THE ELWHA SCIENCE EDUCATION PROJECT (ESEP): INCREASING THE RELEVANCY OF THE GEOSCIENCES FOR NATIVE AMERICAN YOUTH THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION PROJECTS ON TRIBAL LANDS

Native Americans are poorly represented in all science, technology and engineering fields. This under-representation results from numerous cultural, economic, and historical factors. The goal of the Elwha Science Education Project (ESEP) is to cooperatively construct a culturally-integrated geoscience education for Native American young people in grades 6-12 in the northern Olympic Peninsula of Washington, while ultimately increasing the number of these students that pursue a geoscience career and/or geoscience degree. By integrating the geosciences with cultural and community tradition and history, program stakeholders hope to show students the relevance of science to their day-to-day lives. Environmental restoration is an increasingly important goal for tribes. All too-often the technical expertise needed for these jobs is sourced to skilled scientists from outside the tribe. Geoscience education, integrated with cultural heritage, serves to make the science more relevant to tribal youth, hopefully encouraging them to pursue science careers that will ultimately benefit their communities. The ESEP seeks to develop of a unique approach to informal geoscience education, using environmental restoration as a centerpiece. Olympic National Park is implementing a major dam\ removal and river restoration project that will have wide-reaching effects both within the Park and on adjacent tribal lands. The ESEP's strength lies in its participatory structure and unique network of partners, which include Olympic National Park; the non-profit, educational center Olympic Park Institute (OPI); a geologist providing oversight and technical expertise; and the Lower Elwha Tribe. Lower Elwha tribal elders and educators share in all phases of the project, from planning and implementation to recruitment of students and discipline. The tribe provides both significant mentorship and cultural context through the use of stories and Klallam language instruction. Preliminary evaluations of the ESEP's outcomes indicate success in improving the outlook of the tribe's youth towards the geosciences and science, in general. Future evaluation is likewise participatory, incorporating student, tribal educator, and OPI views while considering sound geological content to formatively contribute to program success.