Taking Action
Concepts: Human activities can protect water quality and wildlife habitat. With adult support, students can raise community awareness about environmental issues through presentatons and projects.
Objectives: Students will participate in a presentation or project as a result of their learning.
Materials: will vary
Subjects: any
Project Ideas:  

Protect Water Resources From Pollution
  • Riparian buffers protect water quality by slowing down erosion and trapping sediments. Riparian buffers also protect wildlife by providing terrestrial habitat and shading water habitats. Contact the Cooperative Extenison in the fall to arrange an order of saplings you and your class can plant in the spring. A Cooperative Extension agent can also help arrange for the order and can provide technical help and education during the planting event. Ask the agent about appropriate sites on or off school property for such an event.
  • Organize and hold a river, lake or wetland cleanup day.

    Have Students Share What They Have Learned About Watersheds
  • Publicize your environmental studies through the local news media and with other teachers.
  • Conduct a public information program to inform landowners in the watershed on how they can prevent water pollution.

    Use Results of Water Quality Monitoring
  • Collect and compile your results and conclusions and develop a report to share with interested people and organizations in the community.
  • Offer to assist your community's conservation commission or private conservation groups in projects they lead.

    Conduct An Education Campaign
  • Work with the town engineer to identify storm drains that lead directly into a local water body. Have students work in teams to stencil them with the message "Dump No Waste, Drains to Stream (or lake, etc.)" Work with the town engineer to find suitable paint, supplies and to set up traffic cones around students.
  • Organize an educational fair or festival around your local water body.

    Learn More
  • Visit a farm, logging operation or construction site that employs "Best Management Practices (BMPs)" to protect water quality. Learn how these individuals do what they can to protect resources. Find out if students could actually help with these tasks.
  • Call the Clean Water Network (202-624-9357) to learn about current national action-ideas.