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Our next Creek Club event will be:
Our next Creek Club event will be:
Monday, June 3, 9 am-11 am
What is Creek Club?
What is Creek Club?
Creek Club Loves our Local Environment
Creek Club Loves our Local Environment
Cheyenne Creek Conservation Club, a part of River Watch, has been learning how to scientifically monitor Cheyenne Creek, which flows on the south side of Cañon school. Although this creek is one of several small natural waterways located on the west side of Colorado Springs, it is the only one that flows year round, right past a school.
What is River Watch, you ask? Real People doing Real Science for a Real Purpose. Community based science, ecology and environmental education.
River Watch works with voluntary stewards to monitor water quality and other indicators of watershed health and utilize this high quality data to educate citizens and inform decision makers about the condition of Colorado's waters. This data is also used in the Clean Water Act decision-making process.
Our environmental club, supported in part by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and River Watch, is open each fall by application to seventh and eighth graders from Cheyenne Mountain Jr. High. Students meet each month, usually on a Friday, after school to do creek water testing, flow tests, water quality testing, and study the Riparian habitat. Many members of the club and our teacher, Mr. Eick, take part in a training one weekend each fall.
Students who are interested in the water quality in rivers in our state, enjoy chemistry experiments, like the outdoors, like to help our community and state, will enjoy being a member of this club.
The Stream Team passed it's annual review from River Watch in Winter 2023, and will have another site visit in early 2024. Each month the creek is tested again for metal, ph, hardness, flow and alkalinity. Meeting times are also used to clean up the creek banks and observe seasonal changes in this riparian habitat.
Our club was also chosen to collect nutrient and macroinvertebrate samples for the state. Despite the floods last year, we also completed another fish sampling last fall with help from our "local" aquatic biologist from CPW.
This program is also continuing a historical tradition in our community. The current site of Cañon School, where we meet, was once a nature center in the 1920's, 30's and 40's where students from the original Cheyenne School studied botany and ecology. and used the natural outdoor resources as a means for further education in all disciplines.
Parents and others interested in learning more about this growing club should contact Ms. Lily.
GET OUT AND TAKE A WALK ALONG THE CREEK WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE
GET OUT AND TAKE A WALK ALONG THE CREEK WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE
What you can do to discover the wild in any neighborhood:
• Quietly follow a squirrel or other animal for as long as you can. Where does it go? What does it do?
• Track how far you can walk without making a single bird fly off.
• Snap pictures of 10 animals, each one smaller than the last.
• Sit quietly under a tree. Or climb one. What sights, sounds, and smells do you notice?
• Go on a bird stakeout.
• Pick up paint swatches from the hardware store and try to match the colors to things you find in nature.
• If your kids are into it (and if you can handle it), investigate the death of a woodland critter.
Creek Club Meeting Dates 2023-2024
Creek Club Meeting Dates 2023-2024
Current as of 8/18/2023
Here are the Creek Club dates/times that we have scheduled for this school year:
Saturday, September 23 (8am - 4pm): Training new students and September water quality sampling
Friday, October 13 (3:30 - 5:00pm): Monthly meeting and October sampling
Friday, November 3 (2:30 - 5:30pm): Monthly meeting, November sampling, and CPW Electrofishing (Fish Census)
note: For the November meeting, Students will be called to Creek Club at the beginning of Access, and be needed to stay until at least 5:30.
Friday, December 1 (3:30 - 5:00pm): Monthly meeting and December sampling
Friday, January 12 (3:30 - 5:00pm): Monthly meeting and January sampling - note this is a change from orginal date
Friday, February 2 (3:30-4:30) February sample and prep for site visit.
Friday, February 9 (3:00- 4:30 pm): Critical meeting, February sampling, and River Watch site visit
Friday, March 1 (3:30- 4:30 pm): Monthly meeting and March sampling
Friday, April 5 (3:30-4:30 pm Monthly meeting and April sampling
Thursday, April 11 - 5:15-7:45. Family Science Night Demonstrations at GCE ( need 2 groups of 3 creek club members - dinner provided by Mr. Eick). Watch Google Classroom for a form to apply to be part of the presentation team. By Invitation only.
CANCELED - Saturday, April 20, 9am - 1pm - Annual Community Service Project - 3-5 Parent volunteers needed, contact Mr. Eick for details. CANCELED DUE TO LACK OF SIGN UPS and VOLUNTEERS.
Monday, April 22 - Earth Day Talk w/ Canon Preschool students 11 a.m. and 2:45 pm, by invitation only - students will be called out of class to give a lesson to preschool for ~20 minutes.
Friday, May 3 (3:30-5:00 pm): Monthly meeting and May sampling; Awards
Monday, June 3, 9-11 am - June Sampling Meeting and possible hike
Monday, July 1, 9-11 am July Sampling Meeting and possible hike
Friday, Aug 9, 3:30-5:00 pm August Sampling Meeting
Additional Summer meetings TBA Meetings in July and possibly early August, dependant on new sponsors.
VOLUNTEERS AND PARENTS NEEDED TO ORGANIZE Saturday service project in spring. This is tentatively scheduled for April 20, depending on parent support.
* All things subject to change as needed. Pay attention to the website, announcements and TBTV for the latest info.
Creek Club Events over the years...
Creek Club Events over the years...
SPECIAL THANKS...to CSU, CPW and River Science for their support
SPECIAL THANKS...to CSU, CPW and River Science for their support
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