·

SYRCL’s Field Science Expeditions for High Schoolers

Share with Your People

Discover the connection between a healthy meadow and a healthy community
(Dates subject to change!)

SYRCL’s River Science and Education team is offering the opportunity to participate in a fully-funded research expedition for local 10th-12th graders to study watershed health and meadow ecosystems, alongside real scientists and other students. Our Youth Outdoor Leadership Opportunity (YOLO) Overnight Expeditions typically bring students from Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, and Yuba counties out into our headwater meadows to teach them about meadow ecosystems, collect scientific data that is used to understand the benefits of meadow restoration, and get hands on experience with restoration activities.

The YOLO team will work alongside experts who help them cultivate a memorable experience, develop invaluable skillsets, and provide access to a scientific community network. The YOLO team will also get the chance to bond with other students over group meals, hikes or hangs at the cabin or by the Yuba River!

With the safety of students and community members participating in SYRCL’s River Education Program being our top priority, we are taking action based on guidance from Governor’s Executive Order N 25-20, as well as public health experts. Thus, in order to maintain a safe environment and slow the spread of COVID-19, the YOLO expedition dates are tentative and subject to change as we receive new information.

While the dates for our upcoming YOLO expedition are subject to change, we are still in the process of recruiting students for the program, as we would like our team to be ready for yet another awesome YOLO trip when the time comes.

If you’re interested in applying (or know someone is), and is willing to be flexible on program dates and structure, our (tentative) program details include:

Tentative Dates: August 9-14, 2020*

*Subject to change to either 2 weekends in September, or June 2021, based on the most up to date health information.

Tentative Program Itinerary

  • Sunday Aug. 9  Participants would be dropped off at the SYRCL office, and transportation provided to stay overnight at our lodging near Truckee.
  • Monday Aug. 10 – Thursday Aug. 13  Travel to our meadow restoration sites to engage in fieldwork surrounding:
    • Water quality monitoring
    • Restoration activities such as collecting and/or planting native riparian vegetation to ensure health of stream-channels.
    • Conducting biological surveys to assess meadow restoration success
    • Hikes to highlight the impacts of human activity on meadow health or the correlations of meadow health to watershed health.
    • Teambuilding, personal reflection and leadership skills development
  • Friday Aug. 14  Depart lodging, have a morning of final fieldwork and an afternoon by the Yuba River; return to the office for pick-up

Lodging, food and transportation expenses covered (excludes personal expenses)

Most of the time will be spent outdoors at either Van Norden Meadow or Loney Meadow in the Tahoe National Forest, 30 minutes outside of Truckee. Physical work and hiking are expected.

Mandatory orientation will most likely be held virtually over 2 days in July (Dates TBD)

Interested in applying? Want more information? 
Contact:
Ray Lubitz
River Education Manager
rlubitz@yubariver.org

Many thanks to National Forest Foundation for making this opportunity possible!

Share with Your People

Did you enjoy this post?

Get new SYRCL articles delivered to your inbox by subscribing to our ENews.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *