Aves Compartidas & 

the Environmental Leadership Program

The Aves Compartidas environmental education program works with elementary students in the Willamette River watershed in Oregon, USA, and El Río Laja watershed in Guanajuato, Mexico. Through the lens of shared migratory birds, the program places an emphasis on both intercultural exchange and environmental education. By focusing on their local environment, the program helps students learn to care for nature, specifically the migratory birds they share. 

Aves Compartidas is a part of the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) within the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Oregon. ELP facilitators in this program approach environmental education through the framework of using shared migratory birds to demonstrate ecological and cultural connections. 

In Eugene, OR at our partner school, River Road/El Camino del Río Elementary, ELP facilitators developed and implemented unique curricula for 3rd, 4th, and 5th-graders. Third graders learned about pollinators, fourth graders studied terrestrial migratory birds, and fifth graders investigated watersheds and migratory wetland birds. 

These interdisciplinary curricula helped students become aware of cultural and ecological connections between the Willamette and Laja watersheds. Facilitators used Spanish and English instruction in the classroom to bring intercultural connections to the forefront of our content. A series of five student-centered and action-based lessons culminated in a field trip to Mt. Pisgah Arboretum. By practicing observation, critical thinking, and practical skills like birding with binoculars, students developed the ability to become environmental stewards and advocates for migratory birds.