McDowell School STRAW Project

Restoring The Sonoma Baylands
McDowell Third Graders’ Watershed Restoration Project
STRAW: Students and
Teachers Restoring a
Watershed. That’s what we
did. We worked hard and we
worked together. Our efforts
will transform a small piece
of bare earth into a lush
habitat for hundreds of
animals, some of which are
endangered.
We made a difference!
Restoring The Sonoma Baylands
Written by Mrs. Praetzel’s Third Grade Class
McDowell Elementary School
Petaluma, California
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When we first arrived at the Sonoma Bay lands, the STRAW staff
showed us where we were going to plant and gave us instructions.
We were so excited. The Sonoma Baylands was a beautiful place. There was
lots of grass, soil, plants, and weeds. Beautiful white birds were swimming in the
water. We saw Mount Diablo, Mount Tamalpais, rocks, burrows and hills. It
smelled like mud and a little salty. There were colorful flags in the dirt that
showed us where to plant. When we were walking, we tried not to step in the
puddles. Although it was cloudy and windy and some people were cold, we were so
elated because we finally we were able to go on our field trip. We had already had
to reschedule our trip twice due to bad weather. We were greeted by the STRAW
staff and we felt so good to be there.
The STRAW staff were nice and helpful. The staff explained how to use the
tools. They show us how to plant the plants and told us the names of them. They
told us to be careful with each plant. When we were done planting we had to yell
out “PLANT INSPECTION!” They knew a lot about the plants. They were
proud of us because we worked very hard.
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We listened carefully to the staff because they were showing us how
to plant and how to use the tools.
The STRAW staff gave us tools to use and showed us where to get a
plant.
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There were three tools we used during our field trip. The tools were gloves,
shovels and a spiky thing called a McLeod. We used the gloves for protecting our
hands, to avoid getting splinters, and to keep our hands clean. We used a shovel
to dig a hole for our plants. Sometimes we jumped on the shovel because the soil
was so hard. We used the McLoud f or tearing out dry grass and weeds. Also we
used it to make ground flat.
Planting was fun but it was important to plant correctly it in the dirt. First, we
had to get ready so we could start planting. Second, our team went to our planting
place. Next we had to take out the tough weeds that were in the dirt. After a while
we both had to dig a deep hole big enough for the plant. Meanwhile, we had to take
the plant out of the plastic container and put it in the soil. Finally, we placed the
young native plant in the ground push it down the dirt.
All the kids were so excited! We were working hard as a team. We were
planting the plants together. We were taking turns planting the plants. When we
dug the hole, if the ground was too hard, one person held the shovel and the other
jumped on it. Then we helped each other get the plant out of the container and one
person put the plant in the hole while the other one filled in the hole with dirt. It
felt good working as a team!
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Team work is going around!
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We are working hard together to get the job done!
We are all ready to plant! Get your tools!
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Before we could dig we had to scrape away the weeds.
We had to take the plants out carefully.
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There are many animals in the wetlands habitat. Many of them are
endangered species. We saw lots of interesting birds, centipedes, grubs and other
insects. As we passed we saw many animal homes like tunnels and holes. In them
there could have been skunks, foxes, moles or rabbits. The plants we planted will
provide food and protection for the animals.
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We could see the plants that other classes had planted. They had
grown to be bright, big, and green. The new habitat had come to life!
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As we walked back to the bus we saw that the tide had flowed out of
the wetlands. The water had flowed back into the ocean.
While we were there we saw many kinds of birds hunting for fish.
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Many parents helped on our Sonoma Baylands STRAW field trip. They
helped us plant the plants. Elvis’ mom came, Arisbeth’s mom came, Eric’s
mom came and Sergio’s dad came too. The parents were nice to us and
kept us safe. They helped us with everything on the field trip.
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We appreciated that they were so nice and that they came and
donated their time to help us.
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At the end of the day we had a closing circle and we talked about everything we
had done and learned that day. The STRAW Staff asked us if we knew why we’d
done what we’d done that day. We did know. We had helped to restore the
wetlands, replant the animals’ habitats and prevent the extinction of the wetland
animals. We felt proud and good because we were united in our effort to do this
hard and important work.
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We had a wonderful day on our STRAW field trip. We worked hard
and our work will make a difference.
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A Sincere Thank You!
We would like to thank the following parents who took the time
to come with us and helped make our project fun, safe and successful:
Veronica Alcantara, Lidia Pos, Sergio Hernandez and Ortencia
Gramajo.
We would also like to express our gratitude to the STRAW staff
and volunteers who showed us how to plant and taught us about the
wetlands: Stephanie Nelson, John Parodi, Laurette Rogers, Leia
Giambastiani, Vanessa Wyant and Mike Rogers.
Finally we would like to appreciate the flexibility of the Petaluma
City Schools Transportation Department who helped us reschedule
our trip several times due to rain.
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