Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships

SWEP’s mission is to promote environmental stewardship by connecting students to their community and local environment through comprehensive watershed education and service learning projects.

Three decades ago (back in 1994), a group of local parents and educators who were interested in comprehensive science and environmental stewardship decided to share their knowledge about Lake Tahoe. They wanted students to understand the connection to the natural environment available to them right in their backyard. 

They called themselves the Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships, and the following year SWEP received a grant from Adopt-A-Watershed and AmeriCorps and used it to incorporate field studies, ecological restoration, and science programs into the local North Tahoe school district’s curriculum. In 1996, SWEP officially became a nonprofit and has since collaborated with other educationally focused organizations to promote sustainability and winter science through student advocacy.

Understanding that students need to be active and engaged in order to retain their knowledge, all of SWEP’s programs incorporate place-based, hands-on learning with a special focus on protecting the environment. Summer camps, science festivals, field trips, and high school watershed education summits are just part of SWEP’s repertoire. To see a preview of courses and activities for kids, visit the library of SWEP Snippets at 4swep.org.

Mission Statement

SWEP promotes environmental stewardship by connecting students to their local community and environment.
SWEP envisions a future in which all students in the Tahoe/Truckee region understand the environment in which they live and are empowered to take action to sustain and protect it in partnership with their community.

Services

SWEP offers 19 experiential environmental and outdoor education programs designed with the student in mind. We understand that students need to be active in their learning, so all of our programs incorporate hands-on, place-based, project learning. We also know that the Earth needs stewards, so our programs educate and inspire students to take action to protect the planet.

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