Liquid Planet was abuzz Friday evening with kids making holiday cards and live bugs dancing in tubs to the music. WEN staff, board, and volunteers enjoyed sharing stories of field trips and days at the river with the many folks who stopped by. Raffle tickets sold all night long.

Miss out on Friday night fun? You can still make a donation or purchase retail items online, or stop by the office. Note to shoppers–chocolate brown shirts and hats are going fast!

Highlights of our 2nd Annual Holiday Shin-dig:

Madison Archibald-Wilson–AKA Raffle-girl made our night selling raffle tickets!

Youngest WEN supporter: Natalie Pankratz, Scott Pankratz and Julie Osborne’s 5 month old daughter went home with a WEN baby-t shirt J

Membership STAR—Co-founder and former WEN Board member Wendy Sturgis

Surprise contribution to WEN’s program by the Elizabeth Henderson Wakeman Foundation! Thank you to the special Missoula family that made that possible!

Thank you so much to all the amazing contributions that made our event a success: Liquid Planet, REI, Missoulian Angler, Vicki Watson, Trailhead, Allegra, All American Trophy, Kesel’s Four Rivers, Missoula Writing Collaborative’s Sheryl Noethe, and Ten Spoons Winery and Vineyard.

THANKS to all the WEN volunteers who helped make the event a smashing success: Bethann Garramon, Jack McMahan, Francis Weigand, Andy Erickson, Tony Dorame, Autumn Thompson, Chelly DeVoe, Annie Kuster, Samantha Cypher, and many more.  

The Milltown Dam Teacher Workshop hosted by WEN and CFWEP is filling up quickly—but we still have space available for Upper Clark Fork Basin teachers. Spread the word!  Email Vailferree to be a part of it. The workshop, designed for grades 6-12 teachers, will feature Milltown experts and fresh, new lessons.

Evaluation time—any volunteers or teachers who haven’t yet turned in field trip evaluations, please send them in by Dec 10th.  Need a form? Call 541-9287 or email Lauren.

Strategic planning update—Friday December 14th WEN board will shape a draft strategic plan.

Sponsors—watch for a strategic planning summary, allowing for your input.

ROCKSTAR VOLUNTEER: Madison Archibald-Wilson, who sold $237 in raffle ticket sales!!

LAST WEEK:

TUES. DEC. 4TH: Groundwater presentation with Missoula International School.

WED. DEC. 5TH: Groundwater presentation with Missoula International School.

FRI. DEC. 7TH: WEN’s holiday shin-dig at Liquid Planet.

THIS WEEK:

TUES. DEC. 11TH: Rock sculptures with Pam Ward’s class at Sussex School.

TUES. DEC. 11TH: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are hosting an open house 5:30-6:30 and a public meeting 6:30-8:30 to discuss cleanup activities at the Milltown Reservoir Superfund Site. See the website for more information.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

WEN’s office will honor a holiday break from Dec. 18 – 28 for most WEN staff. Please leave messages at 541-9287 or email us.

WEN and Missoula Aquifer’s Groundwater Presentations for grades 3-8 are being scheduled from Dec. 1 – Feb. 28 to local schools. We recommend at least 45 minutes for the groundwater flow model and 45 minutes for the Build Your Own Aquifer activity.

Spread the word: WEN and CFWEP are hosting The Best MILLTOWN DAM Teacher Workshop on January 26, 2008.  Featuring Milltown experts and fresh, new lessons; designed for grades 6-12 teachers–register by emailing Vailferree. PIR and OPI credits are available.

The WEN office now has a ‘bug of the week’ microscope station set up–stop by and try to identify this week’s critter!

Spread the word: WEN and CFWEP are hosting The Best MILLTOWN DAM Teacher Workshop, January 26, 2008.  Featuring Milltown experts and fresh, new lessons; designed for grades 6-12 teachers–register by emailing Vailferree. PIR and OPI credits are available.

For the latest on the Milltown Dam Superfund Site, check out Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee’s (CFRTAC) website. We also have copies of the CFRTAC’s “Dam News” if you want to stop by and grab one. WEN is currently planning for a Milltown Dam teacher workshop in January 2008 for the latest and greatest. Contact us to enroll.

WEN is on the look out for Missoula community members interested in volunteering. We are also still on the hunt for a computer whiz to volunteer to help with WEN’s computer needs 1-3 hours each week. Please call the office to get involved at 541-9287.

STREAM TEAM has been out every weekend sampling local rivers and creeks. Contact the office if you would like to get involved, or have an interest in an internship.

WEN intern Tony Dorame and Board member Suzy Archibald-Wilson are creating lessons for Indian Education for All curriculum for our School Stream Monitoring Program (SSMP) this semester. If you have contacts or resources to share, please contact Deb.

ONGOING:  

SSMP Field Trips: brave and hearty classes can sign up for winter sampling to collect water quality and quantity data from various waterways across our region. Anyone interested can email Josh or Lauren.

“Stream Team” WEN’s community stream monitoring group has collected data from 11 trips including O’Brian Creek, Clark Fork River at Sha-ron, Bitterroot River above and below the  Waste Water Plant, Bitterroot River at Smurfit Stone, and Clark Fork River at Turah Bridge. Please call the WEN office at 541-9287 if you are interested in getting better acquainted with your watershed. Times/dates/locations are flexible to work with your schedule.

Milltown Dam Education Program: This fall is our third season of our Milltown Dam Education Program (MDEP). WEN is developing interactive stations for students and teachers to explore the Milltown Dam site while it is under construction this year. Field trips to the dam can be scheduled starting in January, and will allow students to watch the clean up and remediation as it takes place, including the removal of the Powerhouse. For more information about the MDEP, contact Milltown Dam Coordinator Vailferree Brechtel.

WEN’s after-school Flagship Program “Water Explorations” with Big Sky, Sentinel and Hellgate high schools will begin Spring 2008.

“Place-based” Fieldtrips featuring field journaling and Indian Education for All curriculum will resume this spring. Watch for updates on the website or email Deb.

RESOURCES: 

NEW: Online documents for teachers participating and/or interested in our SSMP.

Clark Fork Teaching Trunks help teachers and students explore their watershed through hands-on science and history activities. The trunks are free to rent thanks to a grant from the Montana Department of Justice’s Natural Resource Damage Program, and can be requested by calling Clark Fork Watershed Education Program at  406-496-4832 or via email. View the two trunks [1) Clark Fork Science Trunk for grades 4-6; and 2) Clark Fork Social Studies Trunk for grades 6-12] at http://mtwatercourse.org/Educators/trunks.htm.

WEN’s retail wear is available for purchase through our website.

WEN-produced Stream Monitoring Video “What’s up Your Creek?” is available for check-out from our office.

Please call the office at 541-9287 if you have any questions about WEN's upcoming events, internships, or any of our other programs. Also, if you would prefer to NOT receive WEN's weekly update, shoot us an email.

The Watershed Education Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering knowledge, appreciation and awareness of watershed health through science and outreach since 1996.