Fall Schools Reflection

What does it mean to be a steward to a watershed? And how do we begin to cultivate in our young people a sense of connection to place? Finally, at what point does a love for the natural world translate into taking actions to protect it? These are the big thoughts that I contemplate while reflecting back on my time spent in our local schools this fall. 
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As the Education Manager for Friends of the Mad River, I have the distinct pleasure of working with all of the local schools that fall within the boundaries of our watershed. Each school year finds me working with the children of our community, from 3- and 4-year olds in our preschools, all the way to those high school seniors preparing to set off into the world. Our education programs are tailored towards understanding our watershed, our local ecology, and the ways that climate change is impacting our way of life. Whether studying erosion, habitat, riparian zones, or animal hibernation patterns, students are engaging in highly meaningful and relevant explorations of the world around them. 

Beyond these studies, though, there are underlying values and habits of mind that are cultivated by spending time in connection with the natural world. Students learn about themselves in relationship to the various communities of which they are a part, human and otherwise. They learn about the threats facing our wild places, and what local people can do to fight back. They come to see themselves as “agents of change”, and they recognize their potential to have a positive impact on the world around them. In short, they become the type of community members, citizens, and stewards that our world so desperately needs as we transition into an uncertain future.

And there is also fun. There are games, challenges, and countless other opportunities to find joy in digging hands in soil, hiding in bushes, or staring at tree tops. With younger schoolkids, there are so many giggles, hands being held, and smiles as we share these moments in nature. I love this aspect of my work; it is hard to feel embittered or curmudgeonly when you are surrounded by the joy and wonder of youth. 

As students age, you begin to get a sense of their personalities, passions, and capabilities. There is a key transition that occurs as, after years of having their world shaped by the education they have received, they begin to be the ones shaping the world around them. Based upon what I am seeing in our local schools, we will be fortunate to have some of these young people leading the charge into the future. It’s a bit of a tonic given the doom and gloom of news cycles, politics, or the myriad other maladies of the world.

Moretown First and Second Graders Culminate Flood Resilience Unit with Tree Planting Along Doctor’s Brook

On a crisp fall morning in late October, first and second graders from the classrooms of Natessa Cournoyer and Sarah Thompson at Moretown Elementary School planted trees along the banks of Doctor’s Brook. With an abundance of energy and a sense of importance, these young stewards helped to restore a riparian buffer along the turbulent brook, which has flooded numerous times over the past few years. Working in groups of two or three, they helped one another to prepare the sites for the trees, with an awareness that their efforts would help to stabilize the streambanks, preventing further erosion and ensuring better water quality downstream. 

This incredible day of service came as the culmination of a unit of study focused on erosion and flood resilience, which the students had been engaged with since the beginning of the year.  Each week found the students engaging in learning activities along Doctor’s Brook, down on the main stem of the Mad River, and in the forest surrounding the school. Students learned about everything from erosion to invasive species, and even had the opportunity to recreate the history of the development of the Mad River using stream tables. These lessons came about as a partnership between Cournoyer, Thompson, and Luke Foley, Education Manager with Friends of the Mad River. 

HCLC Students Engage in Community Science at the Rec Hub in Waitsfield

Just upstream, students from Harwood Union’s HCLC Program are engaging in a long term study of the Rec Hub, a vibrant recreation and conservation asset in Waitsfield. The Rec Hub is the result of countless community organizations partnering to bring a VOREC grant, and the Conservation and Recreation Visioning process, to the Valley. As a part of this process, volunteers, including students from HCLC, worked to plant 400 trees along the banks of Mill Brook.

Now, students from HCLC are looking at the efficacy of those plantings, with studies focused on everything from biodiversity, to carbon sequestration, to how the Rec Hub impacts animal behaviors. Led by HCLC teachers Beth Gravelle and Paul Kramer, this long term partnership with Friends of the Mad River, has been taking place over the past two school years. Each visit to the site presents an opportunity for students to better understand the riparian ecosystem and how it is shaped by restoration. 

Last year, students identified and catalogued tree species, investigated plant biodiversity, and did a spring migratorial bird count. This fall, the project continued with topography and soil studies, carbon sequestration calculations, and a study of how animals are using the plant communities in the study area. Looking forward, students will participate in winter tracking activities, and will take a closer look at spring ephemeral plant species, benthic macroinvertebrates and pollinators once the snow melts. As HCLC teacher, Beth Gravelle, commented, " The near term goal of HCLC's partnership with Friends of the Mad River is to give students experience doing science in context, rather than learning about science from a textbook. By learning first hand from experience, and spending time at our site, my hope is that students will develop a deeper relationship with the landscape that surrounds them."