Youth Education

RiversEdge West is committed to providing educational opportunities for the next generation of stewards and believes that it is a critical component to the success of a healthy watershed. In the absence of such education, invasive plant, wildfire, and river health issues persist.

RiversEdge West offers both an interactive classroom program and experiential learning in the field, when possible, for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders as well as lectures and field visits for college students.

Each presentation is individually designed to meet grade-specific district standards, covering topics such as:

healthy habitat and flows
biodiversity
predator/prey relationships
riparian/riverside areas
invasive plants
the tamarisk beetle
the life cycle of the tamarisk beetle
the important role that the students themselves play in the future of healthy rivers

Students that take field trips during the spring and summer months also have the option to conduct tamarisk beetle monitoring as part of their field experience.

Presentations can be scheduled anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours in length. A 1.5-hour time slot is recommended for a full introduction to riparian habitats.

To schedule a visit to your classroom, school, or group, email REW's Education and Outreach Coordinator, Cara Kukuraitis, at Ckukuraitis@RiversEdgeWest.org.

View lesson plans and activities related to habitat, riparian habitat, and invasive plants.

Learn about our education program here.

REW's River Education Program is funded in part by the Xcel Energy Foundation, Chevron, and Alpine Bank.