Forest to Faucet
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Forests provide a variety of ecosystem services and help to maintain a clean and plentiful water supply. In this activity, students explore the connection between forests, watersheds, and their community’s water. Students will identify local watersheds and their forest cover, will analyze a specific watershed in Maine, and will evaluate the extent to which their own community’s water supply is affected by forests and forest management.
This is one of 9 activities that can be found in PLT’s Exploring Environmental Issues: Focus on Forests module. To get the activity, attend a training and receive PLT’s Focus on Forests secondary module. Below are some supporting resources for this activity.
The Walking Fish
The Walking Fish Grades 6-8 ISBN-13: 978-0990782933 Tumblehome Learning, Inc., 2015 Recommended Reading Imagine you are in 7th Grade and plan to spend the summer with your parents at a cabin on the lake. Imagine you pack all your new fishing gear, a gift from Grandpa, only to find out the lake water is... Read more »
EE Resources
The World’s Watersheds
Water is one of our most important resources! Earth’s rivers form watersheds to carry freshwater to communities and all living species around the globe. These Beautiful Maps of the World’s Watersheds, artistically mapped by geographer Szűcs Róbert, highlight the world’s permanent and temporary streams and rivers. The stunning images depict the dominant drainage systems of... Read more »
The Adventure of Water from Afar
Go on an adventure to learn more about innovations being made to protect and manage clean water! Produced by EarthEcho International, the video Water By Design: Water from Afar investigates reservoirs of water and the technology employed to measure and maintain it. One example examines how NASA uses innovative technology to measure snow and represent... Read more »
The Chemistry of Clean Water
This video, The Chemistry of Clean Water, from the American Chemistry Council demonstrates some of the ways chemistry keeps the water supply clean. Chemistry helps to purify, protect, and conserve water for safe consumption. The video helps students draw connections to elementary chemistry concepts and STEM.
WikiWatershed
This web toolkit is designed to help middle, high school, and college educators and students – as well as citizens, conservationists, municipal decision-makers, and researchers – advance their knowledge and stewardship of fresh water. Developed by the Stroud Water Research Center, the toolkit enables users to share watershed-model scenarios, watershed-monitoring data, and watershed-management stories as... Read more »
Skype a Scientist
The Skype a Scientist program matches more than 500 scientists with classrooms worldwide. Available for any level along the K-12 spectrum, a typical Q&A-style video chat lasts between 30 to 60 minutes and covers topics in the scientist’s area of expertise and what it’s like to be a scientist. Follow the link to browse scientists... Read more »
Forest Atlas of the US
The US Forest Service created a complete Forest Atlas of the United States. It covers everything from tree pollen count to owl habitats to agroforestry practices, using a range of the Forest Service’s resources. Use this in your classroom to give your students a comprehensive understanding of what American forests have to offer!
Geoscience Career Videos
The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) has put together two new videos that highlight potential paths for high school students interested in a geoscience career. The first video titled Groundwater Careers includes interviews with college students and professionals who discuss their field work, lab work, and passion for becoming an environmentalist. The second video titled Groundwater is Cool provides important facts,... Read more »
USDA Forest Service: National Forests to Faucets
USDA Forest Service: National Forests to Faucets 2.0 Assessment tool uses geographical information systems (GIS) to identify watersheds to protect. This tool can be used to support the protection of drinking water supplies and gives resources to improve the conservation of water sources.
Changes in the Air: Seeing Trends, Coalition Works to Help a River Adapt
To prepare for changes along Washington state’s Nisqually River, tribal leaders, private partners, and government agencies are working to help the watershed and its inhabitants adapt. Read more about how agencies work together in this article.
Clean Water – One of Many Forest Products PowerPoint
This PowerPoint Presentation from the Maine Forest Service discusses the water cleaning power of the worlds forest.
Case Study: Protecting Denver’s Drinking Water
Read a case study about how the 2002 wildfires near Denver were treated to help protect the water quality of Denver’s reservoirs.
EnviroAtlas
EPA’s new EnviroAtlas tool is designed to help communities and researchers make informed planning and policy decisions related to the environment and ecosystems. EnviroAtlas provides datasets and interactive tools to allow users to explore the many benefits people receive from nature, often referred to as ecosystem services. EnviroAtlas includes over 300 data layers, letting users... Read more »
Monitoring Freshwater Ecosystems App
This Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Lake Science app developed by UC Berkley’s The Lawrence Hall of Science allows users to participate in and facilitate activities that teach about freshwater ecosystems. For example, families and educators have the opportunity to view videos and discover what lies beneath the surface with an “Under the Lake” simulation. The DIY Lake... Read more »
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Learn About Forests: Web of Life
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Learn About Forests: Tree Cookies
This Learn About Forest activity is perfect for forest sector professionals leading educational events, career days, or field visits with youth. Learners examine cross-sections of trees and infer from a tree’s growth rings.