Established in 2006, RiverKATS is an environmental education program that connects K-12 students to watershed concepts through in-class activities and hands-on field trips, provided at zero cost to public schools in the Inland Empire. RiverKATS covers the cost of bus transportation, substitute teachers, and facility fees, if needed. The goal of this program is to give children the opportunity to foster a relationship with their community, finding and forming an appreciation to nature and the environment, and to instill environmental stewardship for this beautiful, natural stretch of the Santa Ana River.

This past month, Waterkeeper took the entire fourth grade from Mission Bell Elementary to the Santa Ana River to learn about the local wildlife and their watershed. Waterkeeper also brought out an AP Environmental Science class from Jurupa Valley High School to the Santa Ana River, where they learned about aquatic macroinvertebrates, water quality testing, and made use of the phone applications, Litterati, and iNaturalist. 

Waterkeeper still has openings for field trips for field trips between January and June 2018. If you are an educator, or you know an educator interested in the RiverKATS program, feel free to apply HERE.