The River Mile Network

The River Mile (TRM) is a network of educators and students collaborating with partners to do real-world science and enhance the health of the Columbia River watershed and beyond, exploring the essential question: “How do relationships among components of an ecosystem affect watershed health?”

Our mission is to connect students and teachers throughout the Columbia River Watershed with the federal, state, and local resource agencies, and organizations to do real-world science. Together they form a network of resource managers, scientists, informal educators, teachers, and students exploring how we simultaneously use and protect our watershed.

TRM is a participant driven approach to learning about, researching and exploring the watershed health of the Columbia River. Participants share best practices, lessons learned, examples, links to resources and real world scientific data. Students and teachers engage in science education outdoors and explore scientific practices through real-world resource projects.

A major feature of TRM is teacher training providing professional development for educators bringing environment, agriculture and natural resources into science education. Training integrates Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) with Common Core English Language Arts and Math, and encouraging groups to use a local area as the focus for learning. 

Participation in networking is one of the key components of The River Mile. Networking tools include: website, electronic newsletters, webinars, training, and virtual community gatherings. Data collection and sharing through ArcGIS Online provide opportunities to collaborate and make a difference.

The main project for TRM is a crayfish study.  The study originated with the biologists at Lake Roosevelt NRA who needed assistance collecting data. Columbia School stepped up to help.  Since then numerous educators, school groups, informal educators and researchers have expressed interest in helping with crayfish research, so the network began creating materials and project opportunities. Today, the Crayfish Study features participants from around the western US and Canada.

Program History

The program began in 2008 at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service, as the park’s main education program for schools located around the lake.  Then Education Specialist, Janice Elvidge, conducted in-the-field programs during spring 2008 with seven schools and 289 3rd-12th grade students from around Lake Roosevelt.

It quickly became apparent that the park would never have the ability to have a park ranger personally serve every single student in every grade every year. So, training teachers became the program’s main focus, and thus, the expansion idea began. By expanding the program to a network of formal and informal educators throughout the Columbia River Watershed, we increased the expertise base, potential training opportunities, and increased the number of people working together to ensure program success. 

As a National Park Service program early funding was from the National Park Service, and the National Park Foundation. In 2020, partner Lake Roosevelt Forum and the River Mile Network were awarded a mulit-year regional EPA grant for the River Mile’s Crayfish Study.  Through this grant five sub-awardee organizations were identified as key partners in the expansion of the Crayfish Study.

Each group received funding to participate in training, incorporate The River Mile’s Crayfish Study into their education programs and into their student and teacher programs.  This was challenging during the pandemic, but many spent the time learning and planning for the time when in-person events were allowed.

In 2021 The River Mile Network began the transition to being a program of Lake Roosevelt Forum.  Lake Roosevelt Forum has been key to the success of The River Mile as financial and administrative custodians since the beginning.  This set in place a great foundation to continue the network beyond the National Park Service.

Funds will be used for management of the network, put on training events and provide educator support. This includes: 

1. Web support: web design, maintenance, repairs, domain fees, associated subscriptions, and online library maintenance and enhancement. 
2. Marketing: tool subscriptions like Constant Contact, development of flyers and registration materials.
3. Networking and Event Support: travel, per diem, registration, personnel, purchase of exhibit and educational materials such as brochures and magnifying rulers, speaker fees and facility fees. 
4. TRM training and crayfish conference: training instructors, training assessment management, training supplies, facilities, travel and speaker fees.
5. Participant support: mileage, substitute teachers, travel costs (lodging, meals, transportation), bus and driver, program supplies. 
6. Administration: budget tracking, communications, program assessments, scheduling, agreements, partnership development and care.