2018 Truckee River Educational Adventure

Overview

The 2018 Truckee River Source to Sea Educational Paddling Adventure was the second year of a unique adventure-based watershed education program. Over the 2017/2018 school year, the 2017 Student Ambassador team gave presentations to their peers at their respective schools, sharing their experience and knowledge gained from exploring the Truckee River watershed the previous summer. A total of 1,100 students were reached at 7 middle schools throughout the watershed (South Tahoe Middle School, North Tahoe Middle School, Creekside Charter School, Forest Charter School, Sierra Expeditionary Learning School, Alder Creek Middle School, and Archie Clayton Middle School).

During the spring of 2018, Rivers For Change led three on-shore learning events with the South Tahoe Middle School, Sierra Expeditionary Learning School, and North Tahoe Middle School. Approximately 115 students participated in those learning events, which included hands-on learning exercises and presentations related to water based recreation safety, stream channel restoration, water supply allocations, water use management and water quality.

The 2018 Truckee River StS project then culminated in a 6-day exploration of the Truckee river watershed with a 14-member Student Ambassador team, representing 6 different middle schools. Four members of this year’s team were returnees from last year and performed as mentors to the ten new student ambassadors.

Team

The 2018 Student Ambassador Team consisted of 10 new members and 4 mentor members from last year, representing middle schools from 4 different school districts throughout the Truckee River Watershed.

Core Team

Sue Norman

Team Leader

A long time river enthusiast, starting at the tender age of 2.5 on family canoe trips in the Ozarks. In addition to a lifetime of recreational pursuits on rivers, she was also a member of several US whitewater kayaking and rafting teams, competing on rivers all over the world. Her accomplishments include winning the National Whitewater Kayak Slalom Championships in 1982, and several world championships as a member of the US Women’s Whitewater Rafting Team. In 2016, Sue retired from a 27 year career as a hydrologist with the US Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. During her career, she and her staff completed numerous watershed, stream channel, and meadow restoration projects throughout the Tahoe Basin (including the Upper and Middle Truckee River) in collaboration with a wide variety of state and local partners. She currently lives in Truckee, CA with her partner Lisa and her seven year old son Seth.

Student Ambassador Mentors

returning members from 2017 Team

Laurel Mary Rose Anderson

Age 11

Laurel has always had a deep appreciation for the beauty and power of the river. She grew up rafting and kayaking with her family primarily on the Arkansas, Kern, American, and Truckee rivers. She has done multi-day expeditions on the San Juan and Green Rivers of Utah, as well as the Rogue and Klamath Rivers of California. Laurel’s mother was a long time raft guide all over the country, and her love of rivers has evolved into to her present volunteer work with Friends of the River where she gets to share this love and appreciation with Laurel and her younger sister in a way that promotes the protection and preservation of these beautiful resources. Laurel paddled for Paddle to the Capital with FOR last year and is excited to take her commitment to and love for the river to the next level as a Student Ambassador with Rivers for Change. Laurel also enjoys being on the snowboard team at Northstar California, swim team, and competing in soccer. She is currently working on her Silver Award through Girl Scouts, compiling all of the various volunteer opportunities for middle schoolers in Truckee/Tahoe. She also enjoys supporting green action in her community by participating in the McConkey Eco Challenge with SELS, the Eco Action team through the Sierra Watershed Educational Partnerships, Friends of the River, and Rivers for Change. (Sierra Expeditionary Learning School, Truckee, California).

Quinn Goddard

Age 11

Rivers have been part of my life since I was born. I love rafting and kayaking. Both my parents are river guides. My dad owns Bio Bio Expeditions so I’ve been lucky to raft around the world including: the Futaleufu in Chile, the Chilko in British Columbia, and lots of rivers in the USA. Every year I go to Chile and this year I paddled my first class 5 rapid in a raft. My favorite river is the Futaleufu in Chile. For three years I’ve gone to junior river guide camp on the American River. When I grow up I want to be a river guide. In my IK I’ve done a class 4 and now I’m getting back into kayaking. This year I’m hoping to get my roll better and then do a combat roll. I can’t wait to go on the Truckee river with everyone and meet new people. Besides having fun I’m excited for this trip to learn about the Truckee river watershed and river conservation. I want to share my love and respect for rivers with my friends and family. (Alder Creek Middle School, Truckee, CA)

Tobin DuBois

Age 10

I have paddled on the Grande Ronde, San Juan, Labyrinth, Carson and Truckee rivers, to name a few. I enjoy play boating and river running in whitewater kayaks; I also enjoy rafting and boogie boarding on rivers. I have chosen to be a river ambassador since the Truckee is my local river and I want to make sure it stays pristine river and a place I can always come to kayak and meet other river people. (Roy Gromm Elementary School, Reno, NV).

Chloe Tippett

Age 10

On the river, I am home. I have been going on river trips since I was a baby. I have spent more days than I can count on the South Fork of the American River. And have swum almost every rapid! In the summer, my family takes me and my brother on a month long rafting road trip to places like the Lower Klamath and the Lower Salmon. I love it so much that I never want to leave. A few years ago, we even did a very long trip that connected the Middle Fork of the Salmon, the Main Salmon, and the Lower Salmon. I have been down the river on oar boats, catarafts, paddle boats, inflatable kayaks, hard shell kayaks, and paddle boards. I got my first hard shell kayak when I was 4 years old. I learned to roll in the pool when I was 7. But, I’m still working on my river roll! I have taken Junior Guides Rafting Camp, as well as kayaking classes in Coloma. I have also completed an adult Swift Water Rescue course. I want to go on this trip to learn more about the Truckee River and then teach it to kids in my school. I want to do this so that kids know what is happening to their environment and together we can help fix some of the problems. I also want to spend time with other kids that feel the same way that I do about the river. (Creekside/Squaw Valley Preparatory, Olympic Valley, CA)

Student Ambassadors

Erin Yamaoka

Age 12

I have always loved the water. My family has a boat on Fallen Leaf Lake and I have been on it every summer for as long as I can remember. Some things that I enjoy are swimming and paddling around on a surfboard. Even though I don’t have much experience with rafting or kayaking, I am excited to learn new skills and raft/kayak down the Truckee River. I am also excited to learn about the Truckee River and its ecosystem because it will improve my knowledge of the river and allow me to educate others about the Truckee River.

Cormac Linde

Age 12

Cormac is a keen actor, traveller and honor roll student at Alder Creek Middle School. After spending the first few years of his life in England he moved to the Bay Area in 2008 and Truckee in 2017. While river kayaking is new he’s spent plenty of time on the water – with his grandparents sailing in the mediterranean and his parents and three brothers backpacking through Asia, India and Africa in 2016.

Nolan Panardo

Age 11

Nolan is currently in the 6th grade, loves learning, and is very engaged with all aspects of it. Since he was very young he has had a passion for Science. He has learned a lot about Geology. His best subject this year is Math, his favorite is Band. Last year he did well enough to enter the GATE program. Currently he is excited to learn about Chemistry and Alchemy. Nolan loves all things water!! He is good swimmer and has spent the last three summers learning to sail at Obexer’s Marina. Learning to kayak will be his next greatest adventure! He loves nature and is fascinated with reptiles, insects, land, and sea animals. He has been camping a number of times and immediately heads for the rivers and streams to check out the life around it. Having more opportunities to fish would make him very happy. Nolan has been practicing Tang Soo Do style of Karate since he was seven and is currently a red belt, with two more tests he will advance to black belt. After attending many of the TERC and SWEP programs over the years, he is looking forward to putting all of those teachings into a hands-on practice with this chance to kayak on the Truckee River. Understanding fish migration, the affects of dams, conservation efforts, along with learning about the ecology of the Truckee, will be an experience that will make him an ambassador to rivers for life.

Will Rich

Age 12

I am an honors student at South Tahoe Middle School, with straight As. I am very interested in participating in the Rivers for Change opportunity as a student ambassador from my school this spring. I would really like and enjoy going on this trip because I love being on the water. I grew up on Fallen Leaf Lake, and I fish every possible opportunity I have either from the shore, in a kayak, or on a boat. Knowing more about the fish and water in the Truckee River water shed would be amazing, and it would be interesting to learn about things I don’t know. I love being educated about the outdoors and really anything I possibly can be, so this would be an amazing opportunity and I would very much enjoy going on this excursion.

Quinn Phillips

Age 11

Quinn is currently president of his class and a straight A student. He is an activist that supports environmental protection, under served youth, and equal rights for all humans. He is a musician that plays the viola, ukelele, and guitar. He is an aspiring actor and singer and performs whenever he has an opportunity. His goal is to attend Cal State Monterey where he plans on studying marine biology. (Lake Tahoe Environmental Science Magnet School, South Lake Tahoe, CA).

Kai Murnane

Age 12

Kai enjoys being outside, playing with his friends, downhill skiing, mountain biking, hiking with his dogs, cross country skiing, dirt biking, snowmobiling and stand-up paddleboarding. He has enjoyed trying many different things such as backcountry skiing and fly fishing. He is a member of the North Tahoe Eco Action Club at North Tahoe School. Kai first experienced whitewater kayaking on the Weber River in Utah in 2015 and has loved the idea of being on the river ever since. He is really excited to be a part of the Rivers for Change program and to spend time on the river learning about the river and its ecosystem.

Charlotte Wagner

Age 11

Charlotte and her family moved to Truckee in 2nd Grade (from Sacramento) to slow down the hectic pace of “city living” and spend more time exploring the beautiful outdoors. Charlotte has had a curiosity for nature and her surroundings as long as her parents can remember. She loves horseback riding, skiing, and traveling the world with her family. She’s spent a lot of time exploring beaches and playing in the water all over the world. She thinks the best part about the Rivers for Change program will be spending time on and learning more about the river that runs right through her hometown!

Oliver Dean

Age 12

I am interested in doing this trip because I feel like it will give me a better grasp of the Truckee river and how modern day equipment is affecting/going to affect it. In addition to that, I would like to learn about the aquatic life living in the river. Finally, I would like to know how many different watershed places there are and where they are.

Ellie Bormann

Age 12

Ellie moved to Truckee two years ago from the corn fields of Iowa. She immediately fell in love with the mountains and all they have to offer. She enjoys new adventures and challenges. She is persistent, hardworking, and always looking for something new. She takes full advantage of summer camps exploring the mountains and lakes including hiking, swimming, kayaking, and paddle boarding. Ellie is extremely excited about the adventures and learning opportunities that she will experience with the Rivers for Change program and is honored to have been selected.

Ava Shepp

Age 12

Ava is a nature and animal lover who loves getting involved and has a taste for adventure. She volunteers at the Truckee Humane Society socializing kittens and bunnies. She loves a challenge and trying new things; she has joined Swim Team, Water Polo, Cross-Country Skiing and Running, and Soccer. She is a straight A student and loves learning and reading. When she’s not reading or playing sports, she can be found on an adventure with her family camping, surfing, paddle-boarding, hiking, catch-and-release fishing, and exploring!

Stewardship

During two days of the exploration the 14-member student team also participated in hands-on stewardship consisting of a beach clean-up on Lake Tahoe on Day 2 (coordinated by the League to Save Lake Tahoe), as well as a river cleanup on the Truckee River below Reno on Day 5.

Both clean up days had a powerful impact on the team. During the first clean-up day along a ½ mile stretch of Lake Tahoe shoreline, the trash collected consisted mostly of many small pieces of plastic and over 170 cigarette butts. The lesson learned on this day was about the pervasive nature of plastic, its longevity in the environment, and the harm it presents to the environment. The team also spent time with an AmeriCorps volunteer from the Tahoe Environmental Research Center learning about efforts to restore and monitor Lake Tahoe clarity.

On Day 5, we learned about the nature of trash on the river created by large urban areas, including homeless encampments. Two rafts and five inflatable kayak/paddle cats were filled to capacity about 2/3 of the way through a 7-mile stretch of river. Six adult volunteers joined 13 members of the student team during this full day of trash cleanup. Trash included rubber tires, an industrial size recycling trash can (which we used to then store smaller garbage), many plastic bag “blossoms”, cans/bottles, broken pieces of Styrofoam, broken pieces of plastic, and old clothes. The entire team was astounded by the sheer magnitude and wide variety of trash trapped in the river banks and floodplain. At the end of the day, the team met with an AmeriCorps volunteer working with ONE Truckee River to learn about larger community efforts in Reno to perform ongoing river clean-ups, education, and address the problem of homeless encampments along the river.

Videos from the 2018 Adventure

Partners

Watershed Partners: There are numerous entities throughout the watershed working to restore and protect water quality and effectively manage water quantity throughout the watershed. The links below will take you to the websites of the river/watershed stewardship partners we are highlighting through our project, to connect communities to the issues affecting their backyard river. Thank you to these partners!