayfish + Freshwater Ecosystems, will team up with other partners from The River Mile Network to step you through student activities including scientific investigations in your local watershed. Gain confidence to participate with The River Mile's Crayfish Study to support important research by scientists and wildlife managers.

Professional Development

Idaho Teachers

Option for 1 credit from Univ. of Idaho: Course Title: Crayfish Investigations TRM. Participants must complete additional homework.

Questions? Contact JEkins@uidaho.edu

Oregon Teachers

Certificates of Completion will be awarded.

Washington Teachers

Free STEM clock hours will be awarded to everyone who completes all portions of the training: live online training, 3-4 hours of homework including the on demand virtual training, a little pre-reading and creating and submitting a plan for participating in the crayfish project OR a two page research paper.

Meets STEM requirements for Washington teacher certification renewal

Special Opportunity

Sky Exploration

Astronomy Training for Formal and Informal Educators

August 4-6, 2021

Spokane Conservation District

Spokane Valley, Washington

Early Registration Closes Today (July 7)!

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is pleased to bring astronomers from Dark Ranger Telescope Tours, Bryce Canyon, Utah, for this multi-day and night training opportunity for educators.

Learn about how to use telescopes through hands-on night and day time sessions, the different types of telescopes, how to find your way around the sky, science of the sky, cultural heritage related to the night sky, things like the effects of light pollution on nocturnal animals, and much more!

Class will be held during the day and at night! Daytime class will start mid to late morning. We will take a dinner break and then get back together for our night sky viewing.

Join us for this special training!

Professional Development

Washington Teachers

Free STEM clock hours will be awarded to everyone who completes all portions of the live training: either in-person or online. Meets STEM requirements for Washington teacher certification renewal

Oregon Teachers

Certificates of Completion will be awarded.

Idaho Teachers and Most Educators

An option for 1 graduate credit is pending from the Univ. of Idaho; stay tuned for details. Some states accept University of Idaho professional development credit. Be sure to check with your state. Cost is the current University of Idaho PD fee.

Registration includes:

Lunch, 1 group dinner and snacks, as well as all class materials and instruction.

More Information and to Register

The River Mile Network Opportunities

Join the Crayfish Study and Contribute Valuable Data!

The River Mile Network under the supervision of Dr. Eric Larson, University of Illinois, is pleased announce that our new online data collection forms are ready for use!

Crayfish Data Submission – The River Mile

Data from this project will help inform researchers about the species distribution throughout the Columbia River Watershed and beyond.

The project leaders are especially interested in locating and identifying species below Dry Falls in Eastern Washington AND in the Okanogan River region. They believe there is an undescribed species of crayfish in those places which have not been documented (geolocated and photographed for identification). You and your students may be the first to record new species of crayfish!

Join the study by completing the on-demand virtual crayfish training. For those in Washington, Oregon or Idaho, once you have completed the virtual on demand training you can be added your state permit. The permit allows for year-round data collection.

Without the research permit data may be collected May 1 to October 31 in Washington with a valid state fishing license and in waters open to crayfish fishing.

Anything you can do to help researchers will be of benefit!

More information about the Crayfish Study

Volunteer Opportunities with The River Mile Network

There are a number of volunteer opportunities to help The River Mile Network. As the network continues to grow it is getting harder for a few people to make everything happen.

Crayfish Conference Chair
Washington State Coordinator
Watershed Facilitators
Development Assistant--Finance
Development Assistant--Online Library
Newsletter Editor

In addition, we are looking for persons or groups that are willing to test new materials.

If you are interested in helping The River Mile in any of the above opportunities, please email us!

Learn more about Watershed Facilitators and signup for the Introductory Webinar on June 22, 2021 at 2:00PM Pacific Time.

Did You Miss It?

Lake Roosevelt Forum

Salmon Reintroduction Webinar

Did you miss the Salmon Reintroduction Webinar last month? Well here is your chance to watch the recording!

www.lrf.org/webinar.

Save the Dates!

The River Mile Community Gathering

Wednesday August 25, 2021

3:30 to 4:30 PM Pacific Time

Enjoy your summer and join us again in August!

Presenter:

Christopher A. Taylor

Lead Scientist and Curator of Crustaceans

"Illinois Natural History Survey"

The North American crayfish fauna is the richest in the World. When coupled with their significant ecosystem impacts, the conservation of this unique fauna should be of upmost importance. This keynote talk will provide a primer for subsequent presentations on crayfish conservation and ecology.

News to Know

Science Corner: Tracking Harmful Algal Outbreaks

The latest from the River Network's science team.

Harmful algal outbreaks, or blooms, can threaten drinking water and public health, and with summer here it’s important to look out for these before you or your dog plunge into a waterway that might be unsafe. Think back to Lake Erie in 2014 – the lake turned green and made Toledo, Ohio’s drinking water unsafe for consumption for several days, resulting from excess nutrient runoff into the lake. Read more...

Learning in an authentic, meaningful, interdisciplinary environment

Clearing Magazine | Jun 18, 2021 | Features on Outstanding Programs, Marine/Aquatic Education, Outstanding Programs in EE, Place-based Education, STEM |

A Year in the Watershed

There is no doubt that if you want to get students truly excited about what they are learning, ask them to tackle a real-world question or problem — ask them to solve something that is relevant to their lives.

by Jean M. Wallace

Read Here...

News From Canada

There are multiple complex challenges to be addressed to successfully return salmon to the upper Columbia River. It will take both traditional Indigenous knowledge and modern Western science to bring the salmon home. Our Indigenous-led Initiative is committed to integrating these important ways of understanding to devise sustainable solutions.

Be sure to check out the replay of the “Indigneous Knowledge and Western Science” discussion from our recent Bringing the Salmon Home Festival . You can watch it anytime right here.

The River Mile Website

Join the Community

Visit therivermile.org, click on "joinTRM" and complete the network registration form.

Community Groups

Once you log in you can request membership in community groups. Don't see a group you think would be valuable? Send the suggestion to the webmaster.

Resources

https://therivermile.org/resources/

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