Each year, ERWIG teams up with the AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Project to host Creek Days, an environmental education fair, which highlights the end of the school year for hundreds of Humboldt County students and teachers. The theme of the event is interconnectedness; throughout the day students learn that every place on earth is in a watershed and everything that happens in a watershed affects the streams, and the salmon! Our hope is that through education and hands on experience, these students will become lifelong advocates for environmental conservation. The location for Creek Days changes each year in order to diversify the schools that are able to attend the event. Past locations have included Freshwater Park, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Trinidad and Pamplin Grove.
Creek Days 2019
This year Creek Days will be back at Gould Grove and will be held from May 14th to May 16th. All schools attending have already been confirmed, they include:
- Toddy Thomas Middle School in Fortuna – 5th grade
- Mattole Unified (Mattole School and Honeydew School) – K – 6th grade
- Whitethorn Elementary School – 2nd – 6th grade
- Casterlin Elementary School in Blocksburg – TK – 7th grade
- Briceland Learning Center/Beginnings Inc./Skyfish School – K – 6th grade
- Cutten School in Eureka – 3rd grade
- Bridgeville Elementary School – 2nd – 5th grade
- Eagle Prairie Elementary in Rio Dell – 2nd & 3rd grade
Creek Days 2018
Creek Days 2018 was held in Gould Grove on May 8th, 9th and 10th. Approximately 400 children attended from eight different schools. The children were led along a loop trail in an old growth redwood forest, stopping at educational booths along the way. Booths included long time favorites, such as scats and tracks, macro-invertebrates, and the erosion table. We also had some brand new booths including fire ecology and a CA State Parks Booth. Smokey the Bear was in the area and decided to stop by. At the end of the day the kids and Smokey did the BioBlitz Dance!
Creek Days is not possible without our generous sponsors and donors. Creek Days 2018 was supported by grants from the McLean Foundation, Humboldt Area Foundation and the Bear River Band Charitable Fund. Donations were generously given by Green Diamond Resource Company, Taco Loco, Cypress Grove, Ramone's Bakery, Rays Food Place, Costco, Grocery Outlet and the North Coast Co-op.
Creek Days is not possible without our generous sponsors and donors. Creek Days 2018 was supported by grants from the McLean Foundation, Humboldt Area Foundation and the Bear River Band Charitable Fund. Donations were generously given by Green Diamond Resource Company, Taco Loco, Cypress Grove, Ramone's Bakery, Rays Food Place, Costco, Grocery Outlet and the North Coast Co-op.
Creek Days 2017
In May of 2017 over 400 children from seven schools attended Creek Days at Freshwater Park. The three day environmental education fair was made up of a dozen booths each of which contained a hands-on activity where the children learned about such topics as the salmon life cycle, erosion, native and invasive plants, wildlife scats and tracks and how to make seed balls. Each booth was staffed by a volunteer who became the student's teacher for the 15 minutes or so each group was at the booth. While walking through the forest between booths a volunteer docent kept the kids entertained and played nature based games with them.
Macroinvertebrate booth where kids learn about and capture the small creatures that live in streams.
The Watershed Model demonstrates how trash and pollution ends up in streams.
A creekside booth gave the children an opportunity to see erosion in action.
The last day of Creek Days was a rainy one. The students and volunteers still had a great day!
At the end of each day all the schools got together and did the BioBlitz Dance!
