“Our team of educators strive to do their best to engage with students through virtual adventures"

SOLANO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - Solano Resource Conservation District (SRCD) returns to Suisun Marsh to continue live streaming virtual field trips for Solano County sixth graders participating in the District’s 12^th year of the Suisun Marsh Watershed Education Program. SRCD has had over 1,300 participants since September and is expecting to engage another 900 students by early March 2021.

“We have been participating in Solano RCD’s Suisun Marsh Program for many years, and we were very glad that they adapted it for distance learning so that this year’s students could still participate,” shared Robin Shishido-Bailey, a sixth grade science teacher at Benicia Middle School. “While no virtual experience can ever replace students actually exploring the marsh in person, the RCD’s educators helped make it feel as if we were right there exploring alongside them.”

Shishido-Bailey added that the program was definitely a highlight for her students during an otherwise difficult time in their lives: “Their weekly engagement and reflections about what they learned showed me that they really valued this experience, and that they really needed it, too.”

Earlier this year, the Solano County Water Agency, the cities and county of Solano, and local wastewater agencies came together in full support of funding Solano RCD’s virtual water education programs. The next step was adapting program curriculum and training environmental educators to successfully deliver digital content.

“Our team of educators strive to do their best to engage with students through virtual adventures to our parks and open spaces,” adds Butler. “They teach with their full heart and work to connect with students on a level they have never had to before.”

To help keep the virtual experience engaging, program educators implement chat boxes, games, polls, mindfulness activities, and movement to help students process what they are learning and interact at levels in which they are most comfortable. On the field trip, students also get to step away from the computer and explore their own surroundings, nature journal, and write poetry. Back on screen, they may find themselves getting excited over a glimpse of a curious river otter poking its head out of the water or a great egret taking flight as a train passes by.

For more than a decade, Solano RCD has provided thousands of Solano County K-12 students a variety of in-person water education programs featuring hands on lessons, field trips, and preparatory activities. Things changed in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shelter-at-home orders went into effect. The agency began looking for ways to adapt its education programs for the 2020-2021 school year by surveying teachers, collaborating with school district administrators, and participating in virtual teaching workshops.

“Our programs have adapted drastically in response to COVID-19 and this year has been in flux with program changes occurring each week,” stated Marianne Butler, Environmental Education Program Director for the RCD. “However, our core messages have not changed. We continue to teach students about our local water resources in an interactive way and rouse curiosity about our outdoor spaces. We want students to be life-long observers of our natural world as well as stewards of local natural treasures like Suisun Marsh.”

Solano RCD is a non-regulatory special district to the state of California that works to protect, restore, and enhance Solano County watersheds through its diverse education, restoration, and partnership efforts. Its environmental education programs serve over 10,000 students annually with funding support from Solano County Water Agency, the cities and county of Solano, Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District, Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District, Vallejo Water Conservation Program, the Greater Vallejo Recreation District, California State Parks Habitat Conservation Fund, and Potrero Hills Landfill. Learn more at solanorcd.org or call (707) 678-1655.