SOUTH BRANCH WATERSHED ASSOCIATION Event Highlights

2006 Waterways Stewardship Project
See Also: Event Photos

In spring 2006, 745 students in 34 classes from 8 schools participated in the South Branch Watershed Association’s Waterways Stewardship Project. First, Association Environmental Educators visited the students in their classrooms. Here the students learned about watersheds through slides and a hands-on experience with “foil mountain.” Then they took a tour underground to learn about their local drinking water through the “groundwater model.” Last, they prepared for their trip to the river by learning about activities they would complete during a visual survey of their river site, as well as how to identify the macroinvertebrates (small critters that live on the river bottom) that they would be collecting in the river.

Once at the river for the second part of the program, the students completed a visual survey of the area noting things such as weather, water temperature, nearby land uses, width, depth, and velocity. Then they used a large kick net, small hand nets, and looked under rocks to collect macroinvertebrates. In all cases, after identifying the macroinvertebrates collected and using their findings to complete a few calculations, the river water turned up as having either good or excellent water quality.

Overall, the students had a great time and learned a lot about the water quality in their communities. The participating schools included: Holland Brook Elementary, High Bridge Elementary, Clinton Public Elementary, Delaware Township Middle, Califon Elementary, Hampton Middle, Old Turnpike Middle, and Patrick McGaheran Elementary.

Delaware Township Middle School student testing her well in the groundwater model with the help of SBWA educator Barbara Rennie.	Patrick McGaheran Elementary School student measuring the depth of Prescott Brook at their field site in Echo Hill Park.
Clinton Public School students using teamwork to collect macroinvertebrates with a large kick net in the South Branch of the Raritan River by the Red Mill.	Holland Brook Elementary School students identifying macroinvertebrates they collected from the South Branch of the Raritan River in Three Bridges.