As a new school year gets underway in the Mad River Valley, Friends of the Mad River is expanding its watershed education programs across local schools – with the goal of reaching more than a third of all students in the Harwood Union Unified School District.
Supported by two new grants – the Watershed United Vermont Education Grant and the Lake Champlain Basin Program Education and Outreach Grant – the nonprofit will now be working in schools three to four days per week, nearly doubling its past in-classroom presence.
“We’re especially looking forward to the continuation of our school education programs,” said Luke Foley, education manager at Friends of the Mad River. “This increased support allows us to reach more students, more often, and deepen our impact.”
The organization has established partnerships with all the schools located in the Mad River watershed, including Warren, Waitsfield, Fayston, and Moretown elementary schools, along with Harwood Union Middle and High School.
Over the course of the academic year, students from kindergarten through 12th grade will engage in lessons on topics such as erosion, deposition, and forest composition. Some classes will also participate in hands-on projects, including riparian restoration efforts and strategic placement of woody material in streams to improve habitat.
“Our first four partnerships of this year are with teachers and classrooms that are new to our organization,” Foley said. “That’s a great sign that our reach is growing and new educators are eager to get involved.”
FMR expects to work with between 500 and 600 students this year – a significant portion of the district’s population. Despite some schools, such as Crossett Brook and Brookside Elementary, falling just outside the Mad River watershed, Foley noted that the program is still managing to connect with more than one-third of all students districtwide.
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