Education & Outreach
Students exploring aquatic invertebrates on the Ghost River
Photo credit: S. Fritz
School Groups
The Ghost River Watershed is a natural classroom. GWAS facilitates access to outdoor educational experiences for learners of all ages including elementary, junior high and high school students.
Programs are tailored to the curriculum outcomes and objectives of the requesting teacher. In order to help students get the most out of a field day, we recommend a classroom visit ahead of time.
This in-class session can be used to lay out the ideas and concepts we’ll explore along the river as well as to discuss how students can pack to be comfortable throughout the field day. Outdoor activities can include aquatic invertebrate studies, ecological restoration work and short interpretive hikes.
Exhibits and Displays
If students cannot travel to the Ghost, we meet them where they are. For example, GWAS has hosted an interactive exhibition booth at the City of Calgary’s Environment Mayor’s Expo for many years. Our interactive displays play an important role in supporting our partner organizations as well.
GWAS booth at the Calgary Mayor’s Environment Expo
Photo credit: F. Tang
U of C students collecting water chemistry data
Photo credit: S. Fritz
Post-Secondary Research and Projects
The Ghost Watershed is a great place for a variety of research projects. GWAS welcomes and supports post-secondary research and projects.
Past projects from the University of Calgary can be found by following the link below.
Tours and Interpretive Hikes
GWAS provides informative tours and interpretive hikes for a variety of groups on subjects such as riparian restoration, beavers on the landscape, history of the watershed and more.
We have given tours to many groups including the Junior Forest Wardens, City of Calgary staff, the Girl Guides of Canada, Government of Alberta staff, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Junior Forest Wardens tour
Photo credit: M. Wagner