CHEYENNE CREEK CONSERVATION CLUB PASSES ANNUAL INSPECTION
Creek Club passed their annual review on January 11th with flying colors, as usual. Curtis Hartenstine, from River Watch and the D.O.W., spent two hours with a select group of creek club members, inspecting their equipment, testing their knowledge and observing their use of scientific procedures which are practiced in their monthly creek sampling. Congratulations to this group of students who are so dedicated to Science and the study and conservation Environment around Cañon and in Colorado Springs! They truly are a Stream Team which have demonstrated that they are the Keepers of the Creek.
THE LATEST
The cost for the coming year of Creek Club is expected to be $75 each, which which will cover the costs for the annual training retreat. Membership applicatons to join the club for the upcoming school year will be available by Aug 22. A group of students will be selected from the applicants. Last year 38 applied, and 24 were selected. The group is expected to be serious and follow D.O.W. River Watch scientific protocols while whandling chemicals and working in the creek and lab, so the size is kept "small" to be managable and give everyone a fair chance at doing the various titrations and tests.
Cheyenne Creek Conservation Club
Cañon Elementary
1201 W. Cheyenne Rd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Members of the Cheyenne Creek Conservation Club at Cañon Elementary have completed their first two events of the year. Last weekend 22 members of the club gathered with teacher volunteers for a 24 hour crash course at Bear Trap Ranch, taught by club advisor, David Eick. Students learned about the chemicals and processes used in the club's monthly sampling of the creek for River Watch and the Colorado Division of Wildlife. They learned basic chemical titration, stream ecology, different ways to look at a stream and how to work as a team. They will apply and refine these skills each month as they meet to collect and analyze samples from Cheyenne
Creek, which runs behind their school.
Additionally, Creek Club members gather this past October, with Gary Dowler, Aquatic Biologist for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. They collected a sample of fish from a 100 yard stretch of the creek, known affectionately as the "fish census". Then they weighed and measured all fish, and extrapolated the number of fish that might be found in a mile of Cheyenne Creek. Their findings indicated that there are likely 350 fish per mile in the stream. They also discovered that there are at least 5 generations of brown trout living in the creek. Some they found were as large as 25 cm, and as small as 7 cm.
Storm Drain Strenciling
Mr. Eick and Cheyenne Creek Club members stenciling a drain
Dump No Waste Stencil
Storm Drain Stenciling...April 21
Creek Club Continues Earth Day Tradition
About a dozen members of the Cheyenne Creek Conservation Club from Canon Elementary were out this morning stenciling storm drains with the phrase "Dump No Waste...Drains to Stream". By the time they finished they stenciled this on over 30 drains in and around the Cheyenne Canon and Skyway neighborhoods. Supervised by parent volunteers and a teacher, club members used kits on loan from the city. This is at least the fifth time they have done this community service activity.
This annual Earth Day tradition is just one way the club members hope to raise awareness and further protect the habitat along Cheyenne Creek, on the southwest side of Colorado Springs. Students in the club, which is made of of volunteers from 5th and 6th grades at the school, also pick up trash along the creek and regularly monitor the creek for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. The club has been active at the school for over 10 years.
What kids in the club hope hope is that by raising awareness about storm drains and non-point-source pollution, they can continue to preserve the suburban stream habitat that is Cheyenne Creek.
Non-point source pollution is nearly everything that ends up int he street, gutters, or runs off yards and driveways. "People do not realize that lots of this stuff just washes down the street when it rains, and they think it is gone," said one club member. "However, it usually washes into one of these drains, and then ends up directly in the creek."This then effects the pH and other factors, which can change the local environment."
Fish Census
Students from Creek Club met with Gary Dowler again on September 26. This year, 22 brown trout were found in Cheyenne Creek in a 165' stretch directly behind the school. As in years past, they were in various stages of life. They ran from 3 grams to 143 grams and from 3 cm. to 23 cm.
Last year we found 34 brown trout in a 100 yard length of our stream behind the school. They ranged in size from 1 cm to 20 cm., and weighed in between 5 and 101 grams.
Students enjoyed this special day and learned about how to determine the species and age of a trout. They also talked about what trout eat and what conditions are most favorable for them.
In years past, student have always discovered trout, although not as plentiful as this year. They also have discovered several specimens of rainbow and brook trout in the past, but for the last few years there have only been brown trout present.
Cheyenne Creek Club News...
Going With the Flow Fall 2006
I have good news and bad news about Cheyenne Creek Conservation Club. The good news is we have many new creek club members this year. These students are enthusiastic and ready to become the new "keepers of the creek". We will also have about 7 returning members who are now 6th graders, and will be valued for their experience. We just returned from our training at Bear Trap Ranch with a new crop of junior scientists. This year they've been nicknamed the "Stream Team". They are ready just in time for a new year of data collection and habitat preservation
The "bad" news is that many of our old members have grown up and moved on to the junior high. Although we will miss their character and experience, we know they will always keep exploring science with the curiosity and enthusiasm they learned in the creek. The other bad news was that the site rental cost of our training retreat went up again this year, increasing the overall cost of being in the program. Fortunately, some of this cost was covered by a grant this year.
Getting Hung Up Over Waders
Using grant money from the Cheyenne Mountain Broadmoor partnership auction , Mr. Eick purchased new waders for the club's training in the fall of 2004. Another great thing that happened was that Mr. Mendoza, our building manager, built a system to hang the six new pairs of waders in the shed. This should help them last longer. Mr. Mendoza is using wader hangers purchased with the grant, but had to build a special device to hang them on the frame wall of the shed. Thank you, Mr. Mendoza!
We are currently hoping to get more waders soon to replace older pairs which are leaking and worn out. This would also allow more kids to get a turn in the creek with each monthly sampling meeting. We have 12 pairs, and some we've had for ten years.
Club Advisor David Eick was awarded the 2000 White House Teacher Professional Development Award for Colorado - "Exemplary Colorado Springs Teacher Uses After School program to Improve Students' Environmental Understanding."
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