Below are some ideas you can use in your local nonpoint source pollution mitigation project outreach efforts. If you have a unique idea that you would like to share, please contact us!
Pave It or Plant It
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Using this activity, students have an opportunity to compare urban impervious environemnts to natural pervious environements. Using the models students calculate, graph and compare the hydrographs from these two types of watersheds. After the activity students have a better understanding of how urbanization increases runoff and pollution to local streams and water bodies.
Pave It or Plant It Lesson |
Community Mapping Activity
The Community Mapping Activity invites participants of all ages to share their memories and experiences within a specific area. These areas could include watersheds, cities, counties, states, or other regions (e.g. boundaries associated with non-point source pollution mitigation projects). The target audience could be a school class or group of children, a community influenced by a mitigation project, a group of volunteers who have stewardship over specific locations, or the general public.
Check it out: Community Mapping Activity
Check it out: Community Mapping Activity
Water Quality Monitoring Signs
Signs along walking paths are a great way to engage interest in issues. Signs are posted by Logan River, Provo River, Red Butte Creek, and in Grand County's Pack and Mill Creeks. Several of these have a datasheet attached for local volunteers to show their data. If interested in adapting these signs to your area, contact USU Water Quality Extension, waterquality@usu.edu.
Stream Trailer
The stream trailer is a hands-on educational tool that allows participants to examine the natural movement of streams and rivers. The stream trailer contains a large flat "land area" composed of plastic grit. Water is pumped through the trailer to create a "stream" that moves along the length of the trailer.
The stream trailer can be used to demonstrate how natural streams are formed, the importance of streamside (riparian) vegetation to protect the banks, impacts of dams, flooding, development and also how slope, flow and structure affect stream formation.
Stream trailer available for check out from the Department of Environmental Quality in Salt Lake City. For more information, go here or contact Jim Bowcutt to check on availability.
The stream trailer can be used to demonstrate how natural streams are formed, the importance of streamside (riparian) vegetation to protect the banks, impacts of dams, flooding, development and also how slope, flow and structure affect stream formation.
Stream trailer available for check out from the Department of Environmental Quality in Salt Lake City. For more information, go here or contact Jim Bowcutt to check on availability.
Additional Lessons and Resources
Stream Side Science - USU's water quality curriculum
Bear River Watershed education connections
EPA's Nonpoint source education and outreach materials
Bear River Watershed education connections
EPA's Nonpoint source education and outreach materials