| Message from The Education Coordinator The River Mile is a network of teachers, students and partners throughout the Columbia River Watershed who conduct research, resource managment projects and utilize sections of the Columbia River and its tributaries as their outdoor laboratory.
The program began with schools adopting one mile sections of the Columbia River within Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area and learning about those sections. Today many groups are working with bodies of water closer to their school, usually within walking distance. All of this water ends up in the Columbia River and affects the other sections. |
| Spring School Site Visits
Spring is fast approaching! Be sure to schedule your site visits soon to ensure park staff and supplies are available.
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On-Line Forms
Many of the forms, educator materials, PowerPoint programs and refrences you need for your site visits are now availalbe on-line (scroll to the bottom of the page in the link).
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Upcoming Events
Project WET Teacher Workshop
April 21, 2010
Lunch Included
Free Clock Hours
*Receive the Project WET & Healthy Water, Healthy People curriculum guides
*Workshp is geared toward K-8 teachers
3rd Annual Student Science Symposium
Gonzaga Univesity
9:00-2:00
The Student Science Symposium is fast approaching! The symposium offers an opportunity for teachers and students to work one on one with resource managers, scientists, researchers and environmental educators.
This year's Keynote address will be presented by the Western Region Climate Center (Nevada) Regional Climatologist, Dr. Kelly Redmond.
Don't miss this exciting event!
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Message
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Welcome!
Welcome to the first issue of The River Mile's new electronic newsletter for teachers, students and partners. It is the intent of this newsletter to assist with communication about the Columbia River watershed and what we learn as we work with The River Mile.
This newsletter will share current research activities, education methods ideas, school project updates and much more! We will publish a newsletter Approximately 3 times a year. Contributions are welcome from all participants.
Enjoy!
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| Hidden Biological Diversity of Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
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By Eric Starkey- Upper Columbia Basin Network When we think of biological diversity in each park it is easy to forget about some of the less charismatic fauna such as aquatic macroinvertebrates, yet they serve an important role in aquatic ecosystems. One important role that macroinvertebrates serve is a link in the food chain. They have the ability to process organic inputs such as leaves and make the nutrients available to other organisms such as fish. Most macroinvertebrates can be classified into five function feeding groups: Shredders, Scrapers, Predators, Gatherers, and Filterers. As each name implies, there is a wide variety of roles filled by aquatic macroinvertebrates, all of which help process organic matter (algae, leaves, etc.) and make that energy available to others in the food chain. The proportion of macroinvertebrates in each functional feeding group can change depending on environmental conditions, pollution, and type of organic/inorganic inputs. Macroinvertebrates differ in the way they obtain their food, but also in their ability to tolerate pollution. As a result, they are an excellent indicator of stream condition. Some types of macroinvertebrates are more sensitive to pollution or impairments than others. For this reason, biologists typically determine what proportion of a sample contains sensitive species, and evaluate a combination of measures (metrics) to determine water quality. One commonly used metric is the percentage of the sample containing Mayflies (Ephemeroptera), Stoneflies (Plecoptera), and Caddisflies (Trichoptera). This metric is also referred to as %EPT. Since species in these Orders tend to be sensitive to pollution, there are generally a lower proportion of them in impaired water. Conversely, biologists might expect to see a higher proportion of tolerant species in water that is highly impacted by chemical or thermal pollution. Examples of more tolerant groups include; bloodworms (Chironomidae), aquatic worms (Oligochaeta), and leeches (Hirudinea). Note that these groups are present even in un-impaired water, but in combination with intolerant species. Given that macroinvertebrates are sensitive to environmental change they are an ideal group to monitor for the effects of climate change. The predicted changes in, timing of peak stream flow, base flows, water temperatures, and dissolved oxygen levels will undoubtedly alter these dynamic communities. So the next time you are at Lake Roosevelt, don't forget about the wide variety of critters lurking below the surface, there is more to biological diversity in your park than meets the eye.
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| Monitoring and managing two major threats to natural resource health at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area By Traci Degerman, Biological Science Technician Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (LRNRA) is primarily thought of as a vacation destination rather than a nature park, and yet abundant wildlife - ospreys, eagles and many other birds, deer, coyotes, badgers, and the occasional moose and bear, to name a few - reside within or visit this strip of protected land, and there are some places where the native vegetation community composition has changed little since the time when the Columbia River flowed unimpeded through the valley. Because the land base of the park is so narrow, the natural plant and animal communities within LRNRA are uniquely vulnerable to threats posed by factors both within and outside its boundary. Foremost among these are ground-disturbing recreational activities, and the subsequent invasion by exotic (non-native) plant species. Off-road vehicle travel and the creation of informal campsites are perhaps the most ecologically detrimental activities that occur within LRNRA. Though travel is restricted to designated roads, and visitors are encouraged to camp in established sites, new tracks and disturbed areas appear each year. Wherever the soil surface is disrupted in this manner, native vegetation is typically replaced by invasive exotic species such as cheatgrass, tumblemustard, mullein, Canada thistle, knapweed, toadflax, and skeletonweed. These aggressive species grow in abundance on lands outside the park, providing a continual seed source for colonization of newly disturbed ground. Their rapid growth rate enables them to monopolize resources - moisture, light and soil nutrients - before the slower-growing native species can reestablish. Some sites within LRNRA have long been overrun with exotic plants, because active restoration is needed to facilitate the return of native vegetation. The LRNRA Resource Manager needs to have up-to-date information on the status of existing damaged sites and exotic plant infestations, as well as reports of newly created disturbances and new weed sightings, in order to respond effectively to these threats. The public, through participation in programs such as RiverMile, can help by collecting data on native plant species composition, exotic plant presence and abundance, and soil disturbance from their adopted study sites. Long-term monitoring plots can be established in these areas to provide annual data needed for planning restoration and exotic plant control projects, and to track the condition of the park's natural resources over time. Community and school groups can also contribute to the betterment of LRNRA by taking part in these restoration and exotic plant management efforts, and by sharing their observations and concerns about resource damage in the park with family, friends and neighbors. We are fortunate to live near a beautiful place like Lake Roosevelt. The condition of its natural resources in years to come will be determined not only by the decisions and actions of park management, but also by the level of stewardship the park receives from residents of the surrounding communities. These natural resources belong to all of us, and their protection depends on each one of us recognizing their value, understanding their function, and monitoring and caring for them as if they were our very own. |
| Columbia School Fall 2009 Report
4TH GRADE REPORT:
Oct. 2, 2009 and Oct. 8, 2009 class did inquiry based field investigations during the afternoons, led by teacher, Mrs. Brooks and NPS personnel. On the 1st day students did nature mapping, using the observations to make a web map showing the connections between living and nonliving things at the site. Small groups then returned to the classroom and made a visual web map which they shared with the rest of the class. The 2nd day students were busy developing an investigative question. In small groups the students selected questions they had for the site, collected data, developed a hypothesis or an answer and presented questions and answers (or possible answers) to the rest of the class. This time students used tools such as identification books, measuring tools and took notes on their observations. It was a good opportunity to introduce new descriptive vocabulary.
10TH GRADE REPORT: Oct. 14, 2009 and Oct. 20, 2009 the class did inquiry based field investigations during the afternoons, led by teacher, Mrs. Berg and joined by NPS staff on the 20th. On the 1st day students explored parts of the park making observations of living vs. nonliving matter, how the two interrelate, and what impact the living matter (human, animals and plants) have on their surroundings. Back in the classroom, the students created groups according to interest of study and developed an investigative question, hypothesis (possible answer to their question) and determined tools necessary to take measurements that would help test their hypothesis.
On the 2nd day, in their investigative groups, students took measurements with predetermined tools, used field guides to make identifications, and collected data to be used in finding an answer, narrowing the question, or developing a whole new question. Students found that their questions were either way too broad or at times not testable. We're looking forward to our spring visit to apply what we've learned and hopefully do a better job of creating testable questions with a narrower focus. |
| Webinar Report
On March 2, 2010 The River Mile presented two webinars for teachers, students and partners on climate change.
These web-based seminars feature guest speaker Kathy Haug, retired National Park Service, Pacific West Region Chief of Natural Resources.
The webinars were an introduction to Climate Change for students. Through a PowerPoint presentation participants discovered the difference between weather and climate, ways we adapt to our climate, models for predictions, habitation zones, range of animals, trends scientists have already detected and how these are affected by climate.
Three schools participated in the webinars. Northport High School, Nespelem School and Davenport Middle School. There were a total of 56 students and 3 teachers who participated.
The morning session got off to a rough start as the park didn't have phone or internet service! Once we found a working computer and phone we were finally underway, a bit late, but underway. The afternoon session went much smoother. Don't you love technology!
Webinars allow everyone to reduce their carbon footprint and save time and money. No one had to arrange for buses or chaperones and no one has to drive to a central location.
We will continue to offer webinars like this in the future with potential programs including fisheries on Lake Roosevelt, more climate change programs and the annual end of year summit meeting where all schools present what they did this last school year.
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