From the Classroom

Watch This: Steamer Landing Restoration Video!

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Watch This: Steamer Landing Restoration Video!

Carpe Diem and Sonoma Mountain High Schools are back for year two of watershed education! Last year, in collaboration with our Stewardship Coordinator Lee Farese, they planted a plethora of native plants on the McNear Peninsula, also known as Steamer Landing Park. This year they are back with plans to plant even more in an ongoing effort to rewild the park. 

Watch this amazing video they made of their project! And check out our blog post about their project last year.

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7 Tips for Exceptional Watershed Curriculum

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7 Tips for Exceptional Watershed Curriculum

It is getting to be my favorite time of year! No, not the holidays. It’s time for new Watershed Classroom proposals!

With the application deadline coming up on November 27th, many environmentally minded Petaluma educators are working hard to pull together their projects. While the Watershed Classroom is designed to make outdoor, place based education more accessible, we know the application process itself can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially for first year applicants.

We compiled a list of advice for teachers who may be having a hard time knowing where to start!

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Teaching Fire with Trauma in Mind

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Teaching Fire with Trauma in Mind

While most Petaluma students have not lost homes, that does not mean students have not experienced trauma from the fires. Many have lost beloved places, homes of relatives, and perhaps even loved ones. Even withstanding direct loss, many students may have a new found fear of fire after the stress of preparing for evacuations. These are things to consider before attempting to broach the subject of fire's effect on our watershed.

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Introducing Intern Michele Vannucci

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Introducing Intern Michele Vannucci

It is my pleasure to introduce to you our new Watershed Classroom intern, Michele Vannucci!

She comes to us after managing the Santa Rosa Junior College nursery and is currently working to complete degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Horticulture with a focus on nursery management.

In her short time with us since starting in early September, Michele has already taken on many important roles on our team. She has been working with students at our David Yearsley River Heritage Center Field trips, attending important events with implementing classrooms, and helping to maintain and organize educational materials like our water testing kits.

I could go on about how enthused we are to be working with her but I would rather let her speak for herself. We asked her a few questions about working with the Watershed Classroom and here’s what she said...

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