Students to study water issues

By STEVE KADEL
H&N Staff Writer

April 11, 2008

Page A3

   Ninety biology students from Chiloquin and Lost River high schools will spend four weeks studying the same Klamath River watershed issues many of their parents are involved with. 

   Educational Solutions, a nonprofit group based in Klamath Falls , has designed a curriculum that focuses on local water issues. Students will communicate with one another via the Educational Solutions Web site and videoconferencing. 

   One of the program’s goals is to teach youth how to confront controversy by working collaboratively to solve problems. 

   The program kicks off today with a series of speakers at Oregon Institute of Technology describing their stakeholder positions to the students. Representatives of the Klamath Tribes, Klamath Reclamation Project farmers, off-Project farmers, the Karuk Tribe, ocean commercial salmon fishermen, and PacifiCorp will talk about Klamath River water issues during the morning session. 

   OIT basketball coach Danny Miles will discuss teamwork from 9:30 to 10 a.m.  

   Public invited 

   The public is invited to the event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the school’s College Union. There is no cost to attend. 

   “My colleague, Susan Luxton, and I designed this project so students could learn to be stakeholder leaders for tomorrow,” said Judith Jensen of Educational Solutions. “We want them to learn about their own group’s perspectives, the perspectives of other stakeholder groups and about the science that can help the Basin.” 

   Stakeholder leaders and government scientists also will speak in the classrooms. Students will take field trips to the Tulelake National Wildlife Refuge to see its Walking Wetlands and how it works. They also will visit the Williamson River Delta to see how local groups worked together to improve the watershed’s health. 

   Students who complete the four-week program will earn one unit of OIT academic credit. 

   Besides hearing from those close to the Klamath watershed’s issues, students attending today’s event at OIT also will be told about study possibilities at OIT. Jensen said the kickoff is intended to encourage students to attend college and consider careers in science and technology.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted
material  herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have
expressed  a  prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit
research and  educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

Source:  http://pioneer.olivesoftware.com/Daily/Skins/heraldandnews/

navigator.asp?skin=heraldandnews