Environmental Education Projects

Project Title: Trammel Creek-Ky Water Watch

Stimulus for Project: Environmental Education Course

Grade Level: Middle School

Issue-Keywords: water, ph level, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, velocity, macro-invertabraes

Who is impacted?: Community members of Warren County and surrounding counties.

Contact Person: Susie Comer

Location: Trammel Creek-Alvaton, KY

Project Description:

Students completed on-site field experience conducting water quality of Trammel Creek in Warren County, September 25, 2010. They tested the ph level, dissolved oxygen, the turbidity, velocity and used macro-invertabraes for water indicators.

Project Outcomes/Evaluation Brief Description:

The water level was very low and the tally of macro-invertabrae was low. Dissovled oxygen was seven. Turbidity was clear. Students will submit data to the Kentucky Water Dept. in Frankfort, KY to establish water quality in Warren County streams. Students will become lifelong learners and stewards of KY streams.

Project Title: Outdoor Classroom/Wildlife Habitat

Stimulus for Project: Education for Sustainability

Grade Level: Elementary

Issue-Keywords: food, water, shelter, space, habitat, soil, organism, diversity, seed, plant, root, pollination, photosynthesis

Who is impacted?: students, school, wildlife

Contact Person: Steffon Rudolph

Location: Parker Bennett-Curry

Project Description:

Students from various classes helped install plants that produce flowers and berrie;, a pond, for a water source; and trees to establish food and shelter; The area recieved a certificate from Fish and Wildlife reconizing it has a wildlife habitat. A pavilion has been installed to provide a sitting area for instructions, observation and documentation.

Project Outcomes/Evaluation Brief Description:

The students have observation on a regular basis when unloading and loading from their bus. They pass through the area when walking to the playground and can watch the area from the cafeteria when eating breakfast and lunch. They investigate and research the area when studying different topics.

Project Title: Wood Duck Nesting Boxes

Stimulus for Project: *Earth Force, *EE course
(ENVE 520- Introduction to EE), *Other
(Muhlenberg County High School Ag Dept.)

Grade Level: Secondary

Issue-Keywords: Land,Water,Species,Other

Who is impacted?: Students, school, community, and any others who make use or take part.

Contact Person: Scott Allen Cronin

Location: Muhlenberg Co. High School – West Campus

Project Description:

Students worked with a partner in building a nesting box to be mounted in the local community around ponds, lakes, swamps, reclaimed mining sites, and other water sheds.  The project is to help improve a habitat for the wood ducks to have more nesting areas.  Students researched wood ducks, their habitat, organizational efforts for waterfowl, and learned about waterfowl reproduction, habitat, and other characteristics.

Project Outcomes/Evaluation Brief Description:

One of the project outcomes is to show how basic efforts can help improve wildlife and environment along with showing students basic construction skills for projects.  Students took ownership of their world to help understand sustainability and how public land can be managed in big and small portions.  This project also opened up career opportunities for students.  Students found this experience to be fun, rewarding, exciting, practical, realistic, and productive.

Project Title: Exploring How Water is Affected in a Sinkhole

Stimulus for Project:Earth Force Project

Grade Level: Middle School

Issue-Keywords: Water, run-off, sinkhole, karsts, erosion

Who is impacted?: school, students, community

Contact Person: Amy Porter

Location: Hopkinsville Middle School, KY

Project Description:

There is a sinkhole on our school property which has an overflow drain. Where does this water flow? Does this drain lead into Little River? Littler River, located near our school, drains into Kentucky Lake. Our drinking water comes from Kentucky Lake. How did this sinkhole on our school property form? How does litter impact our water quality?

Project Outcomes/Evaluation Brief Description:

We invited WKU's Hoffman Institute to come to our school and to do a Dye Trace in our drain. Due to some miscommunication, the dye was placed in the wrong drain, so we did not get "true" results from our sinkhole. Students, however, learned a great deal through investigation and research involved with the Earth Force project and were proud of the work they did.

Project Title:New Beginnings Ky Water Watch

Stimulus for Project:Earth Force Project
School-Based Initiative

Grade Level: Middle Grades

Issue-Keywords: soil, mulch, erosion, weed control, percolation, soil formation

Who is impacted?: Students, faculty

Contact Person: Susie Comer

Location: Warren East Middle School

Project Description:

Outdoor Classroom -  Students mentored with the Warren East High School Agriculture students to apply classroom studies of soil formation, erosion, plants and interactions of each of these and man.  This project was implemented as soil erosion prevention.

Project Outcomes/Evaluation Brief Description:

Our students mentored with high school students as resources in an effort to give back to their community.  The emphasis for this project is to promote character education and diversified instruction in the middle school classroom.   We hope to promote lifetime learning in our community.