Watershed education is an important component of public school curriculum for coastal communities. MERI developed the Watershed Investigators program to supplement the needs of teachers who are committed to introducing water resource issues to their classes.

The goals of the Watershed Investigators program are to engage students in a real world scientific study, promote watershed awareness and local stewardship, and provide a community resource by making MERI’s Center for Marine Studies and scientific expertise more available to the public.   

The program was launched in 2005 with a seven-week investigation of the Blue Hill Bay Watershed with 7th and 8th grade classes from the Blue Hill Consolidated School. Four classes and more than 60 students participated in the classroom, field and laboratory aspects of the program.  Students monitored a stretch of the Mill Stream in Blue Hill, which flows adjacent to the school and eventually into Blue Hill Harbor. The program was guided primarily through student inquiries on observed conditions and the resulting investigations that were developed to answer these questions.

“This program introduces a level of authenticity that cannot often be duplicated in the school setting…. it is an important motivator in learning…. allowing students to have a positive impact on their town.”  

              -- Fred Cole, Principal, Blue Hill Consolidated School

Investigations
There are six distinct components to the Watershed Investigators program that provide students with a complete picture of the complex interactions that define a watershed. The numerous discoveries that can ensue from the program are illustrated by the results of the initial seven-week study discussed below.

Water Quality Testing
Each week, the students used multi-parameter probes to measure three physical parameters:  pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature.  The students chose to monitor two sites, one in the main channel of the stream and one in a small adjacent pool.  The Mill Stream is classified by the State of Maine as a Class B stream.  Class B waters may not have less than 75% dissolved oxygen saturation (Maine State Statue 465).  During the first two weeks of the project Site 1 had 100% saturation and 95% saturation respectively, while Site 2 had 45% saturation and 20% saturation.  Students also conducted a visual assessment of the stream at the beginning of each sampling session.  This served to highlight physical changes that have occured over time and to expose students to the direct impact that these changes can have on the water quality of a stream.  During the initial study, Blue Hill experienced many days of heavy rain and high stream flow which eventually connected the pool to the main channel, creating an oxbow.  Quickly the dissolved oxygen levels in the pool rose to 95% saturation during the third week and then both sites had over 100% saturation for the remainder of the study. Results from each session are used to create graphs that were then compared to data previously collected by MERI’s monitoring efforts at other sites along the Mill Stream.

Storm Drain Mapping and Stenciling
While mapping the monitoring site during the intial study, student investigators discovered that many storm drains flow directly into the Mill Stream. Using their detective skills, classes followed a storm drain pipe through the school parking lot and playground to a small stream at the other side of the school.  Students quickly realized that anything poured into the drains went directly into the stream. Classes decided to stencil fifteen storm drains to read “Dump No Waste – Drains to Bay” to let the public know that they should not dump anything down the storm drains. 

Bacteria
During the intial project, students continued following the stream to the harbor where they discovered more than 70 ducks living near the mouth of the stream.  Students deduced that the ducks would be adding large quantities of fecal matter to the stream and decided to test the water for bacteria at the MERI Water Quality Laboratory. They sampled the stream for bacteria near the school and also near the ducks for comparison.  The tests indicated that the water near the school had low levels of fecal coliforms, but the water near the mouth where the ducks reside had high levels of fecal coliforms and E. coli.

Phytoplankton
Classes were given an overview of phytoplankton biology and taught about red tide events. The class was then shown the proper use of a microscope, slide preparation techniques, and phytoplankton identification methods. Phytoplankton tows were conducted at the Kollegewidgwok Yacht Club on Blue Hill Harbor and brought back to the MERI lab for analysis. All students made slides, viewed several species of phytoplankton, and drew sketches of what they had seen. The session closed with a demonstration of the lab’s inverted microscope equipped with a computer monitor.  Students were able to see an example of Alexandrium, the toxic algal species responsible for red tide events. This information was shared with the Maine Department of Marine Resources as a part of their Marine Biotoxin Monitoring Program.

Macroinvertebrates
Along with monitoring physical parameters, student investigators conducted other tests to determine the health of the Mill Stream.  One group visited a riffle area of the stream to collect macroinvertebrates with a kick net.  The specimens were identified and divided into three groups which, using Maine Stream Team methodology, qualify the health of the aquatic environment. Fortunately, the Mill Stream was found to support a high diversity of macroinvertebrates based on this study with many pollution sensitive species like hellgramite and stonefly larvae in the waters.

Geomorphology
In the spring, erosion of stream banks caused a bridge near the school to collapse and release sand, silt and cement into the Mill Stream.  As part of a geomorphology lesson, students visited the collapsed bridge and compared it to a reach that was unaffected by the event.  There was no vegetation, continued erosion, and turbid water around the bridge site.  Barriers had been placed in the stream to prevent further erosion, and students immediately noted a reduction in channel meandering and an increased water flow in response to the barriers. Potential impacts on vegetation, macroinvertebrates and water quality were also discussed.

Interested in bringing the Watershed Investigators Program to your school? Contact the MERI Education department at 207-374-2135 or email info@meriresearch.org.