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Honor flows to stream-savvy students
Mira Loma earns an award for its creek study.
By Bill Lindelof -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, December 19, 2004
It's not a blue ribbon at the science fair.
Instead, an innovative environmental project at Mira Loma High School has garnered a top statewide honor.
The Arcade Creek Project, part of the rigorous International Baccalaureate study program at the high school, has been awarded what state officials call their most prestigious environmental honor.
Mira Loma students and teachers accepted the annual Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award this month at a formal ceremony in downtown Sacramento. The school is part of the San Juan Unified School District and can accept students from all over the district through an open-enrollment process.
"We were just thrilled," said Cindy Suchanek, one of the teachers involved in the Arcade Creek Project, a detailed study that focuses on the health of the urban stream. "The kids were just jazzed."
Phil Yau, 18, a senior, called the award "an amazing honor." Just being involved in the creek project is a reward, because it is a great way to gain an awareness of the environment, Yau said.
"Before when I looked at the creek, all I saw was water," he said. "But now I know so many nuances of the creek. I have learned of organisms in the sediment and how botany reflects the health of the stream."
The award was presented at the California Environmental Protection Agency headquarters, where Mira Loma was recognized along with other innovative businesses, individuals, institutes and organizations.
Others honored included Yosemite National Institutes, the energy-efficient Joe Serna Jr. Cal-EPA building and O'Neill Sea Odyssey, a floating classroom founded by wet suit innovator Jack O'Neill.
The Arcade Creek project was one of four recognized in the "Environmental Education" category. State officials lauded the project as "a benefit to the community" offering "exceptional service learning."
About 200 students each year participate in the field study of Arcade Creek, a suburban stream that winds through the area near the school at Edison and Eastern avenues.
The stream provides birds and animals with a riparian habitat and is a vital flood-relief channel for the area. But it also has been Mira Loma's outdoor laboratory for the past six years.
Eleven student teams each year tackle different disciplines at six field sites along the creek. The students must complete their study project and put in at least 40 hours of work.
The sites are along the stream from Haggin Oaks Golf Course to where the creek intersects with Garfield Avenue.
The overall goal of the project is to monitor and analyze the seasons and trends along Arcade Creek to develop a better understanding of the stream.
The teams include those specializing in vertebrate census, assessment of fauna, stream mapping, habitat study, water chemistry analysis, sediment analysis, restoration and outreach to the community.
Students work with groups such as the U.S. Geological Survey, California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento County Storm water Quality Program and the California Native Plant Society.
Last year, the project was granted $94,000 from the federal government through the Department of Education to improve the program through June 2007 with equipment and more student training.
More than 1,000 students have participated in the project, which is geared toward juniors and seniors.
Benefits are many for the creek: removal of invasive, non-native plants, comparison of soil erosion over time and a blueprint of the creek's overall health.
The work is done after school and on weekends. "It's amazing what these kids can do," Suchanek said.
Two years ago, the chemistry team learned of a chlorine spill in the creek. The contamination was reported to the county so the origin of the problem could be found.
Suchanek is not sure if the origin was found, but the chlorine count decreased rapidly. Students also have detected high pesticide counts in the water.
"This kind of data gives the kids the real hands-on experience of really doing science," she said.
Recent information has revealed a lack of two bird species along the creek: burrowing owls and California valley quail. The vertebrate census group is investigating.
"Those birds should be there," said Suchanek, who said the absence could be caused by feral cats. "That gets into the issue of an introduced species - the cats. What do we do about those cats?"
Students said they enjoy the project because they feel they are learning science skills, an outdoor lab is part of the process and the work benefits the community.
Katie Jensen, 17, a senior, is in the restoration group, plotting how to rid the creek of trash and red sesbania, an invasive plant that has spread from gardens to the riparian corridor.
"Just about every Saturday, we try to take out the sesbania," she said.
Manvir Dhaliwal, 17, a senior, maps the creek, using sonar range finders. The maps reveal how the creek changes from year to year.
The experience fits in with Dhaliwal's goal of being a mechanical engineer. He has lived less than a a mile from Arcade Creek most of his life, but until taking part in the project, he never knew the ecology of the stream.
"I love the project," he said. "It's very hands-on. You find out how much the creek is affected by humans."
About the writer:
- The Bee's Bill Lindelof can be reached at (916) 321-1079 or blindelof@sacbee.com.
A collection of tiny unidentified fish was found in a pool of water near the creek. Sacramento Bee/Brian Baer
Mira Loma High School student Kim Lianthamani counts small crustaceans in a water sample from Arcade Creek as part of a detailed study of the urban stream. Sacramento Bee/Brian Baer