Project Description
In 2013, the Nyanza Natural Resource Trustees provided funding to the Massachusetts Audubon Society (Mass Audubon) to establish a program of educational field trips and classroom visits for students to learn about the ecological significance of the Sudbury River. Based on a successful watershed education program developed and run by Mass Audubon, the Sudbury RiverSchools Program partnered with eight local elementary and middle schools to develop an inquiry-based curriculum. Classroom exercises included lessons about the watershed, non-point source pollution, food webs, wetlands, the diverse habitats around the river, and the use of benthic macroinvertebrates as bioindicators for water quality. Hands-on field trips allowed students to observe native wildlife and plants, and learn how to use field equipment, test water quality, and collect data. Some schools also organized guided canoe trips and walks to learn more about river ecology. In several cases where students were not able to go on a field trip, Mass Audubon brought field biologists and live wetland animals to the schools.
The RiverSchools program held workshops for participating teachers on inquiry-based learning and ecological concepts, and to familiarize them with field study equipment, techniques and methods to successfully integrate hands-on field work into the curriculum. In addition, family programming was held at festivals throughout the watershed to teach the community about the ecology of the Sudbury River and promote environmental stewardship. Though the program was only supported by Nyanza settlement funds through the end of the 2016-17 school year, Mass Audubon secured funding through the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Wild and Scenic River Stewardship Council and other sources to continue and expand the RiverSchools program. The program was honored with a 2019 Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education Award by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for its efforts with getting students outdoors to engage with nature along the Sudbury River.
Restoration Land Ownership
County or Municipal; Fish and Wildlife Service; State
Parties Implementing Restoration
Massachusetts Audubon Society, Inc.
DOI Project Representatives
Fish and Wildlife Service