Friday, August 10, 2007
Exhibit Halls 1 and 2, San Jose McEnery Convention Center
Heidi L. Ballard1, Mary Kimball2, Rachel S. Schwartz3 and Nina Suzuki2, (1)School of Education, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, (2)Center for Land-Based Learning, Winters, CA, (3)Animal Science, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA
Combining ecological restoration and service-learning at the high school level offers both conservation and educational benefits. The complex ecological issues found in working agricultural landscapes provide a unique context for restoration education. The SLEWS (Student and Landowner Education and Watershed Stewardship) program of the Center for Land-Based Learning partners high school science classes with ecologists from public agencies and non-profit organizations to implement ecological restoration projects on private lands in the Central Valley of California. From 2004-2006, students from 23 schools planted 11,383 trees and shrubs, 61,070 native grass plugs, and built and installed 80 bird and bat boxes. During this time participating students, ecologists, and landowners were surveyed to determine what the restoration project outcomes were as well as attitude changes on the part of all participants. Over 68% of SLEWS students reported an increase in their awareness of their natural surroundings and appreciation for their local environment. Over 75% percent of students reported feeling that the work that they did with SLEWS will benefit society, and that “making a difference” was their favorite part of the experience. Ecologists and restoration partners reported that although working with students was not as cost-effective as other methods of implementing restoration projects, they were willing to pay more to include an educational experience for students in the project. They also reported a difference in the response to restoration projects by landowners; that is, landowners were more knowledgeable and interested in sustaining projects on their land as a result of student participation. Our results indicate that programs like SLEWS not only accomplish extensive restoration projects, but also educate students and landowners about the principles and goals of ecological restoration.
