CSREES Regional Educational Resources
The Northern Plains and Mountains Regional Water Quality Program (Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota) has successfuly incorporated hands-on water education activities into watershed education programs. These programs help students understand how streams and lakes function within watersheds and how activiites and changes in the watershed affect the health of water bodies. The students develop a sense of place and a sense of community. The programs encourage students to become involved in their watersheds through activities ranging from monitoring to stewardship to community outreach projects. Statewide efforts are shared across our region, resulting in improved opportunities and materials.
UTAH:
Utah offers a variety of water quality lesson plans and activities for all ages as well as teacher trainings and volunteer monitoring programs. Please see the navigation bar to the right for links.
Visit Utah 4H to learn more about their programs. Use these resources to get your classes outside:
Wildlife Gardner - Junior Master Gardner programs
Take A Walk Books by Jane Kirkland
Neighborhood Explorer Club - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program
Tulips Journey North
COLORADO:
Thirsty Lizard Project
El Paso County sixth through eighth graders learned important new water management skills while they improved their graphing and data collection skills by participating in the Thirsty Lizard project. Students saved more than 300,000 gallons of water during our Water Conservation Challenge.
Thirsty Lizard Kits are available for use by middle school and junior high students again this year. The materials received high praise from teachers and parents throughout the community last year. Contact Judith Daley to receive class sets.
"A River's Journey - Water in the West"
The CD-ROM "A River's Journey - Water in the West" and accompanying teacher's guide is a tool for educators that uses current technology to develop an understanding of water management and an awareness of the importance of the resource.
The CD has five levels of material:
- A 'slide show' journey down the length of the Colorado River with captions, narration and maps
- Summary text addressing water topics and issues as they are encountered in the 'slide show'
- Internet connectivity to water Web sites and resources
- Essay length text on selected water topics
- A re-distribution of the complete pre-school through 12th grade Water wise Curricula (an updated version of the Water Education Initiative CD) plus the Colorado Reader issues on water and the Understanding Water Activity Book
Colorado Water Knowledge provides a wide range of educational resources concerning water resources, administration, and history, as well as stream processes, geology, and climate. The page also offers descriptions of Colorado's major river basins and aquifers, the fish and aquatic insects present in Colorado's waters and wetlands, as well as information on water quality and links to environmental laws. The Colorado Water Knowledge webpage also has links for students and teachers covering water information, along with an environmental art and poetry program created to promote watershed awareness, literacy, and the arts.
NORTH DAKOTA:
Publications and lesson plans
Visit North Dakota's website containing publications and lesson plans for teachers, youth k-6th grade, 8-10 year olds, and 11-12 year olds.
MONTANA:
What is Water Quality? Resource Guide for 4-H Leaders and Teachers- Written by Jim Bauder, MSU Extension Soil and Water Quality Specialist, this resource provides 4-H leaders and teachers with activities and lesson plans designed to engage students in learning about water quality, contaminants, pH, erosion, groundwater, and much, much more.
SOUTH DAKOTA:
Oak Lake Field Station
South Dakota Provides hands-on training for high school students and teachers at the Oak Lake Field Station. Activities include lake and stream sampling for water quality, prairie vegetation, ecology, stream organisms, and experience in constructing sampling equipment.
WYOMING:
Information coming soon.