The Yakima Greenway Rivers Festival has developed into an influential and educational
event for over 1000 4th and 5th grade students here in the Yakima Valley. With 20
different exhibitors that focus on living systems and earth sciences most of the teachers
report that they use portions of the presentations at the Rivers Festival during the year
for curriculum they are teaching. Busing continues to be the most limiting factor in
enabling teachers and students to make the trip to the Greenway. The classes that were
able to attend gave rave reviews of the quality of exhibits, organization of the event, the
condition of the grounds and safety of all that attended.
All 20 exhibitors deserve a tremendous thank-you for their role in this event. You
can go to our website to see a Google Earth enhanced map that not only shows you the
location of each of exhibit, but also gives a brief description of what the
exhibit is all about at www.yakimagreenway.org/eagle. This is another tool that the teachers appreciate in order to match
their in class projects with an exhibit that will enforce
or enhance the in-class
curriculum.
Pictures of this years
event and a video of the
2007 Yakima Greenway
Rivers Festival can be seen
on this page to gain a
greater appreciation for
the significance of this
event has with our local
youth, informing about the
rivers systems right here
in our valley. Combining
environmental stewardship
with education and
sustainable practices are the
lessons these students take
back to the class room.
The coverage by
KNDO and by the Yakima
Herald was excellent. Our
900 gallons fish tank where
the students match a printed
card of a specific warm or
cold water species of fish
to the fish that are in the
tank gave us a little more entertainment this year than
expected when a 15-20 lb. Carp decided to jump out
of the tank. It did not
take our local fish and
wildlife experts very
long to capture the fish
and get him/her back in
the tank but it gave the
students a big show.
The Sunrise Rotary
Riparian and Wetlands
Walk was a huge
success with students
getting a chance to
walk down to the river
through the different
riparian zones and
visit a class-3 wetland
with our guides, who
were either botanists or
trained to present the
different stations set
up specifically for the
walk.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call Jeff Brantner at the Yakima Greenway Foundation, (509) 453-8280 or email jeff@yakimagreenway.org
Photos from 2009 Yakima Greenway Rivers Festival
KNDO Video from 2009 Yakima Rivers Festival
About E.A.G.L.E.
E.A.G.L.E. (Environmental Awareness Greenway Led Education) Earth Day was
developed in the Spring of 1989 as an opportunity for Yakima County students
to learn about the environment. The program's goals are to promote skills
and attitudes which will enhance knowledge of the natural environment and
to reduce our future rate of vandalism by investing our young citizens with
a sense of ownership and pride in the Greenway.
Each year, we invite environmental agencies and advocates to display information,
conduct hands-on sessions, and share their knowledge with the students. Students
learn about recycling, pollution, endangered species, acid rain, the greenhouse
effect, and much more.
Thursday, October 7, 2010