CEEEP students to assess,clean up local habitats

June 7 , 2007

The Columbia Estuary Environmental Education Program (CEEEP) at the Wahkiakum Community Foundation has selected 13 high school students to work on two summer projects in the Cathlamet area. Ten students from Wahkiakum High School and three from the Naselle-Grays River Valley School District were hired.

The advanced group of students who have been in the program before include Kris Parke and Brandi Seaberg from Wahkiakum and Jenny Klinger, Rachelle Thomas and Amanda Wilson from Naselle-Grays River.

The group will be involved in habitat assessment, culvert replacement and noxious weed education efforts. Since Klinger, Thomas and Wilson chose Japanese Knotweed as the subject for their senior projects, their input and mentoring of the first year students will be valuable. Seaberg is the official photographer for the summer and Parke, who worked as an assistant in Wahkiakum High School teacher Jeff Rooklidge's environmental science class during the past school year, will be responsible for gathering all data and putting it into appropriate report formats and spreadsheets. This information is being used by everyone involved in the Nelson Creek restoration project on property newly purchased by the Columbia Land Trust. This group is funded by a grant from US Fish & Wildlife.

The first year group will include Jessica Asmus, Shay Bingham, Whitney Chaput, Amanda Collier, Justin McClain, Brittney Robbins, Madeline Rooklidge and Michael Weiler. This group will be removing Japanese Knotweed and blackberries from the banks of Birnie Creek that runs through Cathlamet. This group is funded by a grant from the Community Salmon Fund.

Rob Dalton, Naselle-Grays River Valley High School teacher, will supervise the five students in the advanced Group. Rooklidge will supervise the first year students. Dr. Rob Stockhouse, Environmental Education Director for the program, will provide oversight for both groups. Having recently gained his State license for herbicide application, Stockhouse will be on site whenever the groups are involved in noxious weed removal.

David Boyd from Hancock Timber has invited all CEEEP students to be on site for a week this summer to help replace one small culvert with a larger one in a fish bearing stream on their timber property. This opportunity will educate students on the extensive work the timber companies do to protect fish. This aspect of the program is very important to illustrate that those who work in forestry also support important fish habitat.

This is the third year for CEEEP summer projects. The students have the opportunity to receive college credit in biology at Pacific University after completing five weeks of summer work in the program. Dr. Stockhouse has made this credit arrangement possible.

Recently, the Wahkiakum Community Foundation received word that an Americorps worker will be available for the 2007-2008 school year to work in both school districts helping to teach science. This is due to support for the program from ESD 112. As sponsors for the CEEEP students and the Americorps individual, WCF trustees are excited about the 2007 program.

"We're very proud of what's happened over the past couple years in our CEEEP projects. Our hope is that these students study forestry, fisheries, earth or environmental science and come back to work here in those fields. Who better to steward our beautiful area than the young people who grew up here?" said Bonnie Linquist, Board President.