Students from Rice Avenue Middle School collect macroinvertebrates from Elk Creek.

Through informal interviews and conversations with local Erie County teachers and administrators, a common thread was discovered.  School districts were very interested in expanding and supplementing their current curriculum with exploration and discovery of our Lake Erie Watershed and local streams but unsure how to proceed.  Many of our students are failing to understand how the health of water in a local stream can have any effect on their lives. The Erie County Conservation District (ECCD), through funding by Coastal Zone Management, designed a program to teach teachers and students how to conduct their own stream study in a local stream. Through this year-long study, ECCD hopes to help schools build a relationship with their watershed that can make that connection between their environment and daily life. 

A student from Blessed Sacrament School studies Cascade Creek.

Six schools throughout Erie County are participating in the program and have already completed the fall testing of water quality and a macroinvertebrate inventory. Many schools are taking advantage of a supplementary visit by ECCD staff with our stream simulation table, bridging their stream studies through the winter months. Students will complete a spring study by the end of the school year and all results and summaries will be posted on our website www.erieconservation.com. 

It is our hope that through these studies, students and school staff will realize the connections between their daily lives and their watershed and continue advocating for its stewardship!