Year-round, grades K-12

Students explore two creeks and a pond at the SFI using data from a 2018 Forest Service stream survey.  By looking at the watershed through the eyes of our creeks’ Coho salmon, students learn why watershed science is important, and how to determine what makes a healthy waterway.

Module emphasis: stream inventory/survey, water quality measurements (pH, temp., oxygen) comparing ponds and streams, macroinvertebrates, aquatic food webs, stream retention and flow, salmon life cycle, and human barriers to successful salmon.

Year-round, grades K-12

Students examine the role of fire in ecosystems, what influences spread and intensity, and how fire can be used to maintain ecosystem health.  Due to the 2018 Klondike fire, the 2017 Chetco Bar fire, and the 2002 Biscuit fire, the SFI and surroundings demonstrate extensive successional changes that create the perfect lens for looking at the fires and their role in forests. 

Module emphasis: Human management of forestland, bark beetle study, fireboard study, carbon sequestration, vegetation survey, tree identification, plant adaptation to climate/fire, and exploration of the University of Oregon’s on-site climate study experiment. 

Year-round, grades K-12

Students explore the unique serpentine ecology of this region and the flora that has adapted in its mineral-rich, nutrient-poor soils.  Hosting a Darlingtonia fen and serpentine outcroppings, the SFI property provides ample opportunities for hands-on exploration of insectivorous and endemic plants.

Module emphasis: Tectonic plates, Siskiyou geology, serpentine endemic species, soil testing/comparison (pH, soil type), soil pit analysis, Darlingtonia study, abiotic/biotic relationships.

Year-round, grades K-12

Students practice citizen science by investigating animal and plant biodiversity and their adaptations.  SFI’s property is situated in the heart of the Klamath Siskiyou ecoregion, a global center of biodiversity that harbors more conifers than any other temperate forest in the world, 280 species of flowering plants that are found nowhere else, and an abundant array of wildlife. 

Module emphasis: Plant community exploration and identification, animal adaptations, songbird, and migratory bird observation, habitat requirements, animal specimen investigation, scat exploration, tracking, terrestrial food webs, interspecies communication.

Year-round (depending on weather), grades K-12

A Siskiyou experience like none other! The Ropes Challenge Course at SFI consists of three different elements: Diversity Trail, Vertical Spider Web, and The Bridge is Out (the low elements). Under the direction of our trained facilitators, students connect the challenges they face while completing the course with real-life obstacles, and develop self-confidence, trust, and teamwork.