Drops
Of
Water
May 2001
The first people to find errors in spelling or word structure receive a free map of the Chehalis watershed. Send us an e-mail note telling us about the error.
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Welcome
to the
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May 2001 |
This newsletter appears monthly in 45,000 households throughout the watershed. Printing is done by The Chronicle, and distribution is by the Chronicle, the Olympia Daily Olympian, the Tenino Independent, the Rochester Sun News and the Aberdeen Daily World. This is an early edition available only to WWW users. Please send us your Drops of Water feedback.
The first people to find errors in spelling or word structure receive a free map of the Chehalis watershed. Send us an e-mail note telling us about the error. |
Special Thanks
Drops of Water is funded by organizations interested in the watershed.
These editions have been made possible by substantial grants from:
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Rhonda Hunter & Marcia Siam Wiley
CBEC Teachers attending a water quality testing workshop |
"Suddenly kids see that water is important for their family & industry in their community. They see the history of their community and hopefully it enables them to make better decisions later. Monitoring gives wonderful hands-on, real-life situations."
(Teacher, Ocosta Junior High School)
What keeps students interested in learning? Hands on activities in the natural world! That's why the Chehalis Basin Education Consortium (CBEC) has partnered with staff from the WA Department of Ecology to train teachers in water quality monitoring with their students. From Adna & PeEll all the way to Aberdeen & Ocosta, teachers in the Chehalis Basin are engaging their students in water quality monitoring to better understand their watershed.
Funded in part by a $15,000 Ecology grant, twenty six teachers from schools in the Chehalis watershed have received training to prepare them for student stream monitoring. Not only will the teachers and students learn to understand the condition of their local streams and river, but parents and others in the community will participate as well. Their data will be stored on the University of Washington NatureMapping website so students, parents, community members and local planners can access and share information about water quality.
Recent CBEC teacher training workshops covered a wide range of topics. A Project WET workshop demonstrated watershed activities for the classroom before and after monitoring. Water quality sampling training with chemical tests, probeware and macroinvertibrates (stream bugs) was provided by a team of trainers from Ecology, South Sound GREEN, Thurston County Stream Team, and Educational Service District 113. The Department of Fish & Wildlife provided training on entering data on the NatureMapping website. This summer, Gray's Harbor Community College will offer a course in GIS mapping to round out the program. Local wastewater treatment plants will run the fecal coliform tests in their accredited labs and offer student tours and classroom support. Weyerhaeuser's Cosmopolis plant has contributed funding for equipment and supplies. And, local Americorps volunteers are assisting teachers in taking their students on field trips.
Department of Ecology Environmental Education |
Teachers are very enthusiastic about the value of water quality monitoring for their students. Some of the CBEC teachers already have experience with student monitoring and they are excited about its effects. One Ocosta High School teacher says, "I've had kids go from an F to an A because they're suddenly interested. I've had bored kids suddenly say I want to learn this so I can grow up to be a water scientist." Kids from Adna High School say this work has made their community college classes easier, and made for a better transition from school to work. Their teacher says, "Hands-on made it more interesting and because students are responsible for their own data the research is better. Their problem solving skills increased. Now four of my kids are taking advanced salmon biology classes on-line."
Dave Rountry, Ecology's Chehalis TMDL lead, says, "This project directly supports the watershed planning goals of the Chehalis Basin Partnership.
Because this project connects with the interests of many partnerships throughout the basin, it will help agency and local resource managers make informed choices about conservation and cleanup.
Citizens, industries and agencies are planning for cleanup of fecal coliform, dissolved oxygen, and temperature impairments on streams and rivers throughout the basin. This project will help students and citizens experience first-hand the condition of water quality in their own watershed.
Students in the project will be monitoring the health of local streams and creeks leading into the Chehalis River each spring and fall. For more information, contact Rhonda Hunter at the Department of Ecology at (360) 407-6147 ) or Tom Hulst at ESD 113 at (360) 586- 2966.
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Marcia Siam Wiley
Aber deen High School students testing |
Student monitoring of the Chehalis River and its tributaries took place during the week of March 19-23rd. An estimated thirty five teams of students, ranging from small groups, whole classes, and groups in which high school students partnered with elementary school students, went to an estimated thirty sites throughout the basin.
Sites included:
Aberdeen: Shannon Slough, Fry Creek at the PUD, Upper Fry Creek above the PUD, Sherwood Creek, Sherwood Forest, Stewart Creek, Stewart park
Centralia: China Creek at Little Hanaford Road, China Creek at Centralia College, Headwaters of Salzer Creek, Salzer Creek at Airport Road, Chehalis Boat Launch, Skookum Creek at 1st Street, Scammer Creek at Cooks Hill Road, Skookumchuck River at Schafer Park
Boistfort, South Fork of the Chehalis River
Elma/Porter: Boat launch at South Montesano bridge, Boat launch at Satsop River Twin bridges, Vance Creek at Vance Creek state park, Smith Creek at Schafer Boom Rd, Chehalis River at Porter Boat Launch
Napavine: Unnamed creek behind high school
Onalaska: Carlisle Lake
PeEll: Chehalis River
Satsop: Satsop River at Schaffer State park
Tenino: Scatter Creek
Wishkah: Wishkah River
, To look at student water quality results, visit the University of Washington
NatureMapping website at: http: //www.fish.washington.edu/naturemapping/water
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Water quality is an essential part of all life. Water quality is especially important in the Harbor area and in all of Washington. Several local schools have teamed up to prove this. To help in this project Aberdeen High School natural resources students traveled to a local stream. There we collected all the important data necessary to conclude the quality of water in our area. Our teams preformed such tests as pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Percent Saturation, change in temperature, Phosphates, Nitrates, and several more.
We took a look at our information after it was collected and discovered that our stream had several bad features. One of these was a lack of stream bank and riparian zone. Another was only slight shade coverage and no leaf litter or LWD. These things affect the stream and others around it. When there is no stream bank there can be no riparian zones that are essential to fish and plant survival. The riparian zones provide food, shade and protection. Leaf litter provides food for the small insects that will in turn become food for the fish. Without riparian zones or LWD fish cannot survive. They require these features and so it is imperative that we try to improve the streams and rivers in our area.
Other tests showed that Stewart Creek definitely had room for improvement.
The pH was within the normal range, as was Dissolved Oxygen, and percent saturation. Tests showed that Nitrates, Phosphates and NH3 were low and not harming the environment. The percent canopy cover though, was only 12%, and that small percent coming from one lone tree. Large Woody Debris was zero.
According the tests, the stream water was in relatively good health, but the stream's surroundings seemed to tell a different story. No LWD, little canopy cover and no bank point to poor stream health, while water quality tests show the actual water to be fine. Fish do not live there so it is obvious that LWD, canopy cover, and riparian zones play a key role in a fish's habitat.
Lisa May,
Aberdeen, period 4
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Done with their testinf for the day; a student group from Elma elementary. |
I am a junior at East Grays Harbor Learning Opportunity Center and this is my article for "Drops of Water".
Our water quality project started in February and I have been involved in each opportunity the Chehalis Basin Educational Consortium so far.
I have been to two of the trainings, benthic macroinvertebrates and chemical testing, and got to learn with the teachers. They were enjoyable and I learned a lot with the hands on training that we did.
We tested the water each time, once for macro and once with our LabPro that the CBEC provided. It is a lot more interesting experiencing education than listening on how to do things.
On the 22nd of March our class went to the Mox Chehalis Creek near Malone. The spot we were at was a riffle spot that was 30 ft. in width and had a riparian area filled with alder, bushes, and various other plants.
Upstream is an abandoned mill and houses, with highway 12 going over the creek 70 yards downstream.
The tests we did were temperature, stream depth, dissolved oxygen, nitrate and phosphate levels, flow, and ph.
From the results we did notice a high level of phosphate, which could mean over-fertilization upstream, we'll have to do more testing and assessing.
The ph was also high, so again hopefully the more we do the more we will be able to understand the results.
After spring break our class will test on a weekly basis, our skills will improve and we will keep all of you updated of our findings!
Sadie Kanois,
Elma
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On March 19th and 20th Mrs. Boyer's fifth grade class at Elma Elementary School went to five water monitoring sites to count how many osprey nests there are in Grays Harbor County. They found four nests that survived the winter storms. The sites were located at the South Montesano boat launch, Schaffer Boom road, the Satsop River boat launch, the Porter bridge boat launch, and Vance Creek. The purpose for going was to see if these sites had clean water because there was an osprey nest near each site. The osprey is so important because in the 1960's & 70's they were considered an endangered species because of DDT, a pesticide, in the Chehalis River Watershed. The ospreys got DDT in them from the fish they eat. The fish got the DDT in them from the bugs and the bugs got it from the sediment in the water. DDT got washed off of farmland into the river by rain.
The water quality tests that were performed were the Dissolved Oxygen test, a PH test, a Turbidity test and they also took the water temperature. A Dissolved Oxygen test is a test to see how much oxygen is in the water. A Turbidity test is a test to see how much sediment is in the water. Later in the spring they are going to perform a test called the Benthic Macroinvertebrates test. That is a test to see what insects and other bugs are in the top six inches of the sediment. Some bugs are very sensitive to pollution so we can tell how polluted the river is. Also in the spring the class will see how many nests are occupied and if any nestlings are present.
This was a great learning opportunity for Mrs. Boyer's class. Special thanks to Bayview Redi-Mix, Dick and Nancy Jacobson, Steve Avery from Weyerhaeuser, and volunteers Ruth Choate and Dan McDougal.
By Shelby Hempstead
Mrs. Boyer's Fifth Grade Class Elma Elementary
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Adna Highs School and Elementary School students doing |
Adna High School 9th Grade Environmental Science Class
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S wim
A nadromous
L ive
M igrate
O cean
N ature
By: Victoria Bigelow
and Katy Borden
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W ater beetles
A lder flies
T rue flies
E arthworms
R iver skimmers
By: Jonas Hyita and Josh Bornstein
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S ilver on top, dark on bottom
A dult salmon are colorful
L arge schools of salmon living in the ocean
M igrate from fresh water to salt water
O ther fish get jealous because they have to stay in one stream
N ot any salmon live after spawning, that is a shame
By: Jade Dolowy & Brianne Davidson
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Salmon swim down stream
Salmon live in the ocean
Salmon swim up stream
By: Amanda Mayoh and Kayla Young
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Some fish get sucked into the irrigation pipes.
And the majority of them go passed it without getting hurt.
Lots of fish die by predators.
MANY SALMON DIE EVERY YEAR.
On farmlands the cattle trample the baby alevin.
No matter what you do to help to prevent the salmon from dying there will always be something killing them.
By: Sadi Naillon
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Our waters are being polluted, people wonder why.
Things we do everyday are causing wildlife to die.
We drive cars everyday, we dam up the streams.
We don't realize that it is worse than it seems.
We make excuses everyday, but in the end, we will all pay.
Next time you drive, or cut down a tree
Think of our wildlife and your family.
By: Aimee Chancy
and Ali Stajduhar
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There once was a salmon named Derek.
Who had to find the ocean on his own merit
He swam and he swam until he was done.
And wouldn't you know it, he found it.
Two years later, after much labor
He came back home
Without a moan
And with a sigh,
He did die.
Where he was born
So do not forlorn
Because in the spring his children were born
By: Kristina Thompson
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Skookumchuck, By Jim Wendling and Richard Sipp
We went to the Skookumchuck River with the little kids (Mrs. Gibson's 4/5 grade from Adna). When we got there we took tests on things like water temperature, fecal levels, D.O., turbidity, and nitrogen. The little kids also had their own tests. When we were done we took the fecal tests to the wastewater treatment plant. We also collected bugs and water to test back at school.
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By Amber Owens
When I went to the Skookumchuck River with my group and the elementary kids, the kids behaved very well. They were extremely cooperative and seemed really interested in what they were doing. I was very surprised that the elementary girls were willing to handle and pick up the bugs. Everyone in our group was very helpful and not one of us slacked. We all took a part in something. When the younger kids couldn't figure something out or didn't know what something meant, then they would ask questions. Asking questions helped them a lot to get through finding out which bug went where and to help them fill out their papers.
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Tor Benson, C.R. Larsen, Ann Marie Walrath, Cody Boy turbidity testing |
I think it is important to know about our river systems. I don't think people think about what our impact is on the river. I think that the river walks we have been taking are important because people can learn about the fish and other animals. I have been on every river walk and I will continue to make it to the river each week. Now, I'm going to talk about trees, plants, fish, animals, and then ecology.
We're learning about river plants and trees. Mrs. Booth told us about three trees: dogwood willow, alder, and other plants like wild cucumber, Oregon grape, and wild mountain blackberries. My dad has told me about these and even more. I have been able to identify every single one on the river walks so far. I'm going to try to find out which plants you can eat and which plants or trees can help people.
The river is important to not only us, but animals also. Some animals live there, such as beavers, raccoons, otters, and deer. Without the river, these animals would have to move or perish.
Ecology is one of the most important things, I think. Ecology is how everything fits together. It also describes how healthy the river is. When people use poison in their gardens, dairy farms, or in logging, the ecology is hurt or damaged. People need to think about where the run-off is going.
This, I think, is important to know about, so you know what is happening to the river. I think that these three things are important: plants, animals, and ecology. Why don't you take your own river walk and see? You can make a difference. Just think, you could save a river.
Tor Benson
Boistfort School, 6th Grade
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Every puddle, lake, and all water on earth has a watershed. A watershed is the area where all the water drains to a certain spot. All land is a watershed. But all the watersheds have watersheds in them. A river's watershed starts at the rills that go together to make the river. More rills add on to that. At the edge of one watershed there is another one. The place at the edge of a watershed is called a divide. The Rocky Mountains, or the Continental Divide, divide the US in half. The rivers on the east go to the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico. Water on the west goes to the Pacific. A puddle's watershed is the drops of water that drain to the puddle. Many things affect the river and streams. They are very special so we have to be careful about what we do to the river.
Sarah Schanz
Boistfort School, 5th Grade
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Did you know that all land is a watershed? The Rocky Mountains are our continental divide, which is the separation of watersheds in the United States. All the water on the west coast side goes to the Pacific Ocean, and all the water on the eastern side goes into the Atlantic Ocean. Ridge lines, the top of mountains, separate watersheds.
Jeremy Hubbell
Boistfort School, 5th Grade
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Do you think river animals are cool? Well, you will think this river animal is cool. It's a water tiger. It catches anything it can get in his mouth. It sucks the blood out of the animals. A water tiger has lungs. It sticks its tail on the top of the water. A water tiger eats water fleas, young insects, and it even eats its own brothers and sisters. Can you believe that? Water tigers eat their own brothers, and sisters! A water tiger is a larvae and a grub of the diving beetle. A water tiger is very ferocious, which means mean. That's all I know about the water tiger. You can probably find out more if you explore your river, pond, or your creek.
John Baughman Boistfort School, 4th Grade
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Water Tiger
Alex Berg, Boistfort School 5th grader, reads river temp. on S. Fork Chehalis. Arnold Geis, Boistfort 6th grader, looking on. |
There are many small animals in the river. I would like to tell you about a few.
First, I will tell you about the hydra. A hydra is a small animal that lives in the pond. They are hard to spot because they are green and are mistaken for little plants. Like the jellyfish or sea anemone, the hydra has stinging tentacles attached to it. When an animal swims by and touches the hydra it will become paralyzed. Then the hydra is able to eat the animal. It mainly eats water fleas and small worms. You can usually find hydras living on leaves under the water. If I were a little animal, I d always be on the look out for them!
Next, I'll tell you about the back swimmer. There are two names for the back swimmer. They are the back swimmer and the common water boatman. The back swimmer eats lots of things such as tadpoles, lesser water boatmen, small fish, moths, and other insects. They catch their food with their two front legs. Then, it inserts poison into the animal with its sharp beak, and sucks all the liquids out of it. To me that's pretty gross! The back swimmer uses its two back legs as oars, and swims upside down. That would get pretty boring.
The last river animal I'll tell you about is the dragonfly. The dragonfly nymph catches its food by waiting motionless until an animal swims by, then, it catches it with two sharp hooks on the side of its mouth. After that, it pulls the food into its mouth and sucks all the juice out of it. Dragonflies eat midges, moths, and blowflies. That doesn't sound like a very varied diet. Dragonflies are wonderful hunters because of their great eyesight and fast flying speed. They seem very lucky for that! Too bad I couldn't see that well!
Abby Watt
Boistfort School, 5th Grade
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C.R. Larsen, Boistfort 6th grade. "Teacher for a Day" |
Hi. My name is C.R. Larsen and I am 12 years old. I am a sixth grader at Boistfort Elementary School. I have been interested in salmon ever since I caught my first one when I was 6 years old.
About 2 months ago, I asked my science teacher, Mrs. Booth, if I could do some extra credit for her to get my grades back up. She said, Yes, you can teach the class about salmon since you know a lot about them.
It took me a while to get the things I needed (posters, fish eggs, and fry) for the class I was going to teach my fellow 6th graders. I sat down and wrote some notes and even gave the class a quiz. At first I was kind of nervous to go up in front of the class and tell the kids about the life cycle of the salmon, but I did it! Mrs. Booth even took some pictures of me and put them out into the hall.
I didn't think I would be able to do this, but I'm glad I did.
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We are in Mrs. Gibson's 4/5th grade class at Adna Elementary. We are testing water to see if it is healthy for fish and other water animals.
There are many other schools doing similar projects. We can exchange data on the internet and get information about other parts of the Chehalis River.
Each month we take home a Water Quality Test Kit to gather information about a stream near our home. All the streams are tributaries of the Chehalis River. While we are at the stream we take temperatures of the water and air, we observe the riparian cover, animal life, and identify the changes that have occurred since we were last at the stream. A water sample is taken back to school where we test the pH and turbidity.
We are also learning about dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform, nitrates, and phosphates, and how these things effect the quality of water. Last November our class collected bethnic macro invertebrates from streams. It was kind of a surprise to find so many little bugs living in the streams.
On March 23, 2001 we went to the Skookumchuck River with 9th Graders from Adna High School. They helped us learn to do more water tests and collect more macro invertebrates. It was interesting working with older kids. Even though we did different kinds of tests we could still help each other.
So far we have found that the streams around our homes are pretty healthy. Most have good pH levels and no pollution from industries, but there is some fecal coliform. This has been a good experience for us. We are learning to keep records and see the changes from month to month. The observation and testing has helped us to get a better idea of what is needed to keep our streams healthy.
Craig, Derik, Kassi, Trevor, Sean - Adna
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New A back swimmer swims on its back. It uses its strong back legs to speed through the water to catch its prey. The back swimmer eats tadpoles, lesser water boatman, and small fish. It also can grab moths and other insects from the top of the water. Then it puts some poison into its prey with its sharp beak, and sucks out the animal's juices.
Derek Walrath Boistfort School, 4th Grade
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Water Quality Testing Provides Educational Opportunity
Back Swimmer
Enjoying a sunny day testing the Skookumchuck. |
Our river? So what about our river? Well, if you d like to know, our river temperature is always changing. On our river walks, we have been taking the temperature of the water every week we go. We recently graphed the river temperature. The trend was that the temperature was going up.
Who cares about the river temperature? Well, you should. The temperature affects the life of the river. If the temperature is too warm, some fish can't live. If it is too cold, some fish may die. Most fish can live in water ranging from 75 to 98 degrees F. So, now you know how important the temperature of the river is.
Ann Marie Walrath
Boistfort School, 6th Grade
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Marcia Siam Wiley Student contributors to this special issue of Drops of Water are eligible for a drawing for one of three cash certificates, courtesy of the National Assessors Institute. Prizes will be for $25, $15, and $10. Many thanks to all student writers and to the National Assessors Institute!
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New This is a very special edition of Drops of Water. Students from across the watershed participated in a water quality event and then wrote about their experiences.
This entire edition is devoted to their work.
Please sit down, read and enjoy their efforts. If you have comments about this edition please send them to CRC, P.O. Box 586, Oakville, WA 98568, to the attention of Dave Palmer.
Our thanks and congratulations to each school and student who, along with the CBEC, made this edition possible.
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Prize Drawing for Student Contributors
About This Edition
Aberdeen High natural resources students |
Danielle Settlemyre, Aberdeen High School
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