By Alisa McGowan

Who lives behind Alturas? This is the question eleven enthusiastic Alturas Elementary School 4th and 5th grade Science After School participants answered during this winter’s Science After School session.

Each week, students built on their naturalist skills and worked to determine who lived behind Alturas Elementary School. Students learned to identify scat on a “scat-venger hunt”, animal tracks on a hike, and animal locomotion by working on demonstrations in the school yard. We determined there were definitely coyote, deer, many birds and elk that winter in the hills behind Alturas.

The favorite activities were attempting to demonstrate animal locomotion (it turns out it’s difficult for a person to move like a snowshoe hare!), learning to felt with Keefer, an ERC volunteer, and going hiking. The ERC is grateful to have the opportunity to work with these students and to help cultivate the next generation of environmental leaders.

Science After School is a free six-week outdoor, environmental science program. It is offered each fall at Hemingway STEAM School and Bellevue Elementary School, each winter at Alturas Elementary School and each spring at Hailey Elementary School.

For more information on this program or to support Science After School please contact Alisa McGowan, ERC Program Director, at alisa@ercsv.org or 208-726-4333.