Creek Freaks Program Leaders Training

 October 15, 2012 - 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

October 16, 2012 - 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Oakland Zoo

9777 Golf Links Road

Oakland, CA

We invite you and others in your organization to participate in the Creek Freaks Program Leaders Training workshop to learn how to connect children ages 10-14 with nature using streams as living classrooms. At this workshop you will learn concepts of stream ecology, how to run hands-on stream exploration activities from the Holding Onto the GREEN Zone Action Guide, and how to use www.creekfreaks.net to enter stream data, photos, and videos. You will also learn how to monitor water quality using chemical, physical, and biological monitoring techniques. Whether you are looking for exciting hands-on activities for an existing or new youth program at your organization, Creek Freaks is an excellent way to share your love of the outdoors with kids in your community.

Following the workshop, you will be qualified to:

• Connect children with nature using streams as living classrooms.
• Volunteer with a Creek Freaks program to run activities after school and on weekends for local youth.
• Set up a Creek Freaks program for your own organization. We suggest you bring several volunteers or staff from your organization to the workshop for training.
• Incorporate exciting hands-on stream exploration activities whenever you engage middle school students in stream studies or other outdoor education programs.
• Upload your streamdata, photos, and videos to the www.creekfreaks.net Web site.

This Creek Freaks program is a partnership of the Izaak Walton League of America, Golden Gate Audubon Society, City of Oakland Office of Parks and Recreation, and the Oakland Zoo. Funding for the program was provided by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Coastal Programs, and the U.S. Forest Service.
  

FAQs and Questions

Please dress for the outdoors and bring waders if you have them. We will be wading in a stream.  If you don't have waders, you can wear closed-toed shoes that you don't mind getting wet. We will be traveling in the afternoon to a nearby stream for the field portion of the workshop. 

The $30/person registration fee includes lunch on both days, books/field guides, and free admission to the zoo, which you can explore during your lunch breaks.  

Parking: $7 per day.  Public transportation to the zoo is also available.  Please see the zoo Web site for more information: www.oaklandzoo.org/Planning_Visit.php.

If you have further questions about the program, please contact Leah Miller at lmiller@iwla.org or 301-548-0150 x219.