Cruising slowly along Goat Island in their large canoes, fourth and fifth grade Blue Heron students peered through the trees to catch a glimpse of the bulky nests built by their namesake bird, pointing excitedly as the heron rookery came into view. When they passed by pipes discharging stormwater from the banks above, the paddlers shared water quality facts and solutions they'd learned during recent studies about water quality and watersheds.  And as the students carefully practiced paddling in unison, occasionally bumping oars with a neighbor, they expanded their perspective on teamwork.  These were just some of the hands-on experiences enjoyed by both Blue Heron classes as they each spent a day on the Willamette River led by staff from the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership on November 11th and 12th. 

The Partnership began the day with a safety briefing before dividing a given class between their

 two large canoes.  Any concerns about "tippiness" evaporated as the students, staff, and parent volunteers climbed into the very stable boats.  With their expert guides and many paddles in the water, the Blue Herons easily navigated upstream and downstream despite swift currents, their curiosity piqued by wildlife sightings ("listen to that kingfisher!", "was that a weasel?") and the water itself ("cool - look at those whirlpools!").

Returning to shore, the Blue Herons traded paddles for trowels to take part in a service learning project at Meldrum Bar Park, also under direction of the Partnership staff.  Planting native strawberry and Oregon grape, and removing ivy and other plant invaders, the students worked hard to improve habitat and water quality along the very river they'd traveled that morning.  As the day wrapped up, the dirt stains and grins clearly indicated the positive impacts that the Springwater community, the Partnership staff, and the river all left upon each other.