We have successfully been awarded five years of support for the Elwha Science Education Project, building off of the last two years of program development.  This support will allow us to strengthen the Elwha Science Education Project, boosting our efforts in local schools and expanding our support of programs for the Lower Elwha Klallam and Jamestown S'Klallam Tribes.  Our hope is to inspire and encourage future leaders for the river's restoration and scientific challenges coming in our future. 

Geoscience Program Background

This funding has been awarded by the National Science Foundation as a track two project, allowing us to expand our initial efforts working with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.  The Track 1 project was designed to build a summer program for students in grades 8-12 of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.  The goals of the project were to involve Tribal Elders, parents, and community members in producing a culturally-integrated geoscience education program surrounding a major river restoration project that will be occurring on Tribal lands.  All geoscience activities were woven into an existing summer program for Tribal youth.

Weaving Stories from the Past and Future

A workshop was held in the Fall of 2005 designed to bring together Tribal members with our team of science educators in order to provide the cultural framework for the field activities.  In the summer of 2006, project personnel implemented a one-week, residential, geoscience program at Olympic Park Institute (OPI) with full participation of more than 20 adults from the Lower Elwha Tribe.  All field activities were accompanied by  a story or cultural activity led by a Tribal member along with Klallam language instruction. At the end of the week, students presented the results of their studies to a very well attended gathering of all Tribal members.  The entire community was vested in the project and the outcomes and hopes that some of its young people will become geoscientists to assist with a 20 year effort to restore the Elwha River.  Stay tuned as we help develop new programs to expand this effort.