In Touch With Nature

Madalyn Cruson had mixed emotions about seeing damselfly larvae and tiny copepods up close.

"It's alive! Ewww! Cool!" said the 11-year-old as she studied Tuolumne River insects through her magnifying glass.

For many of Madalyn's classmates at El Vista Elementary School, the Friday afternoon field trip was their first chance to see and touch the river not far from their own back yard.

The students ran their fingers through sand, silt and river rocks and stretched their hands into the water.

"I think it's really cool seeing the animals," said 10-year-old Carmen Jimenez, an aspiring veterinarian.

"She's never been to a river before," added parent chaperone Jim Sifford, who seemed infected with a childlike enthusiasm. "It just blows me away."

Teachers from the Great Valley Museum were on hand to show students how to use Mewuk and Yokut Indian tools and to identify native plants and animals in the river.

"It's better than studying science inside," said Alex Camorlinga, 10, trying out a traditional Mewuk drill.

The "Trekking the Tuolumne" program is in its fourth year in the Modesto area. But a $200,000 grant from the state Department of Water Resources last year helped expand its reach from only a couple of schools to a dozen.

About 1,000 students from Modesto, Hughson and Keyes will go to the river this school year. The Tuolumne River Trust, an environmental advocacy group, runs the yearlong program with field trips, classroom lessons for teachers and science equipment to use in the field.

"Outdoor ed just always gets high marks; it's an experience they remember forever," said Meg Gonzalez, director of outreach education with the Tuolumne River Trust. "We want to offer that experience more frequently and closer to home."

El Vista science teacher Jaime Carmona was pleased to see his students "in touch" with nature.

"They're going to see the river from a different perspective," Carmona said. "They can go home and tell their parents and their siblings."

The students will visit the Great Valley Museum's watershed exhibit this spring. They will finish the year with a schoolwide environmental project, such as planting trees or creating a recycling program.

Bee staff writer Merrill Balassone can be reached at mbalassone@modbee.com or 578-2337.