Thirteen students participated in a four day excursion to Humboldt County, California, to hike, climb, and learn about environmental issues affecting the area known as the “Lost Coast”.
Science teacher Andy Willats and middle school teacher John White chaperoned the 13 students and organized the trip through Gateway Mountain Center, an institution that specializes in leadership building and environmental education of the Lost Coast area.
Of the thirteen students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, the group was comprised of seven AP Environmental Science students along with six others, all of whom spent two days participating in outdoor adventures such as rock climbing, kayaking, and hiking, while they spent the other two participating in service activities while learning about ecological preservation.
Sophomore Joseph Chan, who is not in AP Environmental Science, said he wanted to go primarily for the experience.
“I knew it would be a great way to have fun and get community service hours,” Chan said.
White said the goal of the trip was for students to enjoy the area of Humboldt and widen their views of the environment and restorative attitudes of ecological systems.
“I wanted to bring some of that restorative culture from the middle school’s Green Team up to the high school through this trip,” White said.
To meet these goals, students participated in service projects such as planting bunch grass to restore prairies and encroached spreading douglas fir trees in the Fern Canyon area of the redwood forest.
Students also learned about the declining populations of wild salmon in the Mattole River, one of the few wild salmon runs on the West Coast that has been recently threatened by forest logging.
Finally, students concluded the trip by engaging in a Bureau of Land Management trail maintenance session, restoring and cleaning trails that give access to certain parts of the Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
“It’s not really about keeping areas pristine anymore,” White said, “It’s about giving more access to areas allows so people care about that area more and more.”
To recap each day, the group held reflective circle discussions at Humboldt State University where they resided during the trip.
“As a science teacher, it was a very nice opportunity to take a break from describing how things work, and to really focus on how you feel with the environment,” Willats said.
Willats also said throughout the trip there was an emphasis on ethics between humans and the environment to promote students to make connections.
“It really changed my views about the environment and everyday society,” junior Kat Ridley said, “I noticed things about rocks, plants, and animals that I never would have before.”
Chan said that he gained also gained more perspective on the workings of nature and how his actions and choices can improve the natural habitat.
Willats and White hope to keep the trip going next year, emphasizing that it is a great way for students to take in nature through learning, as well as acquire hours through hands-on service experience.
