The Freshwater Trust - Education
The Freshwater Trust’s education department works to forge a lifelong caretaking bond between students and their local watersheds. Whether students are studying the impact of invasive species on water quality, planting native shrubs or sharing project results with their community, youth develop a visceral understanding of the ecological limits of our planet while understanding the immediate need to act as caretakers of our natural resources.
Our programs use watersheds as an integrated context for interdisciplinary learning, are linked to curricular standards, include teacher workshops and trainings and offer a relevant learning context with real-world application by encouraging students to participate in authentic, field-based research and restoration projects designed to empower and inspire the next generation of watershed stewards.
The Freshwater Trust’s education department was built on the success of our 16-year Salmon Watch program, the award-winning field-based watershed education experience that continues to reach more than 5,000 Oregon students each year. In total, our education programs have reached more than 100,000 students throughout Oregon with a focus on replicable, adaptable approaches that drive toward getting students out of the classroom and into their communities where they can get their feet wet, their hands dirty and form new connections with their home watersheds.
We work collaboratively and are reliant on strong partnerships with teachers, school administration and community partners to provide meaningful watershed educational experiences. The Freshwater Trust partners with more than 70 groups statewide with water as our shared concern. Our approach is holistic and inclusive. Serving as a catalyst, The Freshwater Trust connects schools with community groups to support the dual satisfaction of educational and ecological goals.
The Freshwater Trust's education program objectives are to:
- Provide students with hands-on watershed-based learning;
- Support teachers in integrating inquiry-based watershed learning into their classrooms and satisfy mandated curriculum requirements;
- Unite schools and communities in lasting partnerships;
- Contribute to the development of a statewide framework for environmental education; and
- Improve the health of Oregon’s freshwater ecosystems.
