SEED Summer Institute Inspires Educators With Local Water Solutions 

Each year, the SEED Network hosts a Summer Institute, where K-12 teachers and community partners travel to potential field trip sites to learn more about our local ecosystems. After tracing water down from the National Parks (2025), and through the Terminus Dam (2024), we focused this year on water on and under the valley floor. There were lots of surprises for teachers, who saw the landscape a whole new way. 

SEED is currently in its fourth year of a NOAA B-WET grant to create a Tulare County Climate Literacy Framework and help teachers feel more confident teaching about these topics using local environmental issues. Fortunately, new, free statewide curriculum was published that addressed issues right under our feet, so SEED partnered with nonprofit Ten Strands to showcase the 7th grade unit - Land Subsidence and Groundwater. Since our focus is on outdoor education, we needed to get out and see it for ourselves, despite the 100+ degree heat. SEED shows up, rain or shine!

Groundwater Recharge Basin Field Trip Showcases the Future of Water

Out west of Visalia, water from the San Joaquin River is pumped through the Friant-Kern Canal (left). As Sean Criswell (right), Field Operations Manager for Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District told us, “We do not want the subsidence that is happening downstream to happen here. From these holding basins, we can pump any extra water we get into recharge basins - and we will, any chance we get.” He also suggested that if students want to get involved in this work, they should learn to operate heavy equipment!

“What stuck with me was how close these basins are to me. I had gone to the Kaweah Oaks Preserve multiple times, but I never knew the purpose behind it! Wow! That truly blew my mind and I cannot wait to share with my students,” said David Soltero of Lindsay Unified. Maria Rodriguez-Esparza from Visalia Unified said, “I learned that recharge basins are a solution for our community. We have eroded our soil, our aqueducts are compressing, allowing less water storage so recharge basins will allow us to keep wildlife alive and allow us to keep clean water in our community.” She continued, “I learned that teaching climate literacy requires hands-on learning and manipulatives to keep students engaged…I absolutely enjoyed every single portion of this institute. We were collaborating, creating models, and networking every day.”

At Kaweah Oaks Preserve, Sequoia Riverland Trust’s Sam Weiser leads an exploration of groundwater infiltration rates in different types of soils (left). Tulare County Office of Eduction’s Grecia Pacheco and Hanford High’s Jason Ferreira teams experimented with making their own aquifer models (right).

Community Forum Highlights Local Solutionary Leaders 

While the published curriculum asked students to use the internet to research groundwater subsidence solutions, the SEED Network did one better and brought in local leaders to speak about their work on these seven solutions. “I LOVED seeing the solutions section come to life. I am hoping to replicate this in the classroom by inviting the speakers in,” said SEED superstar teacher and presenter Roxanna Flores of Woodville. 

One solution exciting groundwater is to bring back Pa’ashi, or Lake Tulare. “I was so interested to hear from the Tachi Yokuts about their historical struggles with sovereignty and water rights. It really opened my eyes to the ways in which we need to be more mindful of who has access to a seat at the table so we can move forward by making equitable decisions.”

Tachi Yokut Tribal Council Vice Chairman Robert Jeff examines soil samples (left). Wukchumni Farms’ Mireah Porter describes how their Multi Benefit Land Repurposing Program is restoring native plant habitat (right). 

F3 Innovate’s TerraTech interns at Ag Land Innovations, Ian Devere and Jayden Luna show off a slake test to demonstrate how much better regenerative farming practices create living soils that retain and infiltrate water (left). UC Merced doctoral student Yelenka Nunez Bolano uses her model to show how groundwater depletion can lead to higher concentrations of contaminants that harm human health (right). 

The biggest takeaway was “there is hope in every pocket of the Central Valley,” said Salma Alatorre of SEED partners, the UNIDOS Network. “The Summer SEED Institute evoked a great sense of happiness in me after experiencing the passion that everyone in the group had for education and movements towards change.” SEED teacher Sofia Pacheco of Visalia Unified advocated, “There are a lot of solutions already in place to solve our valley's problem. We educators need to connect with these partners and support them and bring our students onboard with the movement and invest in recovering our land’s health.” SEED deeply appreciates every educator and community member who keeps coming together to do this great work together with and for our students! See you next summer!