Fifteen teachers turned Beaver Creek into an outdoor science
classroom at a conservation workshop held this August in Albion.
The workshop, led by National Wildlife Federation Biologist George
Cunningham, was co-sponsored by the Federation, Albion High School,
and ESU #7. Participants included secondary science and vocational
agriculture teachers from Nebraska.
Participants learned about watersheds and read a topographic map.
They discovered what pH, nitrates, dissolved oxygen, and other chemical
tests can reveal about water quality. The teachers were also able
to determine the health of the stream by identifying and studying
its macroinvertebrates such as dragonfly larva, snails, and mayfly
nymphs.
On the second day of the workshop, the teachers practiced their
classroom lessons by wading into Beaver Creek to seine for fish
and evaluate streamside vegetation. The teachers each received a
notebook filled with information and activities, as well as a variety
of reference materials. The Department of Environmental Quality
and the Nebraska Environmental Trust funded the program.
The workshop was the first in a series the Federation plans to
hold across Nebraska. To be placed on the Federation’s stream
conservation mailing list, contact Duane Havorka by mail: PO Box
81437, Lincoln, NE, 68501, by phone (402) 994-2001, or via e-mail
dh4308@navix.net.
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