Exploration Station
As part of the education outreach for the Stream and Riparian Restoration project at the PA Military Museum, ClearWater Conservancy created an “Exploration Station” kit for classroom teachers. The kit includes equipment and materials pertaining to stream and watershed issues. Information on topics such as watershed mapping, biodiversity, food chains, ecosystems, plant & animal identification, stream studies, and physical water testing are included. Many of the activities meet Pennsylvania State Academic Standards for Environment and Ecology.
Classroom teachers who are interested in using the Exploration Station can reserve the kit and use it with their students for two weeks in their classroom or on a planned trip to the PA Military Museum. Contact Jennifer at ClearWater Conservancy for more information or to reserve the kit.
Exploration Station Topics
Topic One: Watersheds
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What is a watershed? (Use the posters & brochures for background information.)
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What watershed do we live in? (Use maps to find State College, the Spring Creek Watershed, and how we are connected to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.)
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Follow the path of Spring Creek on the map:
Spring Creek->Bald Eagle Creek->Susquehanna River-> Chesapeake Bay -
Map our Watershed using the PA Streams Map.
Topic Two: Biodiversity
Use the Spring Creek Biodiversity Poster and Teaching Guide to explore this topic!
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What is Bio-diversity?
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What is a Riparian Buffer? Why is it important?
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What are habitats? What are Communities? Ecosystems?
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What are Wetlands? What is a Watershed?
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Study the poster- what animals can you identify? Use the teaching guide to learn about each of the animals and how they are important to the Spring Creek ecosystem!
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Can you map a food chain? A food web?
Topic Three: Wetland Plants
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Use the Pond Life field guides to identify plants you find near the stream. Sketching plants is a great art activity!
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Research some of the plants found on the invasive species brochure. Do you see those near Spring Creek on your field trip?
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Why are wetland plants important?
Topic Four: Stream Study
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Use the collection bowls and catch nets to gently catch tiny water creatures. Study them carefully using the magnifying lenses and identify them using the stream guides and charts. What do these animals eat? What eats them? What can we learn from them?
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Use the Macroinvertebrate count sheets & dry erase markers to count the number of organisms you have captured and calculate the health of the stream. (Please erase all sheets when finished.)
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Always return all living creatures back where you found them unharmed when you are done! Stress conservation and respect for living creatures!
Topic Five: Physical Water Testing
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How wide is the stream? How fast is the water moving? How deep is the stream?
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First, estimate the width of the stream, and then use the measuring tapes to find the accurate measurement.
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Using the stopwatches and tennis balls, you can calculate the velocity of the water. Have one student stand downstream 5 feet from another student. The first student drops the tennis ball where he is standing and says, "Start"! The timer starts the stopwatch, then stops if when the tennis ball passes the person down stream. Velocity is calculated in feet per second.
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Measure the depth of the water using the yardsticks.
Exploration Station Contents
Posters & Brochures
1. Spring Creek Biodiversity Poster
2. Spring Creek Biodiversity Study Guide
3. Streams of Pennsylvania Map
4. Sinkhole Awareness Poster
5. Susquehanna River Basin Brochure
6. Invasive Plants in Pennsylvania Brochure
7. Spring Creek Watershed Surface and Groundwater Boundary Map
8. Forest Buffer Brochure
9. Pennsylvania’s Major Watershed Map
10. ‘Key to Macroinvertebrate Life Charts (18)
11. Macroinvertebrate Count Worksheets (10)
12. Guides to Common Freshwater Animals (6)
13. Spring Creek Field Books (5)
14. Water Pollution in PA Booklets (2)
15. Why Fish Need Trees Booklets (2)
16. Collecting Critters Info & Puzzle (1)
17. Amphibian Quiz (4)
Extra copies: (please keep these with the kit)
*Invasive Plants of PA Brochures (4)
*Sinkhole Awareness (5)
*Spring Creek Watershed Surface and Groundwater Boundary Maps (5)
*Susquehanna River Basin Brochure (1)
Equipment
1. Magnifying Lenses (30)
2. Tennis Balls (3)
3. Stop Watches (2)
4. Yardsticks (4)
5. “Pond Life” field guides (2)
6. Scoop nets (6)
7. Bowls (3)
8. Measuring Tapes (2)
9. Dry Erase Markers (8)