Mt. View Sanitary District

Environmental Education Programs

Environmental Education Programs at MVSD

Wetlands Field Trip (WFT) Program - Since its inception, this award-winning and very popular program has attracted a loyal group of teachers who return year-after-year. Approximately 1500 students from schools throughout Contra Costa and Solano counties participate in this complimentary science based hands-on experience every year. The curriculum, designed in partnership with the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek, CA, addresses many of the California State Science Standards for third, fourth and fifth grades with an emphasis on pollution prevention and wetlands conservation.

Field Trip participants enjoying a hike in the wetlands.

During the four-hour long program, students are divided into small groups that rotate through four stations including a treatment plant tour, a dip-netting activity, an exploratory wetlands hike and either an animal study activity for younger students (1^st-3^rdgrades) or a water quality assessment activity for older students (4^th grade and above).

For more information or to schedule a field trip, contact Administrative Assistant, Stephanie Seregin at 228-5635 x10 or sseregin@mvsd.org.

For specific information on program content or questions regarding science content standards addressed contact District Biologist Kelly Davidson at 228-5635 x19 or kdavidson@mvsd.org.

“Wild About Wetlands” (WOW) Resource Kits - These fun and interactive kits provide 3^rd through 6^th grade teachers with a thematic environmental education program that includes easy-to-use activities and all necessary materials. The kits serve as a complete unit, as a supplement to an existing unit, or as a pre-/post- field trip lesson plan. The convenience of the kits makes them extremely useful to those with limited budgets and preparation time.

Students participating in the dip netting activity during the Wetlands Field Trip Program.

Materials in the WOW kit include: videos, puzzles, flash cards, artifacts, wetland models, photographs, animal skulls and feet and much more. The program consists of 15 activities divided into three sections – 1) “What is a Wetland”, 2) “Wetland Organisms Great and Small”, and 3) “Restoring Wetlands”. The final section includes opportunities for students to become involved in community restoration and education projects. There is no fee for the use of the kits which are loaned out to an individual classroom for a three- week period.

For more information or to reserve your kit, contact District Biologist Kelly Davidson at 228-5635 x19 or kdavidson@mvsd.org.

Classroom Pollution Prevention Program - MVSD offers two separate classroom presentations on water science: one for 2^nd and 3^rd grades and one for 4^th and 5^th grades. The classroom program is offered to all Martinez elementary schools and is intended to prepare students for the Wetlands Field Trip; although, the program itself stands alone if students are unable to participate in the field trip experience. Each program is outlined below.
“Understanding the Water Cycle” presentation for 2^nd and 3^rd grade:

Focuses on water cycle vocabulary and resource conservation.

Addresses science content standards.

Sing a water cycle song and make a water cycle bookmark or bracelet using the lyrics of the song.

Provides pollution prevention activities for students to work on in school or at home.

“Keeping Our Water Clean” presentation for 4^th through 5^th grade:

Reviews water cycle vocabulary; demonstrates how MVSD cleans wastewater; discusses the difference between storm drains and sewer drains

Addresses science content standards.

Provides pollution prevention activities for students to work on in school or at home.

To arrange a presentation at a Martinez elementary school, contact Administrative Assistant Stephanie Seregin at 228-5635 x10 or sseregin@mvsd.org.

Delta Discovery Voyage participants aboard the RV Brownlee.

Delta Discovery Voyage -Since 2006, MVSD has been a proud sponsor of the successful Delta Discovery Voyage program operated by the Marine Science Institute in partnership with the Contra Costa Water District and offered to schools in Contra Costa County. The very popular program focuses on drinking water issues, delta ecosystems and pollution prevention. The science field trip opportunity targets 5^th grade students and takes them aboard the Marine Science Institute vessel, the RV Brownlee – a 90-foot-long research vessel custom-built in 1998 to provide a safe and stable floating laboratory for students.
If you are a 5^th grade teacher in a Martinez elementary school and would like to participate in this extraordinary science experience, contact District Biologist Kelly Davidson at 228-5635 x19 or email
kdavidson@mvsd.org.

UPDATES

Fall 2010: School year 2010-2011 marks the 15^th anniversary for the Wetlands Field Trip Program (previously known as the Interpretive Center Program)! In celebration of this fact, and recognizing that we needed a little sprucing up, MVSD with the help of employees from Shell Martinez Refinery, gave the Interpretive Center a fresh coat of paint in late August The new sea foam green color allows the building to better blend into its wetland surrounds. The WFT staff and all of the field trip participants LOVE the fresh, new look! THANK YOU Shell Martinez Refinery employees!
To the delight of both staff and students, river otters have been seen routinely in Moorhen marsh since mid October.