Middle School Experiential Watershed Education
With the help of volunteers and environmental educators, RCA leads annual watershed education field trip programs that reach all 6th graders in Albemarle County’s five public middle schools, and all 7th graders in the City of Charlottesville’s public middle school.
During these field trips, students visit a local waterway near their school and participate in scientific water quality testing, benthic macroinvertebrate sampling, active learning games, and nature exploration activities. Students evaluate how the condition of a watershed impacts stream health through data-driven comparisons of waterways in different locations.
This program ensures that nearly all middle school students in the Rivanna River watershed can benefit from a field experience that promotes a deeper understanding of the importance of stream health, inspires watershed stewardship, and builds a greater sense of confidence and connection to the outdoors, leading to improved health of the watershed and the community.
This program also promotes environmental stewardship by directly engaging students in watershed improvement action projects, like tree planting, whenever possible.
Get Involved!
RCA is hosting field trips for 7th grade students from Charlottesville Middle School on October 6th, 7th, and 8th and we need your help! Students will rotate through activities with benthic macroinvertebrate sampling, forest nature walks, and various ecology-related games.
Frequently Asked Volunteer Questions
Do I need prior education experience?
No experience is required, but we do ask that you have an interest in working with students.
Will I be leading a group alone?
No! We will pair new volunteers with our experienced volunteers.
Can I learn more about the activities before the field trips?
Yes! We will host a virtual volunteer orientation on Monday, October 5th at 7:30 PM to walk through each activity.
Do I have to sign up for every day of programming?
No! Sign up for as many or as few days as you’d like. However, if you do sign up to help every day, you will receive RCA rock star status!
What time is the programming?
Each day, volunteers will work from 9:15 AM to 1:15 PM. This gives time for setup, programming, and packing up