Navajo Nation
Gila River Indian Community
Kaibab Paiute Indian Tribe
White River Apache Reservation
Salt and Verde Rivers
The San Francisco Peaks
Summary/Goals: SAHRA provides support to develop and demonstrate K-12 water resources and water quality education throughout the Four Corners region. The purpose of this partnership is to train teachers who will incorporate the teaching of water and water quality in their science curriculum, and to stimulate students to learn about water and water quality problems that affect their tribal areas.
Activities and outcomes during past year:
The water education staff conducted 32 events that provided water education activities and career information to Native American students. There were 2,024 student contacts and 101 educator contacts. The water education student events included two water festivals, six one-week summer programs and many other activities. The focus of the content information is using hands-on activities to engage students and educators in learning principles of hydrology and water management. The focus when working with students was to encourage students to consider post-secondary education in hydrological careers. In addition to working directly with students, the staff also provided 10 teacher water education workshops involving 193 teachers. The staff also participated in 3 public outreach events, contacting 98 community members. One internship was conducted with a college student that supported the Navajo Nation Youth Environmental Camp.
Plans for the upcoming year:
During the next reporting period the project will continue to focus on outreach to educators of Native American students and Native American students. Six one-week summer programs for over 120 Middle School and High School students will be conducted on the Northern Arizona University (NAU) campus in 2009. The program will focus on the impacts of uranium mining, including groundwater contamination impacts due to mining. A portion of the budget will be directed towards supporting a Water Resources Short Internship Program. This program will fund high school and college students for internships. This internship will give students a work related experience and encourage them to consider hydrological careers. Several internships will be completed in collaboration with the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council. Students will participate in workshops and field work using Larry Steven's Springs Ecosystem Assessment and Prioritization (SEAP) protocols.
Organization Involvement:
SAHRA provides support for NAU's effort to reach tens of teachers and hundreds of Native American students each year. The programs include Project WET and GLOBE materials.
Shared Resources / Joint Activities:
Project WET and GLOBE teacher workshops and follow-up support
- Summer Scholars Camp
