Izaak Walton League of America

Creek Freaks Curriculum

The Creek Freaks program is for anyone working with youth, from Izaak Walton League chapters to after-school programs, scout troops, and summer camps. Get started now:

• Download. Use the resources below to plan activities for your young learners.
• Watch. Visit our YouTube Channel for stream monitoring how-to videos as well as demonstrations of Creek Freaks activities. 
• Attend a training. The Izaak Walton League offers comprehensive training for the Save Our Streams monitoring protocol, which is the main component of the Creek Freaks curriculum. See upcoming trainings or request a workshop.
• Monitor. Citizen scientists – even young ones – can collect valuable data about water quality. Get all the resources and equipment you need to gather information about your local stream.
• Contribute. After leading your group on a stream monitoring trip, add your observations to the Clean Water Hub, where neighbors and policymakers will be able to learn from them!

Learning Resources

Download these resources to get started with Creek Freaks activities:

• Holding Onto the Green Zone: Youth-focused content on riparian zones and clean water.
• Holding Onto the Green Zone Leaders Guide: Guidance on walking youth through the curriculum.
• IWLA Creek Freaks Addendum: Additional activities to engage and educate youth.
• Watershed Stewardship Action Kit: Information and activities to help anyone become a watershed steward.
• Critter Cubes: A game to help students learn how to score water quality in a stream.
• Watershed Boundary Mapping: A resource for helping students learn the geography of their watershed. This resource is a Word document that you can download to your computer.
• Creek Freaks Schedule: An example of what a Creek Freaks club might do over the course of two months.
• Creek Freaks Activity Plans: Detailed examples of what a Creek Freaks club might do in a single session.

This program is a partnership of the Izaak Walton League of America, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, and U.S. Forest Service.