Sierra Streams Institute

Science Education: The Sierra Streams Education Program offers a variety of science instruction options for the youth of Nevada County and beyond. Rooted in the Yuba and Bear watersheds of Nevada County, our program offers an unparalleled educational experience where students of all ages learn core watershed science principles while exploring the rugged beauty of our landscape and waterways. Education programs include the National Science Foundation-sponsored Our Forests forest health curriculum project, databases and support for students to get outside to sites with place-based curriculum, and community education for all ages through our California Naturalists programming. All classes engage students through hands-on and place-based learning while promoting critical thinking and creative problem solving. Common Core Standards and Next Generation Science Standards are woven into all of our subject matter as it is developed.Our Science Education Program has three underlying goals:1- Provide students with a basic understanding of scientific principles through hands-on instruction in our watershed.2- Promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers for rural youth.3- Create a new generation of environmental stewards.

Monitoring and Research:Sierra Streams Institute works with community members to monitor the health of multiple watersheds throughout the Northern Sierra Nevada mountains. These watersheds include Deer Creek, our home watershed, as well as the Bear River, Truckee River, American River, and portions of the Yuba River. Collecting these data regularly over time allows us to see changes, evaluate restoration efforts, and locate sources of potential problems. Our quarterly baseline monitoring collects data on water temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, and turbidity; these vital signs tell us how the creek is doing and what kinds of life can inhabit its waters. We also check nutrient and bacteria levels, which are important for algae growth and safe swimming. Finally, we use benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI), stream-dwelling insect larvae, as bioindicators of stream health throughout all of the watersheds we monitor, connecting BMI communities to water quality and climate change impacts. Sierra Streams Institute's research programs include studies on fire ecology, climate change impacts, and water quality and biological responses in streams. Our laboratory services include nutrient analysis, bacteria analysis and benthic macroinvertebrate sampling and identification. We are the only non-profit water quality laboratory in the region with the capacity to do the suite of analyses we provide, serving as a community partner and resource. Our research activities have also included prior studies on mine waste impacts on human health, educational outcomes of non-traditional science training, and forest health.