SOUTH BRANCH WATERSHED ASSOCIATION Event Highlights

2004 Waterways Stewardship Project

This past fall, Holland Brook School, located in Readington Township, had 12 fourth grade classes that participated in the Waterways Stewardship Project! Some of their adventures are described below.

Introduction to a Watershed at Holland Brook School

One part of the Waterways Stewardship Project in-school lesson teaches students all about watersheds. These students have made a ‘paper mountain range’ and used a bright washable marker to color in the ridge tops. Their teacher is bringing a “rain storm” along with her to rain on their mountains and wash the color down into the respective watersheds.

Sandbar Measurements at Holland Brook School’s River Site

Students conduct a river site assessment for half of the Waterways Stewardship Project’s in-field lesson. Last year’s 4th graders at Holland Brook School suggested that this year’s 4th grade should take measurements of the unique sandbar that is at their site on the South Branch Raritan River as part of this site assessment. This way, they would be able to document the changes in the sandbar’s size and location, and possibly figure out what is causing it. So, that’s exactly what we did this year. This student is measuring the sandbar’s width at the widest point.

Picking Macroinvertebrates at Holland Brook School’s River Site

Students perform biological sampling for benthic macroinvertebrates for the other half of the Waterways Stewardship Project in-field lesson. A good place to look for these “macros” is on the underside of rocks found on the river’s bottom. These students are learning what to look for from one of South Branch Watershed Association’s environmental educators.

Identifying Macroinvertebrates

Once the students have collected the “macros,” then they have to sort through the class sample and identify what they have found using a dichotomous key. On their worksheet, they check off what organisms they have found and then use this information to calculate the pollution tolerance index, which tells them the quality of the water. In this case, it was excellent!