In partnership with the Department of Natural Resources, HCSEG brings the Students in the Watershed program (SITW) to North Mason students every spring.

The goals of SITW are to connect classroom lessons to their real world context, introduce pathways to environment careers, instill positive environmental values, and create an understanding of ecological interactions between watershed species.

This program begins by teaching watershed concepts to high school students, who then choose a topic to explore further through outdoor investigations and activities. These excursions help students discover their topic’s connection to watershed habitats, watershed systems, natural resources, and local ecosystems.

Following their research, high school students analyze results and create an activity to educate 4th-graders at the final SITW event, which takes place outdoors in the Tahuya State Forest. Activities include identifying and measuring harvestable forest species, studying terrestrial insects and indicator species to identify forest health, and testing water quality. This culminating SITW event brings together over 80 4th grade and 34 high school students for an ideal peer-to-peer learning experience in nature.