CCAAPPEE FFEEAARR RRI IVVEERR WWAATTCCHH WWAATTEERRKKEEEE PPEERR CCAAMMPP BBeeccoommee aa SScciieennttiisstt aann dd MMoonniittoorr tthhee RRiivveerr An Environmental Education Camp on Watersheds, Water Q uality and Science ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Cape Fear River Watch Waterkeeper Camp was developed by: Kay Lynn Plummer‐Hernandez Education Specialist Cape Fear River Watch, Inc. Roger Shew, Prof. Department of Geography and Geology University of North Carolina Wilmington Jana Sprenger, PhD Cape Fear River Watch (intern) We wish to thank the following people for their contributions to this document: Kemp Burdette Cape Fear RIVERKEEPER® Photographs Alan Cradick, Jana Sprenger, Roger Shew We also wish to thank the other sources cited in this project. Waterkeeper Camp 1 CAPE FEAR RIVER WATCH WATERKEEPER CAMP The Waterkeeper Camp is a project of Cape Fear River Watch, Inc. (CFRW), a non-profit environmental organization based in Wilmington. CFRW has been working to protect and improve the water quality of the Cape Fear River Basin since 1993. The organization is a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance. In addition to supporting the work of the Cape Fear Riverkeeper®, CFRW offers a variety of Environmental Education, Action and Advocacy programs for all residents of the Cape Fear River watershed. The Waterkeeper Camp is tailored to children and young adults between the ages of 13 to 17 years. It is designed to enable students to better understand the connections between people and their natural and urban environment by looking at rivers, watersheds, water quality and usage. The camp combines learning about our watershed and scientific research methods with fun recreational activities like paddling. Students will learn how they can become an excellent steward of the environment. The camp serves as a long term watershed protection program and opportunity for students to be exposed to environmental studies. Students will develop critical thinking skills as well as hands-on experience through the exploration of important watersheds. They will gain experience in modern scientific methods related to the survey of water quality including field work and data analyzing as well as finding solutions to minimize negative impacts on local water quality. Through unique and memorable field trips students will be able to make real-world connections. Field work and field trip locations include: Northeast Cape Fear River (boat trip) Greenfield Lake (including paddling) Anne McCrary Demonstration Site Carolina Beach State Park Town Creek and Rices Creek (canoe/kayak trip) For more information on the Waterkeeper Camp, please contact: Cape Fear River Watch, c/o Education Specialist, Phone: (910) 762-5606 2 Cape Fear River Watch Alan Cradick Waterkeeper Camp 3 Greenfield Lake – Sampling site for water quality measurement General Information Topics: Cape Fear River Basin, Watersheds and Water Usage, Water Quality Testing, Coastal Ecosystems, Canoeing, Use of GPS-Systems Location: Cape Fear River Watch, Inc., 617 Surrey Street, Wilmington, North Carolina, 28401. Phone: (910) 762-5606, http://www.cfrw.us Target group: Age 13-17 Hours: Monday to Thursday from 8.30 am to 3 pm Friday from 8.30 am to 1 pm Needed items: Lunch box Appropriate clothes (weather depending), sunscreen and bug spray Tuesday and Friday paddles: Second set of dry clothes 4 Cape Fear River Watch Camp Overview Day 1 ® On the first day of the Junior RIVERKEEPER Camp students will gain a basic knowledge about the Cape Fear River, its watersheds and its water quality. We will also talk about the history and current mission of the RIVERKEEPERS. After this introduction we will spend two hours on the river in a pontoon boat. We believe the best way to understand a river is to get out on it. Students will learn about the history and current issues affecting the river as well as about the geology of the region and the many ecosystems along the river. The Northeast Cape Fear River is a perfect place to see for instance the impact of saltwater on cypress forests in a tidal river and the impact of slight changes in elevation on the ecosystems. In the afternoon students will develop familiarity with our water test equipment and the use of GPS-Systems. We will take our first water samples at the boat ramp at the end of Castle Street near the Cape Fear River Watch Headquarters. Alan Cradick The impact of saltwater on the cypress forests of Water testing and GPS equipment. the Northeast Cape Fear River. Waterkeeper Camp 5 Day 2 The second day concentrates on Greenfield Lake. We will start with an indoor exercise outlining the Greenfield Lake watershed on a topographic map. This enables us to understand which areas have a direct influence on the water quality of the lake. Water samples from the lake will be taken from the boundary areas and within the lake. Students will get canoe training at the Cape Fear River Watch boat rental location. They will paddle to the sampling locations using GPS-Systems. After lunch we will take the remaining water samples from the lake banks and finally discuss water quality parameters and our sampling results. Analyzes will include T°, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nitrogen, phosphorus and optionally fecal coliform bacteria. Our results can be compared with existing data from former measurements. We will also talk about management practices that are currently used to reduce the amount of pollutants (trash, pesticides, fertilizer, car fluids, pet waste and sediment) that are washed into Greenfield Lake and other bodies of water by storm water runoff. Alan Cradick Alan Cradick Taking water samples in Greenfield Lake. Discussing water parameters. Day 3 On our third day we will continue looking at management practices that can help improve the water quality of our lakes and rivers. Students will visit Anne McCrary Demonstration Site on Randall Parkway. This area shows the use of different so-called Best Management Practices (BMPs) like rain gardens, bioretention areas, habitat gardens, shade trees, rain barrels, retention ponds, riparian buffers, grassy swales, pet waste stations and pervious pavements. Students will be divided into small groups. Each group will choose one to three BMPs and will prepare a short presentation to teach the other campers about their specific management practices. After we study runoff problems in the city, we will talk about the countryside of the Lower Cape Fear River Basin as well. Hundreds of animal farms (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, CAFOs) are located in this area. These operations have a huge impact on water quality through the large amounts of swine and poultry waste that are washed into the river. This happens especially 6 Cape Fear River Watch during storm caused flooding of the lowlands (the most important geo-hazard in the US). In a map exercise students will learn how to predict the impacts of different flooding events. In the afternoon the students will do our own public service project. This could be a clean-up of a local creek, a restoration of an artificial wetland (e.g. Kerr Avenue) or a Watershed Watch report of a local creek for the city of Wilmington. Day 4 On day 4 we will study the ecosystems of the Lower Cape Fear River region and coastal Carolinas. At the Cape Fear River Watch Headquarters we will teach an introduction to the ecology of the local area, and then we will start our day trip to Carolina Beach State Park. The introduction will include coastal wetlands, Xeric Sandhill Communities, Pond Pine Woodlands. We will study soil and groundwater conditions, carnivorous plants and a comparison between blackwater creeks and brownish colored rivers. Some ecosystems of the state park, like swamps and marsh areas, are directly influenced by the river and its tidal changes. For example the pine and oak forests are located on nutrient-poor sandy soils in higher regions of the park. These areas provide an ideal habitat for several carnivorous plants like Venus Flytraps, Yellow Pitcher Plants and Sundews. Carolina Beach State Park – River bank Carnivorous plants – Venus Flytrap Day 5 On the last day of the camp we will paddle in canoes on Town Creek and Rices Creek as well as have a picnic. The creeks are tributaries of the Cape Fear River and a good opportunity to experience blackwater rivers and most importantly, apply the knowledge and skills learned during the previous days of camp. During the paddle there will be many chances to see different ecosystems and wildlife. Waterkeeper Camp 7 Alan Cradick Alan Cradick Waterkeeper Camp 9 Background Information Topics and Research Activities of the Camp 10 Cape Fear River Watch North Carolina Physiography and Geology North Carolina is subdivided into three physiographic provinces: Blue Ridge, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain. The Blue Ridge is 10% of the state while the Piedmont and Coastal Plain are each 45% of the state’s area. Each of these areas has unique topographic features, rock types, soil types, plants and animals, and landforms. The Tidewater area is the very low-lying area in eastern N.C. formed since approximately 70,000 years ago but it is often just included within the Coastal Plain province. Physiographic map of North Carolina (http://www.cgia.state.nc.us/graphics/physprov.gif) The Coastal Plain extends from the shoreline to the fall line. Te fall line is an important geological and historical site for N.C. and the entire Atlantic seaboard. The change from the harder rocks of the Piedmont to the softer rocks of the Coastal Plain is where many of our larger cities developed. The reason, energy could be generated from fast moving water as the elevation of the rivers drop when they move from the Piedmont to the Coastal Plain. The Coastal Plain is comprised of sediments and sedimentary rocks and dominantly acidic soils.