ADOPT A STREAM EXPERIENCE
The Scientific Research class recently adopted the local Lower Flint Watershed, our specific spot is located right along the River Walk at Turtle Grove Park in Albany, GA. One of the reasons why we chose this project was to ensure we fulfilled our school objective to increase Project Based Learning tasks and also be involved in the community. My utmost reason was to engage my students with a real world and local experience. This workshop allowed them to learn outside of the four walls of the classroom and sparked their interest in the class which seemed boring at first because they believed all they had to do was research, research, research and write…
After taking the workshop the students were able to use their knowledge to conduct the water monitoring field tests. The students interested in the water were excited about the chemical testing, while the students interested in the macro-invertebrates were able to explore the macros in our river. This experience not only enables the students to explore their interests but also help increase their awareness and instill the desire to become environmental champions in our local community.
VIRGINIA KIRIMA
COMMODORE CONYERS COLLEGE AND CAREER
SCIENCE INSTRUTOR
The following are journal entries from a different students’ experiences.
Sariya B
ADOPT a stream workshops have enhanced my learning because at first I didn’t really know about the Flint River. The instructor came and taught about different animals and I didn’t even know half of that information. I’m so glad that she came to talk about the different things about the Flint River. I learned what ADOPT means which is Awareness, Data, Observation, Partnerships, and Tools/Training. I also learned about what kind of environments the animals can live in and what animals live inside the local stream.
On our next water quality project trip, I want to learn even more information and get in the water to test the levels. I made some mistakes at the event when me and my group got the phosphate and nitrate chemicals mixed up with each other and we put the wrong amount of drops the first time. The second time we did it correctly and got the water to change colors it was very interesting to see. Being able to work with chemicals, go outside of school for a field trip, or even just enjoying volunteering with the water quality project is amazing!!
KANDISE J.
I also gained an understanding of the different types of pollution that can be inside rivers and around its environments. The 2 types of pollution are point source pollution and nonpoint source pollution. ….. The studying of rivers also included measurements of temperatures that the water is exposed to and different types of macro-invertebrates in the water’s environment. Just small things in the water can cause pH level changes and can affect many living things. But overall I learned a handful of information and many new insects and I Truly enjoyed this experience.
Parnell M.
The importance in volunteering for the water quality monitoring project was to see if our river flow is/was healthy. What I learned about the flint river was that the water flow was high. Yes, the Flint river is also healthy because when I did the experiment the pH was 7.0, which means the river was healthy. I would like to actually see the macro-invertebrates move/fly around and see how they adapt to the area.
Kamaria P.
On the next water quality monitoring trip I would like to fix mistakes I made along the way like, I put too much water in the sample and it made the test go slower so my group had to start over. Then when I did that the test again it happened faster and it was right. But, overall the experience showed me a lot about how I need to keep the water clean by recycling and not throwing my trash on the ground. I can say that I am truly lucky to have the opportunity to ADOPT the Flint river.