2016 San Diego Science Education Conference

The San Diego River Park Foundation’s youth education programs seek to empower youth to follow protocols used by professional environmental scientists. In this way, youth can contribute to the body of data in a meaningful way through citizen science and at the same time, develop confidence in conducting inquiry-based science. The River Bugs Are Cool field trip is designed to engage students in grades K-8 in conducting a stream bioassessment of benthic macroinvertebrates based on protocols established by the EPA and CA DFW. Students evaluate the species present to draw conclusions about the health of the San Diego River. In 2015, over 1,000 students participated in citizen science field trips to the San Diego River through the River Park Foundation’s programs.