Camano Students Celebrate Earth Day

Outreach and Education Coordinator, Laura Goff welcomes a group of students at the beginning of the lesson.

“We need water to live.”

When Utsalady Elementary students of Camano Island were asked what they know about water, more than one stated this fact during the Camano Conservation Celebration at the Camano Center on Thursday April 20th. This annual event pairs all of the Utsalady Elementary students with local organizations to learn about conservation and the natural world in honor of Earth Day. The Camano Center generously hosts this delightful learning opportunity and partners with Utsalady Elementary, Snohomish Conservation District, Snohomish PUD & Fire Mountain Solar, WSU Waste Wise, Camano Island/Cama Beach State Parks, and the Friends of Camano Island Parks to provide every student with a range of fun activities.

This year at the Conservation District’s station, students participated in the H2Olympics (how many drops of water can you fit on a penny? In case you’re curious, the record yesterday was 34 drops!), learned why water flows, watched how water ends up in Puget Sound using a relief map, learned where Camano Island’s water comes from compared to the mainland, and how wells get water to our homes. Most importantly, students brainstormed ways to conserve this precious resource.

At other stations students learned about beach litter and plastics, household recycling and hazardous waste, solar power and how it provides electricity for the Camano Center, and they got to touch animals from the State Parks taxidermy collection and walk the trails at the Camano Center, learning about healthy forests and native plants.

We thank our partners for giving us the opportunity to share a fun, educational day with these students, and look forward to planning next year’s activities.