Kids at the Fernie Academy were playing in a giant sand pit today, while learning a little about rivers, streams and erosion.
The Stream Trailer rolled into town this morning, loaded with sand and a self-contained tank for pumping water. Staff from the program demonstrated erosion by carving different kinds of stream channels in the sand to see the effects of different flow conditions and the impacts of different kinds of land use.
The Stream Trailer is a program by Mainstreams, a trans-boundary British Columbia Society with a mission to collaborate with other organizations and individuals using science to deliver water education, monitoring, and aquatic habitat improvement projects within the Columbia River Watershed.
The trailer heads off to Isabella Dicken Elementary School tomorrow. They have also visited schools in Cranbrook and Kimberley.
“It’s a great chance to teach kids about the importance of vegetation in our streams,” said program coordinator Patty Kolesnichensko. ”They learn about erosion hands-on and get to see and feel what erosion does.”
If you would like the Steam Trailer to visit your school, visit www.mainstreams.ca for more information.