Protect and Enjoy: Land Trust Lands as Outdoor Classrooms
For the Truckee Donner Land Trust, public access and recreation are key parts of our mission. You may already be familiar with the Land Trust’s trails, boats at Independence Lake, huts at Frog Lake and the campground at Webber Lake. Beyond that, we also work with our partners in Truckee and on Donner Summit to host interpretive hikes and outdoor classrooms for people that otherwise may not have the opportunity to experience these special places.
One such partner, Headwaters Science Institute, brings students outdoors with programs ranging from a girls’ science camp at Webber Lake to numerous field trips to Land Trust properties throughout the area.
When Megan Seifert started the Headwaters Science Institute in 2014 with the help of Spencer Eusden and Mary Ellen Benier, Seifert saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between traditional science curriculum with outdoor education that focuses on leadership and personal growth –bringing science to life for young students.
“I felt there was a chance for transformation, a deeper connection through engaging in the process of science in nature, and taking advantage of curiosity – kids have a ton of it and we don’t utilize it enough,” Seifert said.
She saw a gap between classroom science education that relies heavily on memorization and repetitive laboratory work, and the explorative, self-driven aspects of scientific learning.
“Teachers regularly tell me they are unable to get through to a particular student all year, and now they’re leading a research project in the field and taking their studies home,” Seifert said. “We really end up engaging with a lot of kids that otherwise wouldn’t.”
In a survey of participating students, Headwaters reports that 90 percent of students learned something they would not have in a traditional classroom setting, interest in science-related careers increases by up to 63 percent, and 90 percent enjoy science more after participating.
“In 2019 we had a student who did the girls science summer camp at Webber Lake who had never spent real time in the mountains, and wasn’t sure about getting into college,” Seifert said. “She fell in love with Webber Lake, threw herself into another program, and is now a biology major in college.”
Even with the abundance of public lands in the regions, Seifert said that the Land Trust and its lands have proven to be an ideal fit for her work.
“On Land Trust lands there’s another dimension to the story – they learn why saving the land was important,” Seifert said. “Recreation is great – but truly learning about the land and connecting that to science really makes this partnership.”
“The Land Trust really values our partnership with Headwaters Science Institute as it helps further our goal to get a a broader and more diverse range of people - particularly youth - onto our lands,” said John Svahn, executive director of the Land Trust.
For example, the newly protected Truckee Springs property in downtown has added an easily accessible venue for the institute’s newest summer day camp program.
“There are kids that don’t get as many outdoor experiences as others because of the perception that you need to be a hardcore climber or skier to enjoy the outdoors. Headwaters introduces kids other ways to be outside and care about being outside,” Seifert said.
To learn more about Headwaters Science Institute, go to headwatersscienceinstitute.org, or join the Land Trust on a free docent hike at Webber Lake. The hike explores lower Lacey meadow while visiting the Headwaters campers’ interpretive stations (stay tuned for details later this spring).