Waterbody Rescue

Grade Level: 9-12

Academic Areas: Math, Science, Interdisciplinary

Duration of service: Year-Long

Character Virtues: Caring, Responsibility

Service Areas: Environmental

 

Service Learning Project:

In partnership with community-based organizations, students will design and conduct an extensive water quality monitoring project on a degraded body of water in their community in order to assess the degree of degradation and develop recommendations for improvement. Students will identify and contact various stakeholders and invite them to a community outreach meeting to assist in the identification of a degraded body of water to research. Students will conduct a windshield survey of the chosen body of water to field document uses, issues and threats to the area, and pinpoint monitoring sites. Students will then develop a study design. The study design will be tailored to meet the identified issues and threats and may include water quality testing, benthic macroinvertebrate assessments, fish surveys, and habitat assessment. Students will receive training in monitoring techniques through partnerships with community-based organizations, such as County Environmental Management Councils (EMC) and not-for-profit environmental/watershed organizations. Monitoring time and frequency will depend on resources available and study design. Students will also receive training in and utilize GIT – Geographic Information Technologies (Global Positioning System, GPS, and Geographic Information System software, GIS) – for the purpose of storing, managing, and presenting data. In addition, students will utilize power point technology to develop a presentation of the results of their study and recommendations for body of water improvements at a public meeting attended by public officials, environment/watershed organizations, and concerned citizens.

 

 

Goals and Objectives

Academic

Learning Goal: Students will learn to identify a waterbody in need of attention and design a monitoring project to address water and habitat quality assessment and possible reclamation

Standard: MST STANDARD 1

Learning Goal: Students will learn to utilize appropriate technologies [water quality instrumentation and Geographic Information Technologies (GIT), and Power Point] to assess the body of water, manage data, and present results.

Standard: MST STANDARD 5

Service

Community need: Degraded water and habitat quality of a local body of water (reduction in value of best uses of body of water as determined by NYS DEC).

Possible Community Partners: County Environmental Management Council and Soil and Water Conservation District, Town Conservation Advisory Commission, Environmental/Watershed Organizations, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation , US Environmental Protection Agency

Objective: To assess water and habitat quality of a local body of water through monitoring in order to identify targeted needs for improvement.

Objective: To produce a presentation and report to communicate the results of the research project and possible solutions to local authorities.

Character

Virtue: Caring

Objective: Students will develop interest in and regard for improving water quality to enhance the environment for both human and non-human benefit.

Virtue: Responsibility

Objective: Students will become self-reliant in executing their task/role(s) through a sustained commitment over the course of the project.

 

Key Activities

Key Planning Activities

  1. Students will organize a community stakeholders outreach meeting to identify a priority body of water in need of monitoring/study. Stakeholders might include local government agencies, environmental/watershed organizations, local businesses and concerned citizens.
  2. Students will receive training in water quality monitoring and Geographic Information Technologies-GIT (including GPS –Global Positioning System- and GIS software – Geographic Information Systems) through partnerships with resource organizations such as environmental/watershed organizations, local government agencies, community colleges, and universities.

Key Service Activities

  1. In partnership with community resource partners, students will design and conduct a water quality monitoring project tailored to be relevant to the issues and threats of the specific body of water studied. Selected water quality parameters will be measured using instrumentation students have been trained to use effectively and accurately. Assessment of benthic macroinvertebrates and habitat protocols will be conducted if necessary.
  2. Students will utilize Digital Photography and GIT (GPS and GIS) to store and manage project data, map all relevant attributes of the study area, and create a map or maps for public presentation of research.

Key Reflection Activities

  1. (oral) At the conclusion of the service activities, students will study and discuss how paintings by the Hudson River School painters reflect an early sense of respect and caring for the environment. They will then connect these images to their own feelings about the difference they have made in their local environment (caring and responsibility).
  2. (written) Students will write about an aspect of the research project that was significant to them…Why it was significant?...What role did they have in its success or failure?...How did it make them feel?...What new awareness or skills have they developed? (caring and responsibility)
  3. (performance) As a team, students and community partners will produce and present a power point presentation, including GIS maps, graphs and tables, digital photos and text, at a public meeting with local decision makers (town, village, county or state). (responsibility)

Celebration Activity

Upon completion of each phase of the project, there will be an after-school recognition ceremony for sharing and processing of information and reciprocal recognition of each team member’s contribution to the project. Upon completion of the project, students will present their data at a public meeting or environmental conference and team members will receive recognition certificates from community organization partners. Parents and community members will be invited to attend.