Friday, October 28, 2011

RiverWatch, Cushing Bridge


Photographed by Brent Mykytyshyn
Swerve Magazine
Oct.28.2011

Beneath the bridge: as addresses go, this one has never been desirable. You can blame the Three Billy Goats Gruff (they outsmarted a ravenous troll who lived under a bridge) for this state of affairs, but there’s no getting around the fact that this gloomy locale has a reputation for being home to unsavoury characters and disreputable activities.

But all that changes when the RiverWatch school bus, with its trailer full of rafts, comes to a stop beneath the Cushing Bridge. It attracts people who are eager to learn and who engage in activities approved by science teachers across the province. RiverWatch takes students out on the Bow for a day of hands-on learning that can’t be beat. “We’ve had teachers tell us that one day on the river is like six to 10 days in the classroom,” says Rob Vickers, RiverWatch’s program co-ordinator in Calgary. It seems that when students get their hands wet, concepts like pH, dissolved oxygen and turbidity stick. Vickers also ensures that rafters are familiar with more mundane concepts like “where to sit, and how to paddle.” He also issues the rubber boots and life-jackets.

A day on the river generally lasts about six hours, and goes from the Cushing Bridge to Grave’s Landing at the Glenmore Bridge. Along the way, the rafts—each has its own guide—stop so students can conduct water-quality tests, eat lunch and tour the Bonnybrook Wastewater Treatment Plant. According to Vickers, RiverWatch takes between 5,000 and 6,000 junior-high and high-school students through the facility annually. He adds that the City is an excellent partner; the RiverWatch annual report for 2010 noted that staff at Bonnybrook pitched in to fix the trailer hitch on a RiverWatch bus.

Cold mornings mean that the RiverWatch season (its 17th) is almost over. The last trip is scheduled for Nov. 1, but there are plans to expand the program. It already operates in Edmonton and has worked with schools in Fort McMurray, Drayton Valley and Red Deer. Still, Vickers says the program can’t keep up with demand, but with a few more used school buses and new rafts, he’s confident that both RiverWatch and the Bow will keep right on rollin’ along.

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