Current News

October 2000
As the aspens turn gold, the oaks a dusky orange, and the maples a brilliant red, the sounds of children are heard through the fall foliage.... As one peers through the trees, students can be seen wading in the water, looking at aquatic macroinvertebrates, measuring vegetation, recording data, laughing, playing, learning....

From the clear, cold waters of the high Uinta's to the delta of the Great Salt Lake, approximately 550 students are now taking part in the Bear River Watershed Education Project! We are pleased that already this fall so many teachers have made the extra effort to leave the classroom and explore the mainstem and tributaries of the Bear River with their students. It is indeed a challenge for many people to take groups of students on field excursions, but I believe, as would most teachers I think, that the educational experience is well worth the effort.

First, I would like to welcome two new teachers that have joined the program recently, Mary Currie of Evanston, and Donna Capasso in Brigham City. They are both excellent teachers and each plays a very important role with their students, being at opposite ends of the watershed.

I would like to thank those teachers throughout the watershed that have been nice enough to allow me to come along on their field days- I have enjoyed these very much. In addition, thanks for completing the surveys- it truly will help to make our project better. I would also like to offer thanks to Elisabeth Evans for her many hours of hard work on this web page and database- your work is greatly appreciated!

Thanks to the efforts of many teachers, administrators, and parents, nearly all of our participating schools have sampled this fall. Some teachers are even planning to conduct monitoring or do outdoor activities in late fall and winter. If you have never been to the Bear River in winter, you will find that it is a magical time of year! Furthermore, now that the database is ready, you may enter any data that you have collected thus far if you feel that it is creditable. If you have any troubles using the database or even some feedback, please feel free to contact me at rparrish@cc.usu.edu. Everyone should have received the new protocol by now, which is a huge improvement over our original draft. In it you will find suggestions on working with your data and ideas for expanding the program to non-science disciplines.

Lastly, I can proudly announce that we have received our largest grant yet from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This funding comes at a critical time and will certainly help to insure the financial longevity of the program for some time to come. So, for those of you who do not have your own monitoring equipment yet, rest easy, more is on the way.

Thanks again to all who have made and continue to make this program so great! I look forward to working with you all again soon.

Sincerely,

P.S. Here are a few great links that can assist you this fall:

The Volunteer Monitor
A great on-line newsletter that shares the experiences from water quality monitoring groups around the country. Also a good way to find out what others are doing in our area. http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/monitoring/volunteer/vm_index.html

Don't know what your macroinvertebrate data means?
This web site is good practice for your students before going into the field. It will help them identify bugs and understand what they mean to the health of your stream. http://wsrv.clas.virginia.edu/~sos-iwla/Stream-Study/Samples/SampleIntro.HTML

Volunteer Monitoring Groups On-line
A listing of many other monitoring groups on-line throughout the country. http://water.nr.state.ky.us/ww/vm.htm

Old News
Spring/Summer 2000