Student Scientists in Action
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2019 HOWARD COUNTY WATERSHED REPORT CARD Student Scientists in Action South Branch Patapsco Marriotts South Branch Patapsco Ridge HS at Mt. Pleasant Brighton Dam Mount Hebron Little Glenelg HS Patuxent River Middle Patuxent at Shady Lane Middle Patuxent Centennial HS River Homewood Center 2019 GRADE Howard HS Little Patuxent at Faulkner Ridge Oakland Patapsco River Wilde Mills HS River Hill HS Lake HS Lower North Branch Long Reach HS Middle Patuxent Little Patuxent C+ Atholton HS at Macomber Lane at Southwind Trail STREAMS: Little Patuxent at Lake Elkhorn • Consistent water Hammond HS chemistry ratings • Signs of erosion along stream Rocky Gorge Middle Patuxent Reservoir HS at Sweet Hours Way banks evident KEY Dam • Habitat degradation led to Stream Testing Site decreased macroinvertebrates High School Patuxent • More sampling needed Study Site River Upper SCHOOLYARDS: Improved in the past year: ABOUT • Vegetative cover THE PROGRAM No change in the past year: This program was designed to • Pollution provide a systemic opportunity for Howard County Public School • Waste 9th grade students to participate in • Stormwater a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience. Students participate in data collection in their local schoolyard and stream, analyze data, examine and critique local policies, and advocate with decision makers in the county. This year more than 5,000 Earth Science and Biology students participated in this project! This experience provides the opportunity for students to engage in an Project supported authentic and meaningful exploration of the local watershed. by the NOAA BWET program Overall Schoolyard Data 16 Needs Arrows indicate change from 2017 Improvement 12 8 4 8.5 5.0 7.0 6.0 3.0 5.2 4.0 4.4 2.0 6.75 5.5 4.0 7.0 0 Best Atholton Centennial Glenelg Hammond Homewood Howard Long Reach Marriotts Ridge Mt. Hebron Oakland Mills Reservoir River Hill Wilde Lake Practices High School High School High School High School Center High School High School High School High School High School High School High School High School Students collected data on erosion, downspouts, storm drains, parking lots, dumpsters, turf management, water chemistry, permeable surfaces and tree canopy to determine their schoolyard’s overall score. The lower values reflect evidence of effective stormwater management practices. Schoolyard data was collected one time in the fall over a period of days and all student data was averaged. SCHOOLYARD FEEDBACK Atholton High School Howard High School Reservoir High School + Storm drains stenciled + Expansive area of native trees + Schoolyard compost bins and – No low mow zones – Litter present in schoolyard native plants Centennial High Long Reach High School – Trash found in schoolyard + Storm drains stenciled + Native plant garden River Hill High School + Low mow meadow – Trash and plastics in schoolyard + Stenciled storm drains and rain garden Glenelg High School Marriotts Ridge High School – Concerns about nitrate values + No mow zone + Good water quality and native Wilde Lake High School – Low forest cover plant garden + Updated rain garden and stenciled storm drains Hammond High School – Lack of buffer near stormwater pond – High soil compaction + Excellent water chemistry Mt. Hebron High School – No stormwater pond/buffer + Highest overall rating, native trees Homewood Center – Litter found in schoolyard + Increased native plants in Oakland Mills High School existing gardens + Expanded native plant garden + Second highest scoring school – Schoolyard litter PHOTO BY EMILY CALKINS Streams Studied South Branch Patapsco at Mt. Pleasant ................................................ Little Patuxent at Macomber Lane ........................................................... Middle Patuxent at Sweet Hours Way .................................................... Little Patuxent at Faulkner Ridge .............................................................. Little Patuxent at Lake Elkhorn ................................................................... Middle Patuxent at Shady Lane .................................................................. Middle Patuxent at Southwind Trail ........................................................ KEY Poor Moderate Good SENSITIVE MACROINVERTEBRATE CHART CADDISFLIES MAYFLIES STONEFLIES WATER PENNIES HELLGRAMMITES South Branch Patapsco at Mt. Pleasant ● ● ● ● Middle Patuxent at Sweet Hours Way ● ● ● Little Patuxent at Lake Elkhorn ● ● ● ● Middle Patuxent at Southwind Trail ● ● ● ● Little Patuxent at Macomber Lane ● ● Little Patuxent at Faulkner Ridge ● ● Little Patuxent at Shady Lane ● ● ● ● Macroinvertebrates are often used in studies to determine the water quality due to their known pollution tolerances, limited mobility and dependence on the land environment around the stream. The sensitive macroinvertebrates are of particular importance, because they do not tolerate high levels of pollution. At each stream site, students searched riffles, runs, and pools under cobbles and leaf matter and through root wads using D-Nets to find a variety of macroinvertebrates. Each stream was sampled twice in the fall. STREAM FEEDBACK South Branch Patapsco at Mt. Pleasant Little Patuxent at Macomber Lane • Fair water quality with high levels of nitrate found • Low number of macroinvertebrates found • Few sensitive macroinvertebrates found • Higher than average conductivity rates • Uneven stream banks with major erosion cut outs Little Patuxent at Faulkner Ridge Middle Patuxent at Sweet Hours Way • Low dissolved oxygen • High nitrates • Stream bank instability • High stream bank erosion and moderate water clarity Middle Patuxent at Shady Lane • Found two sensitive macroinvertebrates • Variety of macroinvertebrates found Little Patuxent at Lake Elkhorn • High levels of nitrates • Wide diversity of macroinvertebrates found • Stream banks disconnected to flood plain Middle Patuxent at Southwind Trail • Sensitive macroinvertebrates • High levels of dissolved oxygen Stream Recommendations South Branch Patapsco at Mt. Pleasant Little Patuxent at Macomber Lane Shore up erosion on far stream bank to improve water clarity. Regular stream clean up, continue data collection especially for Continue citizen science monitoring upstream in newly restored conductivity measurements. stream area to examine relationship to stream life downstream. Little Patuxent at Faulkner Ridge Middle Patuxent at Sweet Hours Way Encourage community-wide stream clean up to decrease litter. Plant buffers to slow runoff and to reduce plastic litter found in Stabilize stream banks to decrease erosion. the stream. Weekly visual checks and regular stream clean ups. Middle Patuxent at Shady Lane Little Patuxent at Lake Elkhorn Add more native plants and trees to filter the water. Remove inva- Increase riparian buffer to reduce the speed of incoming runoff. sive species. Set up composting station for horse manure. Middle Patuxent at Southwind Trail Decrease use of fertilizers, increase buffer and add native trees to reduce erosion. SCHOOLYARD RECOMMENDATIONS Low Mow Native Plants Compost Green Outdoor Awareness Schoolyard Porous Meadow & Trees Bins Roof Recycle Bins Campaign Clean Up Pavers Atholton High School ● ● Centennial High School ● ● ● Glenelg High School ● ● ● ● ● Hammond High School ● Homewood Center ● ● Howard High School ● ● ● Long Reach High School ● ● Marriotts Ridge High School ● ● Mt. Hebron High School ● ● Oakland Mills High School ● ● ● Reservoir High School ● ● River Hill High School ● ● ● ● ● Wilde Lake High School ● ● Thank you to the following for contributing countless hours: HCPSS Earth Space Systems Science and Biology G/T teachers Watershed Team Conservancy Volunteer Naturalists HCPSS Secondary Science Office THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS.