Takshanuk Watershed Council:
A SnowSchool Success Story
From snowshoeing to snow science, Takshanuk Watershed Council is connecting kids to their winter wildlands and building a love of outdoor learning.
September 3, 2025
For the past several winters in Haines, Alaska, students from the local elementary school head out on snowshoes (many for the first time) to explore their local winter wildlands. During their outing, the students look for animal tracks in the snow, dig snowpits and examine snow crystals. This SnowSchool at the Takshanuk Watershed Council (TWC) is a local non-profit organization dedicated to providing stewardship of the Chilkat, Chilkoot, and Ferebee river systems through restoration, education, research and community involvement. As one of over 70 SnowSchool program sites nationally, TWC is working to inspire the next generation and connect kids to our wild snowscapes.
Photo courtesy TWC
Photo courtesy TWC
It All Started When…
The partnership began via a simple email inquiry from Takshanuk Watershed Council about WWA’S National SnowSchool Program in 2021. But with hard work and dedication from TWC staff, the program has blossomed into an impressively well rounded SnowSchool site. In 2025, the program served hundreds of students preschool through middle school in Haines and Klukwan.
“WWA SnowSchool has provided the framework and support for launching a K-12 SnowSchool program in our community and surrounding area. The lessons are easy to implement, and the hands on activities make learning about snow science and winter ecology engaging and fun for our students.”
– Tracy Wirak-Cassidy, Education Coordinator
A Proven Model
While the hands-on field trip experience is the most important element of SnowSchool, finding ways to connect the outdoor experience to formal classroom learning is a close second. Connecting learning across these environments helps students get more out of the field trip portion, and empowers classroom teachers to extend the science exploration. To achieve this goal, TWC developed a pre-trip lesson delivered in the students’ classroom.
“Each January, TWC provides a classroom lesson focused on snow science and winter ecology topics. In February every class gets to enjoy an outdoor field trip. Students engage in outdoor learning through winter exploration. They dig snow pits, examine snow crystals, and learn more about plant, animal, and human adaptations in wintery climates. Younger students learn how to strap on snowshoes and explore their school grounds, while older students enjoy an entire day of cross-country skiing.”
– Tracy Wirak-Cassidy, Education Coordinator
Photo courtesy TWC
Image courtesy TWC
Integrating Indigenous Knowledge
TWC also works with their partners at the Chilkoot Indian Association and with Tribal Elders to ensure that lessons are culturally relevant and inclusive.
“We work closely with our partners at the Chilkoot Indian Association to ensure that students are learning the Lingít place names of the sites we visit for the field portion of SnowSchool. To truly engage a student in place-based learning, it is essential that students can identify and pronounce these sites by their Lingít names. Students learn Lingít animal names and we identify tracks in the field. It is also important for students to understand how human innovation and ingenuity has allowed humans to travel through this wintery landscape since time immemorial.”
– Tracy Wirak-Cassidy, Education Coordinator
Integrating Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge into winter programs is something WWA is working to foster across the national SnowSchool network. Working locally and in partnership with Tribal community members to integrate knowledge via Indigenous languages and names is often a great place to start.
Incorporating Snow Science
Recently, TWC’s SnowSchool program began integrating a Snowpack Prediction Challenge for their local Takshanuk Watershed. This classroom science activity serves as a tool to extend the window of science learning beyond a field trip and connect it back to further classroom learning. The activity gives kids an opportunity to apply the knowledge they’ve recently gained about snow science and hydrology to a real-world setting, and helps them understand the connection between snowpack and water supply.
TWC has also been partnering with Haines Avalanche Center to teach students about safety when traveling in wintery environments. Students learn how to pack a backpack for winter travel. They practice identifying different types of snow grains and digging pits. Haines is located in a valley that draws visitors from all around the world for backcountry skiing.
“We wanted students to feel the same level of excitement for backcountry travel, and we have introduced middle and high school students to avalanche safety. We did this through the use of an avalanche board and by using beacons and shovels and practicing rescues. Although it is just an introduction and we make it clear to students that they would need to seek additional training for backcountry skiing or adventuring, it is a great way to introduce a culture of safety.”
– Tracy Wirak-Cassidy, Education Coordinator
Looking Ahead
TWC looks forward to hosting their 5th year of SnowSchool in Haines and Klukwan this winter! Collaborating with their partners they’ll continue to ensure that every student has the opportunity to learn about their wintery surroundings through classroom lessons, hands-on explorations, and through outdoor experiences that get students outside and engaging with the environment right outside their classroom windows.
Photo courtesy TWC
