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We have initiated a project with Frank J Ney school (upper reaches of Walley Creek) that would take place over three or more years, where we'd invite students and families of the elementary school to get involved with invasive species removal and finding a balance between children accessing the area for exploration and learning while encouraging ecological health. Module 8 of the Streamkeepers handbook is all about preventing domestic animals from having unlimited access to the stream. We sometimes joking refer to the children that play in the riparian area as livestock, but the truth is they can have a very serious negative impact on the plant community by unknowingly trampling everything while engaged in their busy imaginative and construction play. One teacher had the brilliant idea of telling the children that it hurts the trees when their "toes" (exposed roots) get stepped on. After a year of reminding the children, there are now ferns and salmonberry bushes growing up in between the trees "toes" in this place between the school and the creek. An important goal of our Streamkeepers group is providing opportunities for young people and their families to connect to nature, and enjoy the mental health benefits of time outdoors, especially in creative or community-minded endeavors. While we want to limit the children's access to the streambed (to protect aquatic invertebrates, salamanders, frogs, and fish) we want them to KNOW this place and learn with and from its seasonal cycles. We look forward to beginning this project with the school, as a learning opportunity, community building endeavor, and ecological restoration project.   
aerial photo of Frank J Ney Elementary and adjacent green space
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