By Kathryn Difo
From rubber duck races to Junior Ranger badges, the White Clay Creek watershed becomes an outdoor classroom for students, teachers, and families across Pennsylvania and Delaware from spring through fall.
At the Stroud Center, elementary and middle school students visit for lessons about stormwater management and watershed health. Fourth graders cheer on a rubber duck that floats down the East Branch of White Clay Creek to help them measure stream velocity. They test riffles, runs, and pools to determine where the water runs the fastest.
By connecting classroom learning with hands-on exploration, students experience firsthand how streams function and why healthy watersheds matter.
A little farther downstream, White Clay Creek is a place where students, teachers, scouts, and families explore stream ecology firsthand. Recently, teachers, professional diving instructors, and environmental educators joined the Stroud Center and the White Clay Creek Preserve staff for Source to Sea, a freshwater educator training focused on watershed science, water quality monitoring, and community science.
Through the program, educators learn how to lead stream studies, support stream-adoption efforts, and engage families and communities in caring for local waterways. The online portion of the course, a prerequisite for the in-person training, is also available for anyone interested in learning the fundamentals of watershed science and water quality monitoring.
Just as White Clay Creek flows across state lines, the Stroud Center’s education partnerships extend into Delaware. Thanks to funding from the National Park Foundation, we are in the second year of our Junior Ranger Angler program, now with support from White Clay Creek State Park in Delaware. The program invites families to explore White Clay Creek (part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System) at both the preserve in Pennsylvania and the state park in Delaware, while learning about fish, ecosystems, and stewardship. Participants who complete the activity booklet earn a Junior Ranger Angler badge.
Visit the White Clay Creek watershed for these upcoming events about fish, ecosystems, and angling, and to explore this Wild and Scenic River.
- August 23: Junior Ranger Angler Day at White Clay Creek Preserve in Landenberg, Pa.
- September 13: Girl Scouts Love State Parks at Delaware White Clay Creek State Park in Newark, Del.
