For teachers!

Getting Started with Adopt-A-Stream

Before you get wet, you learn about the process of registering the waterway you will monitor, what criteria determine what waterway you select, and what sites to choose. Then you'll learn how to use maps to determine where the watershed lies, and how to assess the land uses within it. The land uses are discussed as they pertain to potential nonpoint pollution sources, and how to record this information on the survey forms. Aspects of using a stream study as an inquiry-based project for students are also covered. The second part of the workshop focuses on fieldwork: how to conduct a visual stream survey and how to measure and calculate stream flow.

Biological Monitoring Workshop

Biological diversity is a fun and interesting way to get an overall perception of water quality. Benthic macroinvertebrates or periphyton are both good indicators of the existing conditions. The workshop will include various collection techniques depending on the physical characteristics of the waterway (rocky vs. muddy substrate), and practice with identification of the collected organisms (Bug Identification 101). A more advanced workshop can include microbiological testing.

Chemical Monitoring Workshop

This workshop is designed to teach you about basic stream water chemistry (some aspects of larger water bodies will also be included). The chemical tests are collected with hand-held field equipment. Accuracy and precision of collecting field data will be discussed. We ask that you conduct at least the following parameters: pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, turbidity, and temperature.

Contact us for a Training Workshop!