Connecticut
River Watershed Monitoring Project
Fall
2003
Professional Development Workshops
All
workshops begin on the UMass Amherst campus.
Directions and special instructions will be sent with registration
confirmation. Graduate
credit
is available. For
questions
about registration, contact Will Snyder at 413/545-3876 or
wsnyder@umext.umass.edu.
1.
Monitoring Stream Health with
Benthic Macroinvertebrates
Saturday,
September 6, 9:00 - 3:00
Marie-Francoise
Walk, Massachusetts Water
Watch
Partnership
This
workshop provides hands-on (and wet feet) training in how to conduct a
streamside survey of macroinvertebrates.
These surveys are a simple, fun way to introduce stream ecology and
watershed issues, and are a perennial favorite with teachers and students
alike. Activities include collecting samples using a kick net,
identifying major groups of BMIs, estimating habitat characteristics, and
completing field sheets.
EQUIPMENT
KITS for BMI monitoring are available for short term loan to
teachers who have
completed this training.
2.
Issues and Opportunities in
Project-based Learning
Saturday,
September 13, 9:00 - 3:00
Kathleen
Davis, Associate Professor, UMass School of Education
Marie-Francoise
Walk, Massachusetts Water
Watch
Partnership
Project-based
instruction — where students
define the questions, develop the study design, and put their findings to
meaningful use — offers a powerful tool for learning in science and other
disciplines. Monitoring
watershed
health supplies a variety of project opportunities.
This workshop introduces key practical considerations for
project-based
learning, including how to get started, elements of study design, and
incorporation into teaching constrained by school schedules and concerns
about
standardized test scores. This
workshop includes an introduction to Educ 615, Environmental Monitoring:
Project-Based Instruction, for graduate credit.
3.
Introduction to
GPS, Maps, and
Aerial Photography
Tuesday,
September 16, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
David
Goodwin, UMass Department of Natural Resources Conservation
This
workshop includes 1) an introduction to the mechanics, uses, and
limitations
of handheld Global Positioning Systems for mapping purposes, including
some
hands‑on time with GPS receivers, 2) an introduction
to map projections,
coordinate systems, and scale, using USGS topographic maps, and 3)
hands-on
experience with various types of aerial photographs, including leaf on vs.
leaf off, color vs. black and white vs. color infrared, and coarse vs.
fine
scale.
4.
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) —
Part 1
Tuesday,
September 30, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
David
Goodwin, UMass Department of Natural Resources Conservation
Working
in an 18-seat computer lab equipped with ArcGIS software (including ArcMap
and
ArcView), we will explore the concepts necessary to get comfortable with
using
spatial data. These
concepts will
include raster vs. vector data, data base attributes,
projections, symbology and
spatial analysis. This evening will
be a combination of presentation and hands‑on time
with the computers and
software.
5.
Introduction to
Stream Surveys and
Water Chemistry
Saturday,
October 4, 9:00 - 3:00
Marie-Francoise
Walk, Massachusetts Water Watch
Partnership
This
workshop offers two more tools for monitoring stream
health.
First, we will be introduced to the
Adopt-A-Stream shoreline survey, a
simple tool for observing, collecting data, and identifying problems and
resources. Second, we will be
introduced to procedures for water quality sampling in the field and
laboratory
analysis for dissolved oxygen. Equipment and materials for DO monitoring is
available from UMass Extension to teachers who have completed
this training.
6.
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (Gis) —
Part 2
Tuesday,
October 14, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
David
Goodwin, UMass Department of Natural Resources Conservation
Expanding
on part 1, we will go deeper into GIS concepts and
applications.
In addition, we will look at MassGIS's Data Viewer, a tool that is
available free to Massachusetts schools. Time
will be devoted to individual projects and questions.
7.
Spatial
Data Web Resources
Tuesday,
October 28, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
David
Goodwin, UMass Department of Natural Resources Conservation
This
session will be devoted to understanding the types of data that
is available at
the MassGIS web site. You will
learn the difference between shapefiles and coverages (and how to get them
on
your computer and use them with GIS software), how to use digital
orthophotography (tiffs or MrSIDs), and how to put these resources
together to
present a project using spatial data.