The Watershed Education Network is developing a new program for families and individuals to independently explore their backyard watersheds and practice citizen science through their own discovery. We hope to help families have fun outdoors while learning about river and riparian science. Providing an activity that any family can do without an in-person WEN facilitator is especially important during COVID and for long-term citizen science accessibility.

We will provide a guide for what to observe, questions to try to answer, and how to collect data. While following the guide’s safety tips, families will go out to a local creek and make observations. They will record these observations as notes, photos, drawings, and/or poems, according to their preference, and share these with the WEN River Community! A limited number of participants will also receive a Family Science kit or a Solo science kit with a few tools and a journal to use while exploring.

WEN is currently conducting a pilot version of this program to determine what to include in Family Science kits and creating a guide that effectively leads parents, families and kids through a range of activities. We will keep you posted on how to participate as we fine-tune our Family or Solo science kits and are able to make more available. Stay tuned! 

If you’re interested or want to join our waitlist, please email water@montanawatershed.org!