Muddy Hands Spring

Soil and Water Information for Educators Brought to You by the Lake and Geauga County Soil and Water Conservation Districts 2004 Inside this issue: Watershed Awareness Watersheds Did you know that no matter where you are, you are in a watershed? A watershed is a Watershed Awareness 1 geographic area that water flows across or under on it’s way to a stream, or lake. Geauga County is home to four watersheds: the , , Cuyahoga Chagrin River 1 River, and Mahoning River. Lake County is home to four watersheds including the Chagrin Watershed River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, and watersheds. All of these watersheds, Grand River 2 with the exception of the Mahoning River, are located within the watershed. Watershed This means all of these and creeks eventually drain into Lake Erie. The Mahoning River flows south and east, emptying into the River. Lake and Geauga County share Scenic Rivers Act 2 the Grand and Chagrin River Watersheds. Both of these rivers have unique features we Watershed Watch 2 would like to highlight. And MYC The Chagrin River Watershed Classroom Activities 3 Like most of the watersheds of , the Chagrin River Watershed was Summer Educator’s 4 formed by glacial activity thousands of years Workshop ago. The geologic history of the Chagrin River, DSWC August 4 combined with its’ geologic characteri stics, Workshop contribute to the overall health of the water- Farmer For A Day 4 shed. In fact, the Chagrin River probably was Summer Camp named for the Indian word for clear water— shagarin. National Geographic 4 Foundation Grants Today, the clear, clean waters of the Chagrin sustain a wide variety of plant species as well Special Points of as an assortment of animal life including steel- Interest: head, river otter, blue heron, soft-shelled tur- ? Watersheds of Northeast Ohio tle, and muskrat. “Recent surveys of aquatic ? Stream Monitoring and breeding birds [conducted by the Ohio Di- Activity vision of Wildlife] found more than 49 species ? Summer Opportunities of fish and 90 bird species living in the Cha- for Teachers and grin River Watershed”. A rare species of fish, Students brook trout, is included in the 49 species of **Circles denote school “Must we always teach our fish found in the Chagrin. locations in Lake and Geauga counties located children with books? Let The overall health and diversity of the Chagrin within the Chagrin River them look at the mountain Watershed has been maintained in areas where the ripar- and the stars above. Let ian forest cover and adjacent lands have been them look at the beauty of the waters and the trees and protected. Unfortunately, portions of the Chagrin that flow through urbanized areas flowers on earth. They will are declining in health. Heavy metals, especially lead and mercury, have left their mark then begin to think, and to on the water of the Chagrin. think is the beginning of a real education.” In July of 1979, the first forty nine miles of the Chagrin River were designated as Sce- David Polis nic by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Now 71 miles are considered Scenic. Page 2 Muddy Hands

The Grand River The Grand River drains 705 square miles of land on its 98 mile trip from source to Lake Erie. Along the way it slips through Geauga, Trumbull, Ashta- bula and Lake counties. Thirty-three miles of the Grand River are designated scenic by the Ohio De- partment of Natural Resources (ODNR) and an ad- ditional 23 miles are designated wild.

For most of its course, the Grand flows steadily northward through glacial deposits. In northern Ashtabula County, the topography forces the river into a sharply westward direction and the river slices through shale gorges on its way through

Painesville and Fairport and into the lake. **Circles denote school

locations in Lake and The slow upstream reaches are home to many wet- Geauga Counties located within the Grand River land animals, including beavers and river otters. Watershed The ODNR releases steelhead trout into the Grand, creating one of the top ten steelhead runs in the nation.

The Grand River is also the parent to Mentor Marsh. In prehistoric times, the Grand made one more westward run before emptying into Lake Erie near what is now Mentor Lagoons. Over time, bank erosion created the current mouth of the Grand River and left a low-lying, empty river channel to develop into a marsh. Stream Quality Monitoring Scenic Rivers Act Water quality monitoring is an interesting way of presenting species diver- Ohio pioneered the river sity, animal adaptations, and how humans affect living systems. Middle and preservation movement high school students in both counties use chemical test kits and macroin- in 1968 with the passage vertebrate sampling techniques to determine water quality at locations on of the nation's first the Grand and the Chagrin Rivers. These students work in small groups Scenic Rivers Act. This with SWCD employees to collect aquatic organisms living in the rivers. The legislation created a state pro- animals are then identified and counted. Calculating the diversity of spe- gram to protect Ohio's remaining cies indicates the overall health of the watershed. The students’ findings high quality streams for future are reported to ODNR’s Scenic Rivers program and become part of the generations. monitoring data for these wild and scenic rivers. Each year, participants in Scenic rivers are classified and these programs are recognized in ODNR’s report on water quality. designated according to the out- Millennium Youth Conservation (MYC) is a conservation club comprised of standing qualities a stream pos- students of all ages and their parents who monitor streams in Geauga sesses including the stream's County throughout the summer. It is offered by the Geauga SWCD. length, adjacent forest cover, biological characteristics, water Watershed Watch is a program of the Lake SWCD. Each September and quality, present use and natural May, over 500 students from 12 different schools take field trips to par- conditions. ticipate in water quality monitoring in Lake County rivers and streams. Information provided by ODNR Contact the SWCD in your county to sign up for Wate rshed Watch or MYC.

Looking for a way to liven up your science or social studies curriculum? Lake and Geauga SWCDs both offer an array of programs that meet many of the Ohio Science Standards. Call your SWCD office for more details. Page 3 Muddy Hands

Benthic Bugs and Bioassessment Grades 6-12 Activity from Healthy Water, Healthy People Water Quality Educator’s Guide

Objectives Activity Students will: 1. Inform students that they will be simulating a bioassessment of a stream ? Investigate the role that using ordinary objects as macroinvertebrates. aquatic macroinvertebrates 2. Set up three sets of collecting stations with the following items at each: play in determining water collection bucket, dip net, Data sheets I, II, and III. quality. 3. Place objects representing macroinvertebrates in the three tubs accord- ? Simulate the process of rapid ing to the following chart: bioassessment of aquatic macroinvertebrates. ? Collect, sort, classify, iden- tify, analyze, and evaluate a sample of materials repre- senting aquatic macroinverte- brates. ? Determine a stream’s water quality using a pollution toler- ance index based on a sample of aquatic macroinverte- brates. 4. Divide students into three group. Assign students within each groups one Materials of the following five tasks: stream sampling, sorting at the collection 1. Macroinvertebrate Identifi- bucket, counting/ recording macroinvertebrates on data sheet I, and cal- cation Chart ** culating/evaluating at macroinvertebrate data sheets II and III. 2. Macroinvertebrate Data 5. Instruct students to simulate a rapid bioassessment at their stream sa m- Sheets I, II, and III** pling sites as follows: 3. Plastic Tubs or storage bins A. Using an aquarium net, the students at the site have twenty for holding sample seconds to collect as many macroinvertebrates from their stream 4. Smaller plastic tubs as possible. They should place the macroinvertebrates in the col- 5. Hand held aquarium nets lection bucket. 6. Ice cube trays, petri dishes, B. Students at the collection bucket then sort the collected macro- or other sorting devices invertebrates into like categories based on the Macroinvertebrate 7. Calculators Identification Sheet and place them in the ice cube tray or cups. For 8. Small paper clip (100) example, they should place all of the mayflies in one cube, caddisflies 9. Large paper clips (50) into an other, etc. 10. Six different sizes, shapes, or C. The students using Macroinvertebrate Data Sheet I tabulate the colors of beads (50 of each sorting results onto the data sheet and calculate the percent compo- size/color/shape) sition of each macroinvertebrate in the stream site. 11. Pennies or other coins (50) D. The students using Macroinvertebrate Data Sheet II take the 12. Thin rubber bands (50) data from Sheet I to calculate the EPT/ Midge ratio. 13. Thick rubber bands (50) E. The students with Macroinvertebrate Data Sheet III use the data 14. Optional: Water (enough to from Data Sheet I to complete the Pollution Tolerance Index to de- fill samples in all three tubs termine their water quality assessment score for their stream sam- with four inches of water) ple. Coloring for the water so stu- 6. Have students compare their results with the other groups. What were dents cannot see the objects the similarities and differences between the three sites. Which stream in the sample tub. had the highest level of water quality? The lowest? ** Macroinvertebrate Identification Charts and Data Sheets I, II and III are available at www.geaugaswcd.com Muddy Hands

Summer Education Workshop Farmer For A Day Once again, Lake and Geauga SWCD’s will be of- A series of one-day agriculture education fering a week-long summer workshop titled workshops for children ages 7-12 is planned Wonders of Watersheds. This summer’s wor k- for Summer 2004. These day camps, held at shop will be held June 21-25, 2004. Spring Hill Farm in Geneva, were a big hit last year, and the sessions filled quickly. This year’s camp will Throughout the week, teachers will be exposed be held on June 30, July 8, and July 20 and pre- to issues within the major watersheds of Lake registration is required. For more information and regis- and Geauga Counties (the Grand, Chagrin, Cuya- tration forms, contact your SWCD, or go to the ‘Teachers hoga, and Mahoning Rivers and Arcola Creek). and Students’ section of the Lake SWCD web site. The impacts of nonpoint source pollution and the Farmer For A Day is a project of Western Reserve RC&D steps that can be taken to reduce pollution at and Project Food, Land, People. its point of origin will also be a primary focus of the workshop. Field trips and hands-on activi- ties will be incorporated throughout the week to Thank you to the Western Reserve give teachers a well-rounded educational experi- Federation of Conservationists for funding ence. this issue of Muddy Hands and supporting

Teachers will also be trained in and receive the environmental education! Project WET, Project Learning Tree, and Pro- ject WILD/Aquatic WILD curriculum and activ- ity guides, as well as learn the art of storytel- National Geographic Society Grants ling! (Wow! All of that in one week!) The cur- Application Deadline: June 10, 2004

riculum guides that will be provided offer hun- The National Geographic Society Foundation is providing dreds of hands-on lessons, which are guaran- grants to educators to facilitate their work in the class- teed to keep your students interested and e x- room, school, district, and community. This year, projects cited about science and the environment while will be funded in either of two broad categories: Promoting still meeting the requirements of the new cur- Stewardship of Cultural and Natural Resources, and Pro- riculum standards. moting Geographic Knowledge Through Education. Two graduate credits will be offered through The foundation plans to make approximately $100,000 Ashland University to interested teachers. A available, in grants of up to $5,000 each. Applications may stipend will be awarded to each participant to be submitted by a single teacher or by a project team help offset expenses for childcare and/or leader on behalf of a group. graduate credit. Register early– workshop size For more information about this grant opportunity go to will be limited to 30 participants (15 from each www.nationalgeographic.com/education/ county). Please call Geauga or Lake SWCD for teacher_community/get_grant.html. more information. Keep your eyes open for an DSWC August Education Workshop informational brochure in the near future! ODNR Division of Soil and Water Conservation is offering a summer workshop entitled Forest, Farm and Field... Your SWCD Contacts: Growing Your Education Program on August 10-12 at Mo- Geauga SWCD– Annie Rzepka Public Education Specialist hican State Park. Renowned storyteller Rick Sowash will 440-834-1122 be the keynote speaker, and many exciting sessions are PO Box 410 scheduled. Graduate credits will be available. Classroom Burton, Ohio 44021 website: http://www.geaugaswcd.com teachers and non-formal educators are invited. Check out http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/soilandwater or contact your Lake SWCD– Beth Landers Education Coordinator SWCD for sessions, and registration information. 440-350-2730 *Lake SWCD is offering a scholarship for one Lake County 125 East Erie St., Painesville, Ohio 44077 teacher; contact Beth for more information. Deadline: May 24. website: http://www.lakecountyohio.org/soil

All Lake and Geauga SWCD and USDA programs and services are available without regard to race, age, gender, national origin, politi- cal belief, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or marital or family status.