Grades: 5th - 8th

Water is important to human survival and quality of life, as well as to the survival of the forest and the wildlife in it. Cave Creek, the stream that flows out the mouth of Oregon Caves, is a headwater tributary to the Illinois River, one of the few major salmon spawning rivers in the Pacific Northwest without a dam. Deer Creek also flows into the Illinois River near Siskiyou Field Institute's (SFI) research station. 

Oregon Caves has partnered with SFI to provide a high quality, experiential, watershed program: Through the Mountains and to the Valley.

• Watershed Program Flyer (pdf)

Students have the opportunity to visit the top of a watershed and watch part of it flow underground inside of Oregon Caves. Then students continue following the water's journey at SFI's research station.

To prepare students for their field trip, a Park Rangers and SFI's environmental educator provide interactive presentations about watersheds during classroom visits.

While on their field trips to the monument and SFI's field station, students compare and contrast different aspects of the watershed by learning more about the background of each site and conducting water quality tests.

Program Logistics

Teachers can select from the following choices depending on the time constraints and level of interest.

1. Students receive a classroom presentation, followed by a field trip to each site. Teachers can decide if they would like to have two day trips, or more closely link the experience by staying over night at the SFI's research station. These visits could also be spread out over the academic year: one visit in the fall, one visit in the spring.
2. Students will receive a classroom presentation and then go on a field trip to one site. During that field trip students will receive some information about the other sites watershed for comparison. Information on the web will also help give students a virtual snapshot of the site they did not visit.
3. Students will receive a classroom visit about watersheds. Teachers can use the pre and post activities in the classroom, and then use the web to access data put up by other students to conduct watershed activities.