Aquatic Chemistry: Bull Run

Many elements of Protocol 9 were followed to analyze the water quality of Bull Run, and to evaluate the facility of conducting similar monitoring with middle school students. Click on picture below for a presentation of this effort.

Watershed Wiki for Students

In my previous teaching job as a 7th grade science teacher, I engaged my students in creating wiki pages on genetics vocabulary through BlackBoard. This year, I plan for my 6th graders to create wiki pages on a unit we will cover in the spring - watersheds. This approach has several advantages. It is highly engaging for students, allows them to make connections (links) between concepts, and provides a means for providing - and receiving - feedback on their work. Challenges involved in using this approach can include limited computer availability in schools, and deciding how to assess student work.    My students' grades will be base on a simple rubric that requires them to include a clear, detailed description of their assigned term; to include a visual element; to create at least one hyperlink; and to comment on other students' wiki pages. CLICK on the BLUE area below to open the presentation.

WV Stream Monitoring and Advocacy

During the six wonderful years I lived in West Virginia, I occasionally accompanied citizen groups on stream monitoring "expeditions." That was quite a few years ago, and I wondered about current monitoring and advocacy efforts, so this is the focus of my presentation.

Most Endangered Rivers

American Rivers, an advocacy group working to protect and restore U.S. Rivers, ranks the Potomac River number 1 on this list.

Four Mile Run Watershed: Class Presentation

This presentation contains a couple of links to rich sources of information about the Four Mile Run Watershed. My focus in this presentation is to 1) share these information sources with others interested in learning more about this local watershed and 2) define my goal as a teacher to use this information to enhance my lessons.

Turbidity Measurement Presentation

Finally Finding Asiatic Clams!

On our first class field trip - to Turkey Run - we learned from Jim Egenrieder that the Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) is an invasive species that has become common in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Since then, my daughters have wanted to investigate the filtering capacity of these small mollusks for a science project, and finding them has become a family preoccupation. We are now happily in possession of several dozen clams. Huge thank you's to Jim for finding and delivering clams to us - and to Aaron, Morlai, and Luz for recommending Bull Run as a collection place.

Julie finds a clam!

Clams were abundant in the gravelly, pebbly stream bed.

Bull Run near Rt. 28 (Centerville Rd) overpass.

Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System

This website describes NOAA's network of buoys that collect water quality data. The resulting real-time data is available on the website, by phone, or via mobile apps. Click on the logo below to go to the website.

Because I have been interested in methods for measuring water turbidity, I was especially interested in the section of the website dealing with this topic. Click on the picture below to learn more about how citizens get involved in "wade-ins" and about Bernie's sneaker index.

Chain Bridge Field Trip, Oct. 20, 2012

Photos from our Watershed Science class field trip to the Potomac River near Chain Bridge

Porcelainberry Presentation

Link to presentation on the invasive species porcelainberry.

Photos of Lubber Run Field Trip

A few photos from our field Trip to Lubber Run

includes video clip of water snake

Photos of Donaldson Run Field Trip

Link to photos taken on the Donaldson Run Field Trip Sept 2012
includes video clip of boogie woogie aphids

Photos of Turkey Run Field Trip

Link to photos from Turkey Run Field Trip Sept 2012

Thanks, Jim Egenrieder, for a great class field trip to Turkey Run!  In classrooms, we often study things in isolation, which is not necessarily a bad thing. But being outside make it clear how everything ties together - plant and animal species, availability and quality of water, weather conditions, human land use. I learned many things I didn't know, including what the fruit of the pawpaw (Asimina triloba) tastes like! I'm eager to go back to Turkey Run with my family, and also to learn more about Four Mile Run, the stream closest to my school.

Perspective

"Perspective" is the word I keep thinking about since the first meeting of our watershed class. Maintaining the health of a watershed - anywhere in the world - is essential to communities, yet each member of the community views the watershed from a different perspective, shaped by their own experiences, information, needs, desires, hopes, resources, and biases.

Northern tip of Manhattan Island, a neighborhood know as Inwood. The large river on the left (west) is the Hudson. The one that curves around to the north and east is the Harlem River, which is technically a tidal strait. The purple marker indicates where I grew up. Googlemaps did not exist when I was a kid, so my perspective was very different from that shown here. I did spent a lot of time near the water, but that involved what seemed like a long walk to me then - with obstacles including road, train tracks, and isolated areas. 

I am starting this blog for my Virginia Tech Watershed Science class. It is my first blog. I am excited to learn more about watersheds and blogging - and to read the blogs of my classmates!