Watershed Report Card Program

The Watershed Report Card Education Program is offered every October in several Upper Thames subwatersheds, including Stoney Creek (London, Middlesex Centre), Oxbow Creek (Middlesex Centre), Medway Creek (London, Middlesex Centre), Cedar Creek (Woodstock), and Avon River (Stratford).

The program begins with a two hour field trip, during which students investigate water quality (chemistry and biology) and conduct a habitat assessment. The field trip is followed up later with a classroom session, also led by UTRCA staff, in which students analyze and grade the forest conditions of the study area by using GIS mapping.

By the end of the program students have produced a report card for their local subwatershed, with grades given for water quality and forest conditions. Local actions for improvement are discussed with the students as a way for them to identify the methods a community can use to improve the environment in their area.

Classes from secondary schools located in each study area are invited to participate in this program. Preference is given to Grade 12 classes in Environmental Resource Management, Geography, Biology and Chemistry. This program is multidisciplinary and includes components consistent with each of the listed courses.

Through hands-on investigation, analysis, and interpretation students will be able to:

• develop an understanding of watershed management

• investigate water quality through hands-on analysis of water chemistry and aquatic biology

• examine riparian habitat conditions and adjacent land use

• measure and interpret forest conditions from GIS-created watershed maps

• assign grades to watershed components based upon pooled class results

• discuss local actions for improvement and how they can get involved to improve the watershed grades

This Watershed Report Card program was launched in the fall of 2002 in the Dingman Creek subwatershed. The program has now expanded into five subwatersheds due to its popularity with CA staff, teachers and students.

Funding support for student participation has been received every year due to the generosity of the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation.

Contacts

• For programs in Woodstock or Ingersoll: (tel: 519-451-2800 ext. 274)

• For programs in London: (tel: 519-451-2800 ext. 254)

• For programs in Stratford: (tel: 519-284-2931 ext. 422)