Project Update: This project changed focus from the initial project developed at the Curriculum Planning Workshop. The teachers decided to concentrate field study activities on the entry-level science students; this made necessary a change to a site easier to access and understand. The following steps were accomplished during Fall, 1996.

1. Project Preparation. September 5-13. Teachers met with Sue Rae Irelan, Tahoe Center for a Sustainable Future, and Steve Goldman, California Tahoe Conservancy, to establish specific study goals and the logistics necessary for the field study. An equipment list was developed and field assistants identified. Two consecutive days were scheduled and a bus reserved to transport students.

2. Project Introduction. Students were prepared for the field days in the following ways:
   • Field study techniques: September 9-27. Teachers lectured on the purpose and techniques of field study methodologies including: mapping, macroinvertebrates, and chemical analysis. Students practiced mapping techniques at the school site.
   • Project Background: September 23-27. Professionals knowledgable about stream zone restoration and about this project visited each participating class. Students were introduced to the purpose of stream zones in our watershed, the process for restoration, and the history and current knowledge about the Bijou Creek Restoration Project itself. Those participating include: Steve Goldman (California Tahoe Conservancy), Sue Rae Irelan (Tahoe Center for a Sustainable Future), and Jeff Cutler (League to Save Lake Tahoe).

3. Field Study. September 30-October 1. In two-hour blocks over a two-day span, over 125 students visited the Bijou Creek Restoration Project site. They took the following measurements:
   • Stream mapping. The students mapped the stream course by plotting length and noting distance from the base line of curve dimensions.
   • Macroinvertebrates. The students collected and identified the macroinvertebrates present.
   • Chemical analysis. Students measured and recorded water temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen content.
   • Stream flow. Students measured stream flow characteristics.
   Field assistants during these two days includeded: Sue Rae Irelan, Suzanne Pearce and Bill Weston (Tahoe-Nevada Resource Conservation District), and Robert Ball (Watershed Project AmeriCorps member).

4. Data Analysis. On going. Students compiled their data and compared the results between classes. This baseline will be provided to the CTC and revisited during a Spring, 1997 field trip.
   
   
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   To Learn More Contact:
   Sue Rae Irelan, Program Manager, TCSF
   P.O. Box 1096
   Homewood, CA 96141
   phone: 916-525-1646 fax: 916-525-1613
   email: srirelan@sierra.net

   Last Updated on November 15, 1996