Expedition Members

samantha
emi
nettie
theresa
johnny
miguel
isabel
pablo
everett
joey
jonathan
natalie
katie

Chaperones

Marie
Art
Louis
Keith
Scott

Instructors

Winston
Edric
Mandy

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WildLink's Expedition I was not for the faint of heart. The morning the group set out for their backcountry destination of Hites Cove, the heavens opened up and hit Yosemite with one of the biggest first fall storms in forty years. Students from Kingsburg, Turlock and Jill Kinmont Boothe High Schools came together in the way that a group that faces a big challenge can.

A constant pouring deluge, wet conditions and a runaway tent caused instructors to call an early return to Yosemite Valley, where tired and soaked WildLink students were greeted by a crazy combination of sunshine and snow that only Yosemite can offer.

The group conducted a Level III Aquatic Biomonitoring study of the Merced River Thursday. Led by Yosemite Institute Field Scientist Todd Newburger, the students were literally knee deep in the river, collecting macroinvertebrates, taking hydrology measurements and recording habitat data. They wrapped up the day with an intensive macroinvertebrate identification and counting session using microscopes and other scientific instruments.

By the end of the expedition, everyone had stories to tell and new people to call their friends.

To view the results of the consequent Aquatic Biomonitoring Classroom project at Kingsburg High School, click here.