Learning with snowshoes strapped on

4/09 tahoe mt. news

By Kathryn Reed

Like every school day, learning is the norm. However, on this particular Thursday the students have snowshoes strapped to their feet in order to expand upon what they have been taught in the classroom.
History, water, animals and all things winter ecology related are on the agenda.
Little holes reveal where deer mice live, while scratches on trees indicate a bear has been there.
The mountain chickadee isn’t making its well known cheeseburger call at this elevation because it’s still too cold.
“I think it’s really cool because we get to see what it looks like where we live,” student Nick Cefalu said along the trail. “I have learned how much water is in Lake Tahoe.”
He informed this reporter that it’s 37 million gallons.
The 24 Sierra House fifth-graders are strapped into old snowshoes – the kind the Washoe may have woven and worn. Some of the non-metal devices resemble old wooden tennis rackets. It requires side stepping at times and good balance.
“It’s cool to try the old-time snowshoes. It’s a pretty good workout,” Carson Alexander said. “I’ve learned a lot about how animals hibernate and about torpors.”
Jean Norman and Lindsay Gusses of the U.S. Forest Service dispense information all morning. Norman explains how eating a snowball isn’t the wisest idea except under extreme circumstances. That’s because about 1 teaspoon of water is all a snowball holds, while the energy expended to suck it down is more apt to increase ones thirst. Invisible animal feces are another reason to avoid white snow.
For most people riding Heavenly’s gondola, it’s an ohhh, ahhh kind of experience. Not so for Val Mansfield’s class – especially the ones in her car.
Fortunately Ashley Ferrer, Vivian Moore, Melissa Fernandez, Fabiola Rodriguez and Tyra Morala correctly answered most of the questions posed to them by their teacher. They knew Jeffrey pines would not be at the top of the mountain because they don’t grow where it’s that cold and there’s that much wind.
Every student came prepared. Arms were shooting in the air to answer the myriad questions posed to them during the slide presentation at Explore Tahoe that started the day.
Bears are not hibernators. They are torpors. This bit of information was common knowledge to the kids, but not to every adult. Migratory animals like birds and mule deer are talked about, as well as adaptors like the deer mouse and pine marten.
At the midway point on the gondola ride, more information is forthcoming. Gusses explains that the 2002 Gondola and 2007 Angora fires were “caused by careless humans.” A cigarette in the first case; an illegal camp fire in the latter.
Looking at the Angora scar, she talks about using a shovel and bucket full of water or dirt to douse flames, and not to leave if it feels warm when hands are at waist level.
Heavenly has been providing access to the mountain for five years for this program. Valhalla was the staging area in the past. Students are from the basin, Carson City and Reno, with the bulk from the Caron Valley. The Forest Service ensures the info meets California and Nevada curriculum guidelines for winter ecology.