Peer Mentor Program

In conjunction with the Willamette-Laja Twinning Partnership, the Marys River Watershed Council and the Institute for Applied Ecology hold a three-day summer workshop for our Peer Mentor program.

At this workshop, 12-20 high school students from the Corvallis and Philomath areas learn about ecosystem concepts, environmental education, and how to teach lessons to dual-immersion (Spanish-English) third-grade students.

First, students participate in the environmental lessons themselves, conducting hands-on study of plants, birds, terrestrial insects, and aquatic macroinvertebrates. Next, students practice teaching these different stations, in English and Spanish, to each other and give and receive peer feedback. On the third day, students take a guided canoe trip on the Willamette River in order to observe river issues and watershed health.

During the school year, these peer mentors assist in the third-grade classroom lessons and teach the environmental lessons for the Bald Hill Farm spring field trips.

This program is supported by the Institute for Applied Ecology and sponsored by Meyer Memorial Trust and the Gray Family Foundation. 

For a review of the 2019 workshop, check out this blog post.

Students attend the three-day workshop at Bald Hill Farm.
Students learn insect identification as part of the summer workshop.
Students identify plants along the Willamette River.