News Release

Students Becoming Citizen Scientists

Students from Orchard Mesa Middle School Pose for a Selfie

Riverside Education Center

News Release Date: January 26, 2022

Contact: Arlene Jackson, 970-858-2833

Contact: Samantha Heinritz, 970-858-2835

Fruita, CO – Students in the Grand Valley are playing a role in the U.S. Department of Education’s ongoing effort to solve a national problem—the critical shortage of U.S. students with mastery of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills.

Through an exciting out-of-school collaboration implemented by the Department, the National Park Service (NPS), and the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), local students will be conducting scientific observations of the natural environment at Colorado National Monument and learning the relevance of STEM skills in daily life.

Riverside Education Center (REC) in Grand Junction currently provides after-school tutoring and extracurricular activities for students from four middle schools which are a part of the Department’s Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC).  One goal of the 21st CCLC program is to demonstrate the value of STEM skills both inside and outside the classroom, thereby raising student interest in STEM and related professions.

The US Department of Education/NPS/NEEF/REC collaboration will connect students at the 21st CCLC sites with professionals from Colorado National Monument, the Colorado State Forest Service and Colorado Mesa University. The programs offered over the next four months will focus on current natural resource issues such as pinyon pine tree mortality and climate change. By collaborating with professional scientists and NPS park rangers, students will become citizen scientists—members of the public who help conduct environmental observations of use to the scientific community.

Thirty-nine students completed their first field trip last week with a bus ride through the monument. They stopped at various locations to complete mini-missions honing their observational skills, especially related to the pinyon pine trees. Everyone is excited for their next trip. 

Upcoming field trips are scheduled for the middle to end of March. For more information or to schedule an interview please contact Arlene Jackson at Colorado National Monument (970-858-2800) or Kristen Lummis of Riverside Educational Center (970-208-3536).

Winter hours are now in effect at Colorado National Monument. The visitor center is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. For additional information please visit www.nps.gov/colm or call 970-858-2800.

-www.nps.gov-
 

About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.