Caring for our Watersheds - Finalists and Recent Projects

2021

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Caring for Our Watersheds, a joint program of Nutrien and the Center for Land-Based Learning, empowers students to create solutions in their local watersheds through an environmental proposal writing contest. Up to $10,000 in cash is available to students so that they can turn their ideas into reality.

CONGRATS

TO OUR FINALISTS

Vertical Gardens

The Plastic Garden Project

Moving Mural of Sustainability

Team: Ella Waite, Mia Andrade School: George Washington Carver High School

Team: Rylan Rubiono School: Mira Loma High School

Team: Namrata Paudel School: Pioneer High School

Build a vertical garden to demonstrate the benefits of this design and document the process to share through social media. Vertical gardens allow people to efficiently utilize the space available in urban environments to provide food, improve air quality, reduce heat-island effects, save energy, and increase biodiversity.

Design and install a garden at school demonstrating the reuse of plastic bottles for planting containers and watering. An informational plaque would accompany the garden to raise awareness about plastics pollution and reuse. Plan to create hands-on workshops to expand the idea to other schools and public spaces.

Create an eye-catching, environmental-themed, mobile art mural that includes a QR code leading to a website. The website would contain information about sustainable living, links to local resources and action steps, and personal stories, aimed to educate and inspire action.

The Great Halloween Awakening

Safety For People Means Safety For The Environment Team: Rory Pilling, Rae Jacobson School: George Washington Carver High School Raise awareness about the social and environmental issues surrounding homelessness and advocate for the passing of the Right To Rest Act to ensure that homeless people have access to transport, jobs, sanitation, and trash disposal available in the main parts of Sacramento. Project intends to protect homeless individuals, but also alleviate some of the waste and environmental impact from homeless camps along Sacramento waterways.

Don’t let water slip down the drain: ShowerStart Adapters

Wise Water Habits Starting at Home: 6 Tips While Keeping 6 Feet

Team: Jazmen Figueroa, Jose Benitez, Raina Prasad, Alexander Martin School: Grant Union High School

Team: Erica Pham School: Mira Loma High School

Reduce household water use by promoting and distributing the ShowerStart adapter to local households. This adapter is designed to reduce “behavioral water waste”, the water lost during the time frame from when you start the shower to when you get in, and may save up to 2700 gallons/ year and $75 in utility bills.

Design, produce, and distribute colorful infographics to raise awareness about water conservation and share simple water-wise tips with community members. Create printed version as well as unique posts to share online through public social media platforms.

Replacing Broom with Blooms Team: Kelly Cantrell School: Foresthill High School

OUT OF 250 PROPOSALS

Submitted this year, these 10 finalists advanced to a final competition where students competed for cash awards for themselves and their schools.

Remove an invasive non-native species, Scotch Broom, from a section of the school campus, replant the area with native species to attract pollinators, and add signage to educate on invasive species and native pollinators. Invasive species can outcompete native plants, reduce biodiversity, and alter habitat.

Team: Josephine Lukkonen School: Placer High School Raise awareness about plastics pollution and watershed issues through the installation of a large-scale Halloween decoration. Capitalizes on an annual family tradition that attracts hundreds of community members. Info would be attached to each candy including a QR code leading visitors to find out more and pledge action.

Trash to Trashworks Campaign Team: Lia Durso School: Mira Loma High School Organize a school club that participates in river cleanups along the American River, then uses some of the trash collected to create watershedthemed murals and artworks to exhibit in classrooms and at an Earth Day event on campus.

Project aims to reduce litter as well as raise awareness about watershed health.

Little Changes, Big Savings Team: Lily Gutierrez School: Winston Churchill Middle School Install a drought-tolerant garden and provide information and resources to community members on how to start their own water-wise landscapes. Info pamphlet would include a draft baseline budget, available grants, links to local organizations/ programs, and tips for plants, mulch, and irrigation.

PROJECTS IN ACTION FORESTHILL COOP PROJECT In order to help teach sustainable agricultural practices to students in Ag Biology, Farm to Fork classes, and the FFA club at Foresthill High School, students Heidi Lysen and David Reinhart worked together to plan and build a chicken coop and enclosure as part of their school garden. The chickens will provide natural pest control for the garden and provide manure to compost and enrich the soil.

Heidi and David are grateful for the friends, family, and Caring for Our Watersheds funding that helped them accomplish this project for their school.

GRANT GARDEN TOUR Students from Grant High School’s GEO Academy organized and led educational field trips for elementary students to explore and study in the school’s garden. Activities included seed and plant anatomy and adaptations, compost and soil food web investigations, and a “Nutrition Scavenger Hunt”’ of plants and their vitamins. Students also transplanted, harvested, and tasted vegetables, while learning about food safety practices. Caring for Our Watersheds funding helped bring 100 elementary students from 2 schools to have this awesome hands-on experience.

POLLINATOR GARDEN PROJECT George Washington Carver High School students Alicia Hernandez, Nyla Jones, and Brandon Chu initiated a project that aims to raise awareness about declining pollinator populations as well as establish habitat and nectar sources for native bees. The group grew pollinator- friendly plant species from seed to establish gardens and to give plant starts to members of their community. A brochure that discusses the importance of pollinators and tips for plant care will accompany the plants they distribute. Caring for Our Watersheds funding helped the group purchase materials needed for planting and outreach.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED! 2021 TEACHERS & SCHOOLS Aart DeWaard – George Washington Carver High School Anne Marie Kennedy – Grant Union High School Bruce Hansen – Winston Churchill Middle School Christopher Chu – The MET Sacramento Colleen Kelly – Mira Loma High School Dana Chu – Florin High School Franco Canet – Mira Loma High School Gregory Geraldo – Sierra Acad. of Expeditionary Learning Jennifer Isaac – Del Oro High School Katie Cantrell – Foresthill High School Kimberly Lumbard – Pioneer High School Michelle O’Shea – Sierra Acad. of Expeditionary Learning

2021 FIRST PLACE WINNERS: RAE JACOBSON & RORY PILLING

CULTIVATING LEADERS What is the Caring for Our Watersheds program?

Caring for Our Watersheds is an education program that engages students in preserving and improving their local watersheds.

How does it work?

Students submit proposals that answer the question: What can you do to improve your watershed? The program rewards the students and the schools who submit the most innovative and well-planned project ideas. Proposals are scored by judges and the top 10 projects are selected to compete in the final competition.

Who organizes the contest?

The Center for Land-Based Learning, whose mission is to inspire, educate and cultivate future generations of farmers, agricultural leaders, and natural resource stewards, organizes the contest in California. The Center for Land-Based Learning runs programs in 27 California counties that connect youth and adults to agriculture and environmental science careers.

Who can compete?

All high school students that live in the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed can compete.

Nicholas Russo – Placer High School Richard Young – Sierra Acad. of Expeditionary Learning Robert Sherriff – Winston Churchill Middle School Rochelle Jacks – Mira Loma High School

2021 JUDGES & VOLUNTEERS Amelia Munson – UCD Graduate Student- Animal Behavior Brian Brown – Project WET, Water Education Foundation Charmaine Boulmay – Sacramento Splash (retired) Crystal Tobias – Friends of Lakes Folsom and Natoma Elisabeth Beckensten – Civil Engineer Emily Snider – UC Davis Graduate Student

What can you win?

All finalists will win cash prizes up to $1,000 and a matching cash award for the school. In addition, $10,000 is available for project implementation. In total, $27,000 is available to students and schools.

Erica Key – California Geological Survey Eva Dwyer – Center for Land-Based Learning Hannah Ritchie – Western Placer USD Hunter Merritt – US Army Corps of Engineers John Killey – Environmental Specialist (retired) Joshua McCabe – Utility Forester, ACRT Laura McGowan – PhD, UCD/Atmospheric Sciences

Who started Caring for Our Watersheds?

Mary Jade Farruggia – UCD Graduate Student/Ecology

Nutrien (formerly Agrium) started the program with support from other local and national conservation partners. The Center for Land-Based Learning is Nutrien’s California conservation partner.

Nina Fontana – UCD Graduate Student/Ecology

How can I get involved?

Teachers can bring Caring for Our Watersheds into their classroom or club, environmental professionals can score proposals, community members can mentor students implementing projects.

Meghan Amos – Sacramento Splash Jerome Pier – Agronomist, Nutrien Ag Solutions Roland Brady – Brady and Assoc. Geological Services Thomas Key – California Geological Survey Trina Camping – Literacy & Makerspace, Woodland Library

For more information about Caring for Our Watersheds, email beth@landbasedlearning.org or call 530-795-1520.

Caring for Our Watersheds is a program of: