TEP hosts clean water festival

Fourth graders from across Tillamook County descended on Twin Rock Friends Camp on March 19, for the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership’s 23rd annual Clean Water Festival.

The 223 students were joined by representatives from 25 organizations up and down the coast, who helped to educate the kids about the importance of clean water.

Volunteers traveled from as far as Coos Bay and Astoria to participate in the event, representing organizations as diverse as the Oregon Department of Forestry, the Columbia River Maritime Museum and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Throughout the day, students spent half an hour at six different stations that focused on specific themes relating to clean water. Topics at the stations included macroinvertebrates, marine debris, estuary birds, the water cycle, tidepool animals and salmon migration.

Many stations offered activities to bring the subjects to life, ranging from building models of macroinvertebrates with clay to learning how to plant a tree seedling to dissecting an owl pellet. The owl pellet dissection was offered bilingually, as were games simulating salmon migration and the impacts of marine debris on plover nests.

Tillamook Estuaries Partnership focused on increasing accessibility for this year’s festival, providing more information in advance of the festival to help teachers plan. On the day of the festival a quiet space cabin and sensory backpacks with weighted blankets, noise canceling headphones, fidget items and different textured items were made available to facilitate relaxation.

Since 2002, the annual springtime festival has welcomed more than 6,300 fourth grade students from across the county to learn how to be responsible stewards of estuaries.