Chesapeake Bay Streams, Creeks & the Watershed: Extension Lesson

Chesapeake Bay Streams, Creeks & the Watershed: Extension Lesson

Lesson Plan

Program length: 2-3 class periods

Synopsis

This optional extension lesson can be done anytime after the field trip to Pickering Creek. Students will start the Stream Health Data Sheet on the field trip and complete the worksheet by testing Pickering Creek water samples in class. Students will record their observations and data into FieldScope and review the assessments that scored between Fair and Poor. Based on the data, students will recommend actions and location of those actions Pickering Creek can perform to improve their waterway.

Learner Objectives

Learn how to input data into FieldScope.

Test water chemistry, specifically pH, nitrate and dissolved oxygen concentration.

Interpret Physical, Biological, and Chemical characteristics to determine the health of a waterway.

Understand how dissolved oxygen, nitrates, and pH affect the health of a waterway and methods used to control their concentrations.

Learn to select the best actions a site may take to improve the health of their waterway.

Standards

Next Generation Science Standards, Disciplinary Core Ideas:

LS2.A – Interdependent relationships in Ecosystems

LS2.C – Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience

ETS1.B – Developing Possible Solutions

ESS2.C – The Role of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes

ESS3.C – Human Impacts on Earth Systems

ETS1.A – Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems

ETS1.C – Optimizing the Design Solution

Maryland Environmental Literacy Standards:

Standard 1 – Environmental Issues, Topics A and B

Standard 4 – Populations, Communities, and Ecosystems, Topics B and E

Standard 5 – Humans and Natural Resources, Topics A and B

Standard 6 – Environmental Health, Topic B

Standard 7 – Environment and Society, Topics A and B

Standard 8 – Sustainability, Topic B and F

Materials

·  DNR Stream Health Data Sheets from Pickering Creek field trip

·  Water samples collected from Pickering Creek

·  Materials needed to test water nitrates and pH

·  Computer(s) for access to FieldScope

·  Solution Cards

·  FieldScope “Data Entry Instructions” sheet

·  “Actions to Improve Water Quality” sheet

·  Land use map of Pickering Creek

Lesson Components

Part 1. Review DNR Stream Health Data Sheet

Part 2. Test water samples

Part 3. Input data into FieldScope

Part 4. Interpret Stream Health Data Sheet and Research Solutions

Part 5. Make recommendations to Pickering Creek

Lesson

Part 1. Review DNR Stream Health Data Sheet (15 minutes)

Review the Stream Health Data Sheets, which were filled-out during the Pickering Creek Field Trip. Remind the students of the data and observations they recorded. Physical, Chemical, and Biological characteristics are considered together when determining the best actions to take to improve a waterway’s health.

Have students calculate the Stream Corridor Habitat Rating at the bottom of page 3 based on their Physical Assessment observations.

Have students calculate the Biological Water Quality Rating at the bottom of page 4 based on their Macroinvertebrate Survey.

Part 2. Test Water Samples (30 minutes)

Have students test, at least, the pH and Nitrates from the water samples collected at Pickering Creek. Students should have already recorded the Water Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen found at their sample site.

Record the test results on the Stream Health Data Sheet and determine the Chemical Water Quality Rating at the bottom of page 6.

On the last page of the Data Sheet, copy the scores of the Stream Corridor Assessment, Macroinvertebrate Survey, and Water Quality Test and determine the Overall Stream Health Score.

Part 3. Input data into FieldScope (15 minutes)

Use the attached Data Entry Instruction sheet to input all collected data into FieldScope. The student’s data, along with data from other schools and scientists, are used to monitor the health of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Regular monitoring across the watershed allows scientists and politicians to select the most effective actions for improving the watershed’s health and keeping the 18 million people that live within the watershed healthy and safe.

Part 4. Interpret Stream Health Data Sheet and Research Solutions (30-40 minutes)

FieldScope allows politicians and scientists to monitor the entire watershed. Assessments like the Stream Health worksheet allow residents, cities, parks, and wildlife sanctuaries to determine the health of their local watershed and select appropriate actions for protecting and improving the habitat.

Review the Stream Health Data Sheet and record each assessment that scored Fair or Poor at Pickering Creek. For each of those assessments, write down possible solutions.

Solutions to Physical Assessments that scored Fair or Poor are rather obvious; students can use the Data Sheet for this section and review the Solution Cards introduced in the 101 lesson but they should be realistic with their suggestions. For example, if Floodplain Vegetation is Poor, a solution would be to plant. Or, if Shelter for Fish is Poor, it would be hard to dig out a pool in the stream but we could add pieces of wood.

The Biological Assessment is closely tied to the Physical and Chemical Assessment. If Pickering Creek scored poorly during the Macroinvertebrate Survey, improving the Poor or Fair ratings found in the Physical and Chemical Assessment will improve the Macroinvertebrate population.

Actions to improve Water Chemistry (Dissolved Oxygen, pH, and Nitrates) can be found on the attached document. Students can then reference the Solution Cards for how to translate those actions into restoration projects.

Part 5. Make Recommendations to Pickering Creek (time varies based on the level of detail within the Restoration Proposal the teacher requires)

This final part of the lesson is recommending two actions to Pickering Creek that may best improve the health of their waterway.

Students should review the assessments and solutions they recorded in Part 4 and choose two solutions they think may have the most positive impact at Pickering Creek. Their suggestions could be based on fixing the assessment that scored the worst or, the action that appeared as a possible solution when reviewing more than one Fair or Poor assessment.

Once the two solutions are selected, students should write a Restoration Proposal to Pickering Creek. The proposal should include the results from their Stream Health Data Sheet, a list of the assessments that scored poorly, and an explanation on why their two chosen solutions should be implemented.

Students should use the attached Pickering Creek Land Use map to suggest where their solutions should take place. This map should be referenced and attached to the Restoration Proposal.