Program Contact:
Christina Allen, Sombrero Marsh Director - 303 499-3647

Program Website:
www.thorne-eco.org

Program Overview:
Full day field trip with four stations:

1. "Wetland Walk" (outside) focusing on the importance of wetlands, the variety of plant, animal, and aquatic life at a wetland, the restoration of Sombrero Marsh from a dump to a beautiful natural area, and garbage reduction and resource conservation in general.

2. "Bird Watching" (outside) focusing on migratory birds' dependence on wetlands, bird identification, habitats, weather, and bird adaptations, especially bird beaks that are adapted for specific types of food as part of "niche separation."

3. "Plants and Seed Dispersal" (inside) focusing on the form and function of plant parts, the reason for seeds to get away from their parent plant, and the methods of seed dispersal, including adaptations seeds have to enhance their dispersal.

4. "Water Pollution" (inside) focusing on all the different types of "non point-source pollution" and how to prevent them, with the main lessons being that all of us are responsible for NPS pollution, that all pollution eventually goes to the creek, and that pollution is nearly impossible to clean up after the fact, so our best chance of keeping our environment clean is to prevent pollution from our daily lives.

Thorne staff teach the two outdoor stations and BVSD classroom teachers teach the two indoor stations (unless they only have one class and teacher, in which case Thorne staff teaches three stations and the classroom teacher just one station. The field trip is also connected to a kit from the FOSS center entitled "Sombrero Marsh Kit" which teachers can use before or after their Marsh Program. Teachers also receive pre and post activities from Project WILD via email before their program.

BVSD audience:
4th grade classrooms, total of about 1500 students per year.

History (how long has your program operated in BVSD schools):
8-9 years

How do you advertise your program?:
Via email directly to 4th grade teachers

Is your program available upon request?:
Yes, but only for BVSD 4th grade classes, or if a particular school's 4th grade doesn't come, their 5th grade is welcome to come.

How do schools express interest? Who should they contact?:
Christina Allen, Sombrero Marsh Director - 303 499-3647

How much does your program cost schools? How is your program funded?:
BVSD provides the bussing and the building, OSMP provides the open space property, and Thorne provides the teachers. BVSD and Thorne collaborate on the curriculum.

Standards met by your program?:
Plants station Standard 4.1.1 c, d, e, Water Pollution station Standard 4.1.3 b and 4.5.2 a, b, c, Wetland Walk and Bird Watching stations Standard 4.3.1 and 4.3.2