Community Education

River otters offer a wealth of charisma, charm and fun for adults and children to observe and discover. Linking river otter recovery to human efforts to improve watershed health provides a powerful message of encouragement in these environmentally stressful times.

Education about the linkages among healthy otters, healthy watersheds, and healthy communities is as important as scientific research and discovery, and perhaps more important and useful to a wider range of people.

Our conservation goal is always to support and expand the people’s understanding of and passion for stewarding the natural world.

We accomplish this through education and outreach programs, including:

• Community Science Otter Spotter;
• noninvasive research using camera traps and scat collection;
• high school and college internships;
• public presentations for adults and children;
• tabling at environmental events; and
• partnering with agencies and groups to spread the conservation message.

Our yearly Tomales High School Spring Science Symposium supports student understanding of what science is, how it works, and how it supports all of us. Students in 9th grade learn to do basic field research with their science teacher. They gather and analyze their data and prepare a professional-style research poster showing their findings. During our spring symposium, we gather junior and senior students from the AP Environmental Science and Physiology classes to act as a peer panel, viewing and supporting the students’ inquiries, asking questions, and encouraging their contuing studies.

The AP Environmental Science and Physiology students, 11th and 12th grades, conduct similar investigations and studies, building on the skills they learned as 9th graders. After gathering and analyzing data and preparing a poster, they prepare and practice a powerpoint presentation. At the spring science symposium, often attended by most of the school as well as family members and friends, the students present their findings. ROEP gathers a panel of working scientists, policymakers, and community leaders to observe and engage the students in encouraging discussions of their work, hopes, and dreams for continuing their learning.