Sisters biology students speak out

"You are the people of the landscape, you are the people of the water, the streams - you are the people who are hard-wired to having a relationship with nature..."

Those were the opening comments given by Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods," at "Students Speak: A Watershed Summit," held at McMenamins Old St. Francis School last Thursday in Bend.

Students from Rima Givot and Samra Spear's biology classes presented several papers on their work in the ecosystems of Whychus Creek at the Wolftree site, and in the Trout Creek Conservation Area adjacent to Sisters High School.

Louv ended his opening remarks saying, "The kind of work you are doing outdoors improves your intellectual abilities and mental state - and if you want to go to Harvard, go outdoors and learn more."

And that's what Givot and Spear are trying to achieve with their students, taking them outside to learn what is really happening on the land, in the water and air.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about the summit is that the organizers expanded the age-group of attendees - this year, they were from the first, second and third grades, all the way to high school, with REALMS, a charter school for eighth-graders, also attending.

Many of Givot's students' efforts are focused on the Trout Creek Conservation Area (TCCA), past, present and future. Looking ahead, Sammy Kaiser, Sydney Stoneback, Tianni Nieri and Ellie Ricker - young women in Givot's biology class - presented a paper on the possible questions the class will study next at TCCA.

Each small biology group will consult with Forest Service biologists, asking about methods they can use to study birds, mammals and vegetation of TCCA. They will present their findings at the upcoming biology symposium slated for Tuesday, June 8, from 12:30 to 2:20 p.m., in the Sisters High School Auditorium.

Jordyn Clemens, Holly Thornton, and Ciara Affatati highlighted the potential for the future of TCCA, using H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest model for study guidelines.

Samra Spear's IEE (Interdisciplinary Environmental Education) students presented their work in the Wolftree holdings on Whychus Creek downstream of Sisters. The students are highly motivated to rebuild the riparian habitat, plant native shrubs and trees, and carry out aggressive efforts to remove all invasive weeds.

Kati Stewart, Eli Harrison, along with Bryan Boswell and Ryan Gridley, presented their work on rates of decomposition of litter and natural materials in TCCA, while asking questions about managing the forest communities for white-headed woodpeckers and one of our long-distance migrators, the seldom-seen flammulated owl.

The question about which part of the TCCA holds the most invertebrates was tackled by Genevieve Mackenzie and Noel Chen. They used beatsheets and pit traps to look for insects and spiders, and came up with fascinating findings about differing populations of a forest and meadow

community.

Perhaps the most surprising part of the summit was when the question-and-answer period came for the Sisters students. First-, second- and third-graders from Ponderosa Elementary School in Bend were there to present their work on the water quality of a pond near their school and learn new study techniques, eagerly gleaning them from the Sisters students.