Swimming the Watershed
On Tuesday, September 26th 2017, Alan McIntyre loaded up all 13 students of his A block APES class at 9:05 a.m. for a glorious trip to three local watersheds to investigate. Our journey begins at a location just a few hundred feet from the covered bridge on blackwater river. After 15 minutes of investigating and collecting data we hit the road to a tributary that eagle pond drains into. This tributary is a small river that connects Eagle Pond to Blackwater River. After finishing up our observations we raced against the clock ticking closer and closer to next block we finally arrived to our final destination, the breath-taking Pleasant Lake. Pleasant Lake is one of many main sources of the Blackwater River.
Before we were able to get our feet wet and explore all the Blackwater river has to offer, we had a quick discussion about what we should be looking for and thinking about while conducting our investigation.
After Alan used his old fashioned map to show us where we are going and how the high mountains around us direct water into the blackwater river, he then taught us the ABCDEE's. A, stands for abiotic, or non-living things, B is for biotic, or living organisms, C, is for cycles, D is for diversity, the first E is for energy, and the second E is for evolution. He wants us to use the ABCDEE's while investigating each of the watersheds we visit. Speaking of watersheds we briefly talked about why water is so important. Well, water is essential to life, not only can we not go three days without it, water also is essential to power, recreation, movements of goods, and transporting nutrients.
First Stop
The first stop was west of Proctor where we parked the bus right near the covered bridge. We then took a small walk down a path that lead to the blackwater river.
Upon arrival to the shaded area we immediately started scanning the area to point out ABCDEE's. At first glance it was clear that the river's water level is noticeably low, most likely as low as it has been in about a year. The first abiotic component we found were rocks. Rocks were everywhere at our location and tell us a lot. After Alan asked the class what rocks can tell us a few intelligent peers of mine responded. Jack noted that rocks can be a sign of possible erosion while Cooper said they tell us how old a river can be. Alan followed up by explaining how rocks and their size play an important role and tell us a "story line" and about the community and ecology of the area through time. Cooper noted that the rocks we were standing on are usually under water because they are smoothed out and Alan loved it, explaining it's also evidence of glaciacian that occurred about 12,000 years ago.
The other thrilling discovery we made was part of the biotic component, a stonefly. Alan explained stoneflies are very pollution intolerant, providing essential evidence for a clean and low pollution level in the Blackwater river. This makes perfect sense as our water tests indicates a low pH and stoneflies would be the first to leave an area if the pH leans to one side or the other. Using the stonefly as an example, Alan brought about the discussion of population density which is how many stoneflies we find in a designated or specific area. Some other notable abiotic components we found was the trees, birds and some fish, all signs of thriving life. While at the first site our class was able to take several different water tests. We measured the water temperature, pH, phosphate, and turbidity.
Our second stop was right down the road at a spot thats part of a small river that connects Eagle Pond to Blackwater River. On arrival Alan made it clear to watch our step as, " A lot of people walk their dogs here and forget about the poop". Having that image clearly defined in my head I made my way carefully down to the river's edge. Using my senses, the first observations I made is a calm water with lots of birds chirping and cars driving by do to the close proximity of Route 11. Within a matter of a few minutes our class made two important biotic discoveries. The first was what appeared to be a green, squishy thing that pops if you squeeze it. Alan told us it was green algae that feeds of the bottom of the river. This is significant because algae needs sunlight to grow and our water temperature was 71.9 meaning there was a higher energy at this stop then our first stop. The second biotic discovery was mussles. This was interesting because I was unaware mussles lived in small rivers and streams. Again there was a lot of rocks and a dead tree that were significant abiotic factors for this spot.
Nicole pointed out that there was an abiotic component, a tennis ball, floating in the lake. Alan told us this indicates it is, " A human enhanced spot for water collection and recreation". This goes hand in hand with this water escape pictured below, also an abiotic factor of Pleasant Lake. Alan explained how this man made flood escape can also control the amount of water drained from the lake, making it a limiting factor!
Water Temperature: 75 degrees fahrenheit
After Alan used his old fashioned map to show us where we are going and how the high mountains around us direct water into the blackwater river, he then taught us the ABCDEE's. A, stands for abiotic, or non-living things, B is for biotic, or living organisms, C, is for cycles, D is for diversity, the first E is for energy, and the second E is for evolution. He wants us to use the ABCDEE's while investigating each of the watersheds we visit. Speaking of watersheds we briefly talked about why water is so important. Well, water is essential to life, not only can we not go three days without it, water also is essential to power, recreation, movements of goods, and transporting nutrients.
First Stop
The first stop was west of Proctor where we parked the bus right near the covered bridge. We then took a small walk down a path that lead to the blackwater river.
Upon arrival to the shaded area we immediately started scanning the area to point out ABCDEE's. At first glance it was clear that the river's water level is noticeably low, most likely as low as it has been in about a year. The first abiotic component we found were rocks. Rocks were everywhere at our location and tell us a lot. After Alan asked the class what rocks can tell us a few intelligent peers of mine responded. Jack noted that rocks can be a sign of possible erosion while Cooper said they tell us how old a river can be. Alan followed up by explaining how rocks and their size play an important role and tell us a "story line" and about the community and ecology of the area through time. Cooper noted that the rocks we were standing on are usually under water because they are smoothed out and Alan loved it, explaining it's also evidence of glaciacian that occurred about 12,000 years ago.
The other thrilling discovery we made was part of the biotic component, a stonefly. Alan explained stoneflies are very pollution intolerant, providing essential evidence for a clean and low pollution level in the Blackwater river. This makes perfect sense as our water tests indicates a low pH and stoneflies would be the first to leave an area if the pH leans to one side or the other. Using the stonefly as an example, Alan brought about the discussion of population density which is how many stoneflies we find in a designated or specific area. Some other notable abiotic components we found was the trees, birds and some fish, all signs of thriving life. While at the first site our class was able to take several different water tests. We measured the water temperature, pH, phosphate, and turbidity.
Water Temperature: 67.5 degrees fahrenheit
pH: 7 (neutral)
Phosphate: 1 (good)
Turbidity: 0 (which means very clear water)
Second Stop
Our second stop was right down the road at a spot thats part of a small river that connects Eagle Pond to Blackwater River. On arrival Alan made it clear to watch our step as, " A lot of people walk their dogs here and forget about the poop". Having that image clearly defined in my head I made my way carefully down to the river's edge. Using my senses, the first observations I made is a calm water with lots of birds chirping and cars driving by do to the close proximity of Route 11. Within a matter of a few minutes our class made two important biotic discoveries. The first was what appeared to be a green, squishy thing that pops if you squeeze it. Alan told us it was green algae that feeds of the bottom of the river. This is significant because algae needs sunlight to grow and our water temperature was 71.9 meaning there was a higher energy at this stop then our first stop. The second biotic discovery was mussles. This was interesting because I was unaware mussles lived in small rivers and streams. Again there was a lot of rocks and a dead tree that were significant abiotic factors for this spot.
Water Temperature: 71.9 degrees fahrenheit
pH: 7 (neutral)
Phosphate: 1 (good)
Turbidity: 0
After finishing up some water tests we packed up and headed to our final destination!
Third Stop
Our final destination, Pleasant Lake, was one of the main resources of Blackwater River and had a tremendous view for all to take in. Upon arrival the mountains overlook the gorgeous body of water. Pleasant Lake is very wide open and Alan explains it's actually a sub-watershed because it's part of the greater Merrimack Valley watershed. The water is noticably crystal clear and appears to be at normal water levels. Nicole pointed out that there was an abiotic component, a tennis ball, floating in the lake. Alan told us this indicates it is, " A human enhanced spot for water collection and recreation".
Nicole pointed out that there was an abiotic component, a tennis ball, floating in the lake. Alan told us this indicates it is, " A human enhanced spot for water collection and recreation". This goes hand in hand with this water escape pictured below, also an abiotic factor of Pleasant Lake. Alan explained how this man made flood escape can also control the amount of water drained from the lake, making it a limiting factor!
Water Temperature: 75 degrees fahrenheit
pH: 7 (neutral)
Phosphate: 4 (very high)
Turbidity: 0
Pleasant Lake is a great spot with many limiting factors to discuss, and after discovering the flood escape we dove head first into some of the limiting factors of the lake. Jack started us off, stating," There must be less fish in Pleasant Lake compared to the other two spots because people fish at Pleasant Lake all the time, opposed to the other sites where no-one fishes". Alan tells us this is a great example of how populations can be limited in their niches. Unfortunately proving that there is more fish at the other spots is not as easy as a simple observation. Alan explains the only way we can prove that populations are not the same at each spot is if we tested the water individually. It was also worth noting that our Phosphate was very high, at 4. Although phosphate is essential to plant life in the water, when there is too much of it it can speed up eutrophication. After finishing up some last thoughts we took in the gorgeous view for one last time and loaded onto the bus. We hauled butt back to Proctor, making it barely 5 minutes into the next block, back to normal society.
Conclusion
After our journey to 3 spots of our watershed I was able to gain more knowledge about our topic of study then simply sitting in a classroom and listening. I am able to take what I learn or read and then apply it to real life, hands on experiments and investigations. I thoroughly enjoyed flipping rocks over to see what lies underneath while also using actual water tests like pH and Phosphate levels to determine what type of environment we are dealing with. Having actual conversations and being able to visually see for example the mountains clearly towering over Pleasant lake helps paint a picture of water draining down from each and every mountain and ending up in a body of water like Pleasant lake is truly fascinating.
I always have felt that I learn and absorb much more information through hands on learning. This is exactly why I came to Proctor and I am thrilled to be in APES, and being able to get outside of the classroom and study in our surrounding environment filled with valuable experiences and knowledge. I feel like this watershed field trip opened up the mouthes of people who don't always have the courage to speak in class or they are just not as engaged when in a room. This is the beuty of learning and applying our knowledge to hands on experiences. I know it keeps me more focused, engaged, and is just all around a much more enjoyable experience then simply looking at pictures on a powerpoint!
Conclusion
After our journey to 3 spots of our watershed I was able to gain more knowledge about our topic of study then simply sitting in a classroom and listening. I am able to take what I learn or read and then apply it to real life, hands on experiments and investigations. I thoroughly enjoyed flipping rocks over to see what lies underneath while also using actual water tests like pH and Phosphate levels to determine what type of environment we are dealing with. Having actual conversations and being able to visually see for example the mountains clearly towering over Pleasant lake helps paint a picture of water draining down from each and every mountain and ending up in a body of water like Pleasant lake is truly fascinating.
I always have felt that I learn and absorb much more information through hands on learning. This is exactly why I came to Proctor and I am thrilled to be in APES, and being able to get outside of the classroom and study in our surrounding environment filled with valuable experiences and knowledge. I feel like this watershed field trip opened up the mouthes of people who don't always have the courage to speak in class or they are just not as engaged when in a room. This is the beuty of learning and applying our knowledge to hands on experiences. I know it keeps me more focused, engaged, and is just all around a much more enjoyable experience then simply looking at pictures on a powerpoint!
Comments
Post a Comment