Eno River State Park EELE

Designed for the Middle GradesAn Environmental Education Learning Experience

Eno River State Park

LIVINGLIVINGLIVING

WATERWATERWATER

i May 2000 Eno River State Park

“Without life, there would still bewater. Without water no life.”

- David Quammen, Natural Acts,A Sidelong View of Science and Nature

iiEno River State Park May 2000

Funding for the original printing of this publication was contributed by

iii May 2000 Eno River State Park

This Environmental Education Learning Experiencewas developed by

Scott Hartley and Martha WoodsFormer Rangers at Eno River State Park

N.C. Division of Parks and RecreationDepartment of Environment and Natural Resources

Bill Holman.Secretary

James B. Hunt, Jr.Governor

ivEno River State Park May 2000

Other Contributors . . .

Park volunteers;

Association for the Preservation ofthe Eno River Valley, Inc.;

Riffle and Pool Naturalists;

The N.C. Department of Public Instruction;

The N.C. Division of Water Resources;

The N.C. Department of Environment and NaturalResources;

and the many individuals and agencies who assistedin the review of this publication.

500 copies of this public documentwere printed at a cost of$3,430 or $6.86 per copy

Printed on recycled paper.5-00

v May 2000 Eno River State Park

Table of Contents

1. Introduction• Introduction to the North Carolina State Parks System............................................ 1.1• Introduction to Eno River State Park ....................................................................... 1.2• Introduction to the Activity Packet for Eno River State Park................................... 1.3

2. Activity Summary ..................................................................................................... 2.1• Correlation Chart ...................................................................................................... 2.2

3. Pre-Visit Activities• #1 Map Trivia ............................................................................................................ 3.1• #2 The Key to Water Quality .................................................................................... 3.2

4. On-Site Activities• #1 Go With The Flow................................................................................................ 4.1• #2 Mind Your p’s and H’s ......................................................................................... 4.2• #3 Sediment: The “S” Word ..................................................................................... 4.3• #4 Water Bugs ........................................................................................................... 4.4

5. Post-Visit Activities• #1 Fragile Waters ...................................................................................................... 5.1• #2 Troubled Waters ................................................................................................... 5.2

6. Vocabulary ................................................................................................................. 6.1

7. References .................................................................................................................. 7.1

8. Forms ......................................................................................................................... 8.1

9. Notes ........................................................................................................................... 9.1

11.Eno River State Park, NC May 2000

Introduction to the North Carolina State Parks System

reserving and protectingNorth Carolina’s naturalP As one of North Caroli-

na’s principal conservationagencies, the Division ofParks and Recreation isresponsible for the more than167,000 acres that make upour state parks system. TheDivision manages theseresources for the safe enjoy-ment of the public, andprotects and preserves themas a part of the heritage wewill pass on to generations tocome.

An important componentof our stewardship of theselands is education. Throughour interpretation and envi-ronmental education ser-

vices, the Division of Parksand Recreation strives tooffer enlightening programsthat lead to an understandingand appreciation of ournatural resources. The goalof our environmental educa-tion program is to generatean awareness in all individu-als which cultivates respon-sible stewardship of theearth.

resources is actually a rela-tively new idea. The seedsof the conservation move-ment were planted early inthe 20th century whencitizens were alerted to thedevastation of Mount Mitch-ell. Logging was destroyinga well-known landmark -the highest peak east ofthe Mississippi. Asthe magnificent for-ests of this mile-highpeak fell to the lum-bermen's axe, alarmedcitizens began to voicetheir opposition. Gov-ernor Locke Craig joinedthem in their efforts to saveMount Mitchell. Togetherthey convinced the legisla-ture to pass a bill establish-ing Mount Mitchell as thefirst state park.

That was in 1915. TheNorth Carolina State ParksSystem has now been estab-lished for more than three-quarters of a century. What

started out as one small plotof public land has growninto 61 properties across thestate, including parks, recre-ation areas, trails, rivers,lakes and natural areas. Thisvast network of land boastssome of the most beautiful

scenery in the world andoffers endless recreationopportunities. But our stateparks system offers muchmore than scenery andrecreation. Our lands andwaters contain unique andvaluable archaeological,geological and biologicalresources that are an impor-tant part of our naturalheritage.

For more information contact:

N.C. Division of Parks andRecreation

1615 Mail Service CenterRaleigh, N.C. 27699-1615

919/ 733-PARKWebsite–www.ncsparks.net


Introduction to Eno River State Park

Numerous macroinverte-brates are also found in theriver. The tiny panhandlepebblesnail, listed as “signifi-cantly rare,” is found only inthe Eno River. Freshwatermussels include several en-dangered or threatened spe-cies such as the yellow lamp-mussel, Atlantic pigtoe andgreen floater. These and oth-er aquatic macroinvertebratescan be used as indicator spe-cies to monitor water quality.The presence or absense ofthese wonderfully adaptedcreatures tells us much aboutthe health of our river.

Presently, water quality inthe Eno River is good. Theriver is classified as a publicwater supply and is also suit-able for swimming, fishingand wading. Continuing de-velopment and water with-drawals upstream give causefor concern about the river’squality. Only through sus-tained vigilance and protec-tion efforts can the river’swater quality be preserved.

fforts to establish EnoRiver State Park beganE Life in and along

the Eno River

The Freshwater Fishes of North Carolina.© 1991 Edward F. Menhinick.Reprinted by permission.

in 1965 when the city ofDurham proposed buildinga reservoir on the Eno. In re-sponse, a group of concernedcitizens formed the Associa-tion for the Preservation ofthe Eno River Valley. TheAssociation was successfulin gaining community sup-port for its proposal that astate park be establishedalong the river. In May of1972, the state of NorthCarolina approved the idea,and the city of Durham with-drew its plans to constructthe reservoir. By 1975, 1,100acres of land had been ac-quired with the help of theAssociation, the Nature Con-servancy and the Division ofParks and Recreation. Todaythe park protects 11 miles ofriver and over 2,800 acres ofassociated land in Orangeand Durham counties.

Eno River State Parkprovides important habitatfor a host of animals andplants. A mixture of steeprocky ridges and bottom-lands creates several distinctplant communities. Many ofthe wildflowers and shrubsfound in the park are nor-mally found in the moun-tains and foothills of NorthCarolina. Shrubs, includingmountain laurel and Catawbarhododendron, and wildflow-ers, such as yellow lady’sslipper, showy orchids andwild geranium, find suitablehabitat in the river valley.

The river hosts more than61 species of fish. TheCarolina madtom (a catfish)and the Roanoke bass (agame fish) appear in theNatural Heritage ProgramList of the Rare AnimalSpecies of North Carolina.

Carolina madtom

Roanoke bass


Introduction to the Activity Packet for Eno River State Park

he environmental edu-cation learning experi-T

ence, Living Water, was de-veloped to provide hands-onenvironmental educationactivities for the classroomand the outdoor setting ofEno River State Park. Thiseducator’s activity packet,designed to be implementedin grades 6-8, meets estab-lished curriculum objectivesof the North Carolina De-partment of Public Instruc-tion. Three types of activi-ties are included:

1) pre-visit activities2) on-site activities3) post-visit activities

On-site activities will beconducted at the park, whilepre-visit and post-visit ac-tivities are designed for theclassroom environment.Pre-visit activities should beintroduced prior to the parkvisit so that students willhave the necessary back-ground and vocabulary forthe on-site activities. Weencourage you to use the

post-visit activi-ties to reinforceconcepts, skillsand vocabularylearned in thepre-visit and on-site activities.These activitiesmay be per-formed indepen-dently or in a se-

The environmental edu-cation learning experience,Living Water, will exposethe student to the followingmajor concepts:

• Water Quality• Indicator Species• Water Testing• Watershed• River Basin• Point and Nonpoint

Source Pollution• Aquatic Macroinver-

tebrates• Aquatic Food Webs• Natural Resource

Management• Stewardship

The first occurrence of avocabulary word used inthese activities is indicatedin bold type. Their defini-tions are listed in the backof the activity packet. A listof the reference materialsused in developing the ac-tivities follows the vocabu-lary list.

This document was de-signed to be reproduced, inpart or entirety, for use inNorth Carolina classrooms.If you wish to photocopy oradapt it for other uses,please credit the N.C. Divi-sion of Parks and Recre-ation.McCafferty: Aquatic Entomology.

© 1981 Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.Reprinted by permission.

NOTE: Weather and riverconditions permitting, on-siteactivities will be held on thebanks of the river and in theriver. Students will wade inshallow rocky areas. Theyshould dress appropriately(long pants and tennis shoes)and bring a change of clothing.The students may encounterticks, poison ivy and snakes,although this is not likely aslong as students stay in appro-priate areas. Chemical re-agents are used in water qual-ity testing. Because misuse ofthese chemicals can be hazard-ous, standard chemical protec-tion procedures will be re-quired. Goggles and rubbergloves will be provided for allstudents handling testing kits.These must be worn at alltimes during test procedures.The educator will assist in see-ing that all safety precautionsare followed. It is also the re-sponsibility of the educator tobe aware of special consider-ations, medical needs, etc. ofparticipants and be prepared totake appropriate precautionarymeasures. Park staff should beinformed of any special con-siderations prior to the group’sarrival at the park.

ries to build upon the stu-dents’ newly gained knowl-edge and experiences.

2.1.1Eno River State Park, NC May 2000

Activity Summary

The following outline provides a brief summary of each activity, the major conceptsintroduced and the objectives met by completion of the activity.

I. Pre-Visit Activities#1 Map Trivia (page 3.1.1)

Using a transportation map and river basin map, students will learn that the Eno Riverwatershed is part of the Neuse River Basin. They will trace the river from its headwaters tothe ocean and identify key geographic locations, as well as potential point and nonpointsources of pollution.

Major Concepts:• River basin• Watersheds• Point and nonpoint pollution

Learning Skills:• Observing, communicating, inferring• Reading and interpreting maps• Estimating distances

Objectives:• Interpret and use the legends on the North Carolina state transportation map to an-

swer five questions.• Locate five geographic locations within the Neuse River watershed.• Identify potential sources of point and nonpoint pollution in the Neuse River Basin.

#2 The Key to Water Quality (page 3.2.1)The students will practice using dichotomous keys to identify unknown tree leaves and

macroinvertebrates found in the Eno River. Students will learn that macroinvertebrates areimportant indicators of water quality.

Major Concepts:• Dichotomous key• Indicator species• Water quality• Aquatic food webs

Learning Skills:• Observing, classifying and communicating• Reading taxonomic keys


Objectives:• Use simple dichotomous keys to identify pictures of ten unknown leaves and five

unknown macroinvertebrates.• Name at least two aquatic macroinvertebrates that are tolerant of pollution and two

that are intolerant of pollution.• Give at least two reasons why macroinvertebrates are important to humans.

II. On-Site Activities#1 Go with the Flow (page 4.1.1)

Get wet while taking physical measurements ofthe river. Students will use their measurements tocalculate water flow in the Eno River.

Major Concepts:• Water flow• Water quality• Natural and human influences on water flow• Aquatic habitats

Learning Skills:• Observing, using numbers, collecting data in the field• Measuring, averaging numbers, calculating water flow

Objectives:• Calculate the rate of water flow using measurements and a mathematical formula.• List three human actions that affect water flow.• List three natural influences on water flow.• Describe the important relationship between water quantity and quality.• Describe three problems that can result from river water quantity extremes.• Describe three problems that can result from river water quality changes.• Discuss at least two things people can do to help protect rivers and water quality.

#2 Mind Your p’s and H’s - The Power of Hydrogen (page 4.2.1)Learn to measure pH by using hands-on methods to determine the pH values of several

different liquids including water from the Eno River.

Major Concepts:• Water quality• pH range (acid-neutral-base)• Acid precipitation

Learning Skills:• Observing, classifying• Reading informational materials with complex vocabulary• Expanding on information


Objectives:• Demonstrate the use of litmus paper and the LaMotte test kit for determining pH.• Find the pH of at least three common substances.• List two natural influences that can affect the pH rating of a river.• List two human influences that can affect the pH rating of a river.• State the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission pH range for

aquatic macroinvertebrates (6.0-9.0).

#3 Sediment: The “S” Word (page 4.3.1)Through a simple experiment, students will learn one method of measuring sediment.

Using what they observe, students will discuss where sediment comes from, how it affectswater quality, and ways to control sediment.

Major Concepts:• Water quality• Sediment• Sedimentation• Water pollution

Learning Skills:• Observing, inferring and predicting• Reading technical information and expanding on ideas

Objectives:• Demonstrate how to measure sediment levels using the Imhoff cones.• Describe three ways sediment affects aquatic life.• List three origins of sediment and three possible ways to control the level of sediment

in the river.• List the most important causes of stream degradation in North Carolina today.

#4 Water Bugs (page 4.4.1)Get wet, have fun, and learn while doing it. Students will use different methods to collect

and identify aquatic organisms.

Major Concepts:• Water quality• Indicator species• Adaptations• Ecosystem• Energy flow

Learning Skills:• Observing, using numbers, classifying, inferring

and predicting• Reading informational materials; using keys and identification guides• Calculating stream index values McCafferty: Aquatic Entomology.

© 1983: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA.WWW.jbpub.com. Reprinted with permission.


Objectives:• Describe three characteristics of aquatic macroinvertebrates that help them survive in

aquatic habitats.• Using keys and field guides, identify three macroinvertebrates in the field.• Name three indicator species and explain how they are used to determine water

quality.• Calculate the stream index rating for a river.• List and describe five factors necessary for a healthy river ecosystem.

III. Post-Visit Activities#1 Fragile Waters (page 5.1.1)

Using a topographic map and land use cutouts, students will make decisions about thedevelopment of a portion of the Eno River’s watershed.

Major Concepts:• River basin• Water quality• Land use planning• Resource management

Learning Skills:• Observing, communicating and predicting• Problem solving, respecting differences, working in groups• Expanding on ideas, recognizing bias and persuasive techniques

Objectives:• List two animal species endemic to the Neuse and Tar river watersheds.• Evaluate the effects of different imaginary land uses on the Eno River watershed.• List and discuss five ways to minimize damaging effects in the Eno River watershed.• Balance the need to protect water quality with economic and other concerns while

working with a group to arrange land use cutouts on a map.• Give at least two examples of how air and water quality are connected.

McCafferty: Aquatic Entomology.© 1983: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA.

WWW.jbpub.com. Reprinted with permission.


#2 Troubled Waters (page 5.2.1)After reading a story about the discovery made by two young river enthusiasts, students

will create their own ending. Optionally, the class can develop an action plan to correct anaquatic pollution problem in their community.

Major Concepts:• Water pollution• Environmental issues• Stewardship• Environmental sustainability

Learning Skills:• Communicating, inferring, predicting• Problem solving• Creative writing

Objectives:• Identify two potential cause and effect relationships involving aquatic pollution.• List and evaluate two alternative solutions to aquatic pollution.• Create an action plan to reduce pollution and improve the sustainability of a river,

stream, pond or other water body.

Eno River State Park, NC May 200012.2.

Grade English Lang. Arts Mathematics

Pre-Visit Activity #1: Map Trivia, p. 3.1.1

Soc. Studies

Note to classroom teachers: The following Correlation Chart shows how eachactivity in this Environmental Education Learning Experience (EELE) correlates with theNorth Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) objectives in science, mathematics,social studies and English language arts. The activities are listed in the order in which theyappear in this EELE. The recommended grade levels are listed along the side of the chart.Notice that only the objective numbers are listed. Use your DPI Teacher Handbook foreach subject area to get a complete description of the objectives in that subject area.

Science

1.3, 2.2, 3.2, 3.9

2.3, 3.2

1.1, 2.1, 3.2,3.6, 3.7

6

7

8

EarthScience

Correlation Chart

2.12

1.1, 1.2, 1.3

Skill Goals I & II

2.2

1.03Nature of SciencePersonal & SocialPerspectives


1.04,1.05, 2.01Nature of SciencePersonal & SocialPerspectives

4.06, 7.02Nature of SciencePersonal & SocialPerspectives


WWW.jbpub.com. Reprinted with permission..

Eno River State Park, NC May 20002.2.2

ScienceGrade English Lang. Arts Mathematics

Pre-Visit Activity #2: The Key to Water Quality, p. 3.2.1

Soc. Studies

Correlation Chart

ScienceGrade English Lang. Arts

On-Site Activity #1: Go with the Flow, p. 4.1.1

Soc. Studies

6

7

8

2.03, 2.04Science as InquiryPersonal & SocialPerspectives

1.3, 2.1, 2.3,3.2, 3.9

2.3, 3.2, 3.11

2.1, 3.2, 3.6, 3.7,3.10

Mathematics

1.13, 2.10, 2.11,2.13

1.8, 2.9, 3.3

1.12, 2.1, 2.12,3.1

2.03, 2.04Personal & SocialPerspectives

6

7

8

1.1, 2.1, 2.3,3.2, 3.9

2.2, 2.3, 3.2

1.1, 1.3, 2.1,3.21.04, 2.03Personal & SocialPerspectives

Biology 3.02, 4.01, 4.03,5.01Personal & SocialPerspectives

1.02, 1.04, 2.02,

2.03, 2.05, 4.06,

4.07

Science as Inquiry

Personal & Social

Perspectives

EarthScience

1.05, 4.01, 4.06,7.01, 7.02Science as InquiryPersonal & SocialPerspectives

1.3, 11.2Skill Goals I & II



On-Site Activity #2: Mind Your p's and H's, p. 4.2.1

Soc. Studies

6

7

8

Correlation Chart

2.03Science InquiryPersonal & SocialPerspectives

1.04, 4.05Science InquiryPersonal & SocialPerspectives

1.02, 1.04, 2.03Science InquiryPersonal & SocialPerspectives

1.3, 2.2, 2.3,3.2, 3.9

1.2, 1.3, 2.33.2

2.1, 2.6, 3.2, 3.6,3.7, 3.10

EarthScience



On-site Activity #3: Sediment: The "S" Word, p. 4.3.1

Soc. Studies

6

7

8

1,03, 2.03Science InquiryPersonal & SocialPerspectives

1.02, 1.04, 1.05,2.03, 2.05Science InquiryPersonal & SocialPerspectives

1.3, 2.2, 2.3,3.2, 3.9

1.2, 1.3, 2.3, 3.2

2.1, 2.6, 3.2, 3.6,3.7, 3.10

Mathematics

EarthScience

1.04, 4.01, 4.06,7.02Science InquiryPersonal & SocialPerspectives

Eno River State Park, NC May 20002.2.4


On-site Activity #4: Water Bugs, p. 4.4.1

Soc. Studies

6

7

Correlation Chart


Post-Visit Activity #1: Fragile Waters, p. 5.1.1

Soc. Studies Mathematics


6

7

8

EarthScience

1.03, 2.02, 2.03Sci. & TechnologyPersonal & SocialPerspectives

1.04Sci. & TechnologyPersonal & SocialPerspectives

1.04, 1.05, 2.03,2.05Sci. & TechnologyPersonal & SocialPerspectives

4.06, 7.02, 7.03Sci. & TechnologyPersonal & SocialPerspectives

1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.3,3.2, 3.9

1.2, 2.3, 3.2

1.1, 1.3, 2.1, 3.2,3.6, 3.7, 3.9, 3.10

1.2, 1.3, 2.2, 3.2,3.4, 3.9

1.2, 1.3, 2.3, 3.2,3.3, 3.11, 3.12

1.1, 1.2, 2.3, 2.6,3.2, 3.3, 3.7, 3.9,

3.10

1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4,1.5, 3.2, 11.2

Skill Goals I, II, III,& IV

1.02, 1.04, 2.02,2.03Science InquiryPersonal & SocialPerspectives

Biology3.02, 3.03, 4.01,4.02, 4.03, 5.01Science InquiryPersonal & SocialPerspectives

8

1.9, 1.13, 3.4,4.1, 4.2

3.3, 3.5, 4.4

1.2, 1.12, 3.1,4.4, 4.6


Grade English Lang. Arts Mathematics

Post-Visit Activity #2: Troubled Waters, p. 5.2.1.

Soc. StudiesScience

1.3, 1.5, 2.2, 3.1,3.2, 3.4, 3.9, 3.12,

4.1, 5.1, 5.4, 5.7, 6.2

1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.3,3.1, 3.2, 3.11, 3.12,

4.1, 4.2, 5.3, 5.6,6.2, 6.7

1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2,2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.6,

3.7, 3.9, 3.10, 4.1,4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.5,

6.2, 6.3

6

7

8

EarthScience

1.3, 11.2Skill Goals I-IV



1.04,1.05, 2.01,2.02, 2.03, 2.05Nature of SciencePersonal & SocialPerspectives

4.06, 7.02, 7.03Nature of SciencePersonal & SocialPerspectives

Correlation Chart

McCafferty: Aquatic Entomology.© 1983: Jones and Bartlett Publishers,Sudbury, MA. WWW.jbpub.com.Reprinted with permission.


Pre-Visit Activity #1 Map Trivia

Major Concepts:• River basin• Watersheds• Point and nonpoint source

pollution

Learning Skills:• Observing, communicat-

ing, inferring• Reading and interpreting

maps• Estimating distances

Subject Areas:• Science• English Language Arts• Social Studies• Mathematics* See Activity Summary

for a Correlation with DPIobjectives in these subjectareas.

Location: Classroom

Group Size: 30 students

Estimated Time: 60 minutes

Appropriate Season: Any

Materials:Provided by educator:Per student: One copy of

Student's Information andNeuse River Basin Map

Per group of 4 students:Map Trivia worksheet andcurrent North Carolinatransportation map

Maps are available throughyour local tourism office or bycalling:

1-800-VISITNCor 1-877-DOT-4YOU

Educator’s Information:

NORTH CAROLINA

TRANSPORTATION MAP

This activity is designedto illustrate the concept

that the Eno River water-shed is part of a larger riversystem––the Neuse RiverBasin. Students will tracethe river from its headwatersto the ocean, using map leg-ends and identifying keygeographic locations alongthe water course. Studentswill participate in a groupactivity to obtain the answersfor the worksheet.

Instructions:Part 1 – Map Trivia

1. Provide one North Caro-lina transportation map andone worksheet for every fourstudents.

Note: The 2000 transpor-tation map includes an insert

Objectives:• Interpret and use the leg-

ends on the North Caro-lina transportationmap to answer fivequestions.

• Locate five geo-graphic locationswithin the Neuse RiverBasin.

• Identify potentialsources of point andnonpoint pollution in theNeuse River Basin.

on river basins. This map ispreferred for this activity.

2. Have each group of stu-dents answer questions onthe worksheet, using themap as a reference.

3. After the groups havefinished their worksheets,have each group answer oneof the questions and explainhow they got the answer tothe class. Continue witheach group reporting theiranswer until all questionshave been answered anddiscussed.


Part 2– Sources of WaterPollution

1. Have students use theNeuse River Basin map inthis activity, along with theDOT map, to determine howmany cities with a popula-tion over 10,000 exist in theNeuse River Basin. [An-swer: eight––Durham, Cary,Raleigh, Garner, Smithfield,Goldsboro, Kinston, andNew Bern.]

Ask students to find thepopulation growth statisticslocated on the Neuse RiverBasin map. Note also thatone-third (33%) of all themonitored streams in the ba-sin are listed as “impaired”(from the 1998 study of theNeuse). Discuss: If popula-tion continues to grow asprojected, what might hap-pen to the water quality inthe river basin? Explain.Sample Answer: The waterquality of the basin wouldlikely decrease due to in-creased amounts of sedi-ment and other types ofrunoff from lawns, streetsand parking lots. To pro-vide for a growing popula-tion, more water will beneeded for households,businesses and industries. Areduction in the quantity ofwater would result in a con-centration of pollutants inthe remaining water supply.

2. Ask students to read theStudent's Information thatdiscusses point andnonpoint source pollution.Then, using the Neuse RiverBasin map and the DOTmap, teams of studentsshould list possible sourcesof point and nonpoint pollu-tion in the Neuse River Ba-sin. (To find out about ac-tual sources of pollution,call the Divison of WaterQuality at (919) 733-5083 toreceive a copy of the NeuseRiver Basinwide WaterQuality Management Plan.Or, see web site given underExtensions.)

Assessment:As a post-test, design

some questions of your ownabout the Neuse River Basin(or another river basin),based on the DOT map. Inaddition, ask students towrite their answers to the

following questions:• Define point and nonpointsource pollution, giving ex-amples of each.• Explain the connection be-tween air and water pollu-tion.• Describe at least threeways that they, as individu-als, may be contributing towater pollution and whatcan be done about it.

Extentions: If research on the web ispossible, have students findout what river basin theylive in. Use the Division ofWater Quality web site at:http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/wqs/ At this site, you canview basin statistics andmaps for all the river basinsin North Carolina. You canalso find recent data ondissolved oxygen, salinity,pH, etc. for the NeuseRiver.




Student’s Information: Map Trivia

Each of us lives in a water-shed. Unfortunately, many

of our watersheds today arebeing damaged by pollution.Water pollution is generallydefined as human-causedcontamination of water thatreduces its usefulness to hu-mans and other organisms.

Scientists divide waterpollution into two majorcategories: point and nonpoint.Point source pollution comesfrom a localized source and isfairly easy to pinpoint. Anexample would be a specifictype of chemical that a factoryreleases through a pipe into astream. The factory may be theonly source of this particularchemical in the watershed. Wecould prevent further pollutionfrom the chemical by orderingthe factory to stop discharginginto the water.

Nonpoint source pollutioncannot be easily traced to aspecific source. It often occursas runoff from large areas suchas farms, logging roads, con-struction sites, lawns, streetsand parking lots. Nonpointsource pollution does not enterthe waterway at a single pointor orginate from a singlelocation. Therefore, it is muchharder to manage than pointsource pollution. Examples ofnonpoint source pollutioninclude sediment, nutrients andpesticides.

SedimentationSediment is the main sourceof pollution of North Caroli-na's surface waters. Sedimen-tation (or erosion) resultsmainly from construction sites,urban runoff, row-cropping,livestock operations, andlogging operations. Sedimentoften carries other pollutantsalong with it. It can have anegative impact on recreation-al, industrial and municpalwater uses, as well as onaquatic habitats. Sedimentcan fill lakes, navigationchannels and harbors, resultingin costly dredging operations.

NutrientsOther than sediment, thepollutants of greatest concernfrom both rural and urbanareas are nutrients. Nutrientsare compounds containingnitrogen and/or phosphorous.They stimulate plant growth,causing algal blooms. Whenthe algae die and sink to thebottom, they use up oxygen asthey decompose. Fish killsoccur when dissolved oxygendrops below levels needed byfish to breathe.

Point sources of nutrientsmay be traced to septic tankfailures or discharges fromwastewater treatment plants.Nonpoint sources includerunoff from urban lawns andfarm fields, as well as atmo-spheric sources.

Air PollutionAtmospheric pollutants cancause problems when theyreach water bodies as wet ordry fallout. According torecent scientific studies, 25-50% of the nitrogen enteringeastern North Carolina water-ways each year comes fromatmospheric sources. Oneimportant source is the com-bustion of fossil fuels invehicles, factories and powerplants. Another source is thevaporization of wastes andfertilizers from large farmingoperations and wastewatertreatment plants. Nitrogenoxides contribute to acid rain,which increases the acidity ofour waters.

It is important to realizethat the Eno River watershedis connected to many othersmall watersheds that make upthe Neuse River Basin. If onewatershed in the basin be-comes contaminated, it willeventually affect all the water-sheds downstream. Water-sheds near the ocean can beseverely degraded by theaccumulation of pollutantsfrom many sources.

As you explore the NeuseRiver Basin on the transporta-tion map, consider the varioussources of pollution that mightenter the basin from Hillsbor-ough to the Atlantic Ocean.


Neuse River Basin Map

Map C

ourtesy of Departm

ent of Environm

ent andN

atural Resources, D

ivision of Water Q

uality

Area: 6,235 square m

iles

Stream M

iles: 3,440

No. of C

ounties: 24 (17 counties with m

ore

than 5% of their area in basin)

No. of Subbasins: 14

Population (1990): 1,015,511

Est. P

opulation (1996): 1,175,032

Projected P

op. (2017): 1,593,937

% pop. increase: 36%

Pop. D

ensity (1990):181 persons/square mile

Impaired M

onitored Stream M

iles: 454

% Im

paired Monitored in B

asin:33%

Neuse R

iver Basin Statistics

Note: L

akes, rivers and sounds are shown in black.

Major cities and tow

ns are dark gray.


1. What is the name of thecounty where the Eno Riverbegins?________________________

2. Name the 5 countiessurrounding Orange County.__________________________________________________________________________________

3. Name the river that joinsthe Eno River near CampButner (northwestern end ofFalls Lake)?_________________________

4. List the counties the EnoRiver flows through before be-coming the Neuse River nearCamp Butner (northwesternend of Falls Lake).______________________________________________________________________________

5. Approximately how longis the Eno River?in miles ________________in kilometers ____________

6. What is the name of thereservoir into which the EnoRiver flows?________________________

7. What is the name of theriver which eventually carriesthe water from the Eno to theocean?________________________

8. What is the first townwith a population over 2,000through which the Eno flows?________________________

9. What is the name of thesound into which the waterfrom the Eno River flows?________________________

10. Approximately how manymiles are there betweenDurham and New Bern in astraight line?________________________kilometers ?______________

11. List at least 3 state parksand recreation areas locatedalong the path that the EnoRiver takes to the ocean.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. What is the approximatedistance from Ranger, NC toWhalebone, NC?in miles ________________in kilometers ____________

13. What is the map symbolfor park campsites?__________________________

14. A major tributary thatdrains parts of Greene, Pitt andWilson counties enters theNeuse River just below whatcity (with a population over10,000)?_________________________

15. What is the closestlatitude and longitude toEno River State Park?________________________________________________

Map Trivia Worksheet

16. New Bern is closest towhat latitude and longitude?__________________________________________________

17. Name at least six pointsof interest (see map symbols)within 3 miles of the Eno andNeuse Rivers from Eno RiverState Park to New Bern._________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. Name the national forestfound along the Neuse River.________________________

19. Name the river locatedwest and south of the EnoRiver near Burlington.________________________To what river basin does itbelong?________________

20. Near what large city doesthe river from question 19reach the ocean?________________________

21. Name the river (or riverbasin) located north and eastof Falls Lake._________________________

22. Near what city (withpopulation over 10,000) doesthe river from question 21 mixwith the waters of the PamlicoSound?_______________________

Instructions: Using the North Carolina transportation map, answer the following questions.


1. Orange County

2. Caswell, Person,Durham, Alamance,Chatham

3. Flat River

4. Two - Orange andDurham

5. Approximately 33milesApproximately 53kilometers

6. Falls Lake

7. Neuse River

8. Hillsborough

9. Pamlico Sound


11. Eno River State Park,Falls Lake StateRecreation Area,Waynesborough StatePark (on 92/93 or latermaps), Cliffs of theNeuse State Park


13. A tent

14. KinstonNote: The tributary, notnamed on the DOTmap, is ContentneaCreek.

15. 79 degrees longitude,36 degrees latitude

16. 77 degrees longitude,35 degrees latitude

Answers for Map Trivia

17. Bennett Place,Stagville Center,Clemmons Educa-tional State Forest,WaynesboroughState Park (on 92/93or later maps), Cliffsof the Neuse StatePark, Caswell Memo-rial & CSS Neuse,Tryon Palace, AvaGardner Museum

18. Croatan NationalForest

19. Haw River; Cape FearRiver Basin

20. Wilmington, NC

21. Tar River (or Tar-Pamlico River Basin)

22. Washington, NC

3.2.1 May 2000Eno River State Park, NC

Pre-Visit Activity #2 The Key to Water Quality

Major Concepts:• Dichotomous key• Indicator species• Water quality• Aquatic food webs

Learning Skills:• Observing, classifying,

and communicating• Reading taxonomic keys

Subject Areas:• Science• English Language Arts* See Activity Summary


Location: Classroom

Group Size: 30 students


Appropriate Season: any

Materials:Provided by educator:Per student or group: Onecopy of the following––

Student's Information; Keyto 10 Common Leaves; 10Common Leaves; Key toCommon MacroinvertebratesFound at Fews Ford, EnoRiver State Park; and Aquat-ic Life Illustrations.

Objectives:• Use simple dichotomous

keys to identify picturesof ten unknown leavesand five unknown macro-invertebrates.

• Name at least two aquat-ic macroinvertebratesthat are tolerant of pollu-tion and two that are in-tolerant of pollution.

• Give at least two reasonswhy macroinvertebratesare important to humans.

This activity introducesstudents to dichotomous

keys. Students will key outseveral macroinvertebrates,using the same key that theywill use at the park duringOn-Site Activity #4, “WaterBugs.” Students will alsolearn that macroinvertebratesare indicator species thathelp us determine water qual-ity. A discussion of their rolein aquatic food webs is in-cluded in the Student's Infor-mation.

Instructions:Have the students read the

Student’s Information anduse the Key to 10 CommonLeaves to identify the leaveson the 10 Common Leavesworksheet. As a class, goover the answers and discussany difficulties encountered.Next, give each student (orgroup) a copy of Aquatic Life

Educator’s Information:

Illustrations and the Key toCommon Macroinverte-brates. As a class, workthrough the key to identifyanimal #1, then have the stu-dents identify the rest of themacroinvertebrates on theirown.

When everyone is done,have individual students orgroups share how they iden-tified one of the macroinver-tebrates. Ask them to usethe Key to Common Macro-invertebrates to determine iftheir organism is tolerant,intolerant or moderately tol-erant of pollution. Discussthe importance of macroin-vertebrates as indicators ofwater quality and membersof food webs.

Assessment:Use the test found at theend of this activity. Can stu-dents follow the “text only”key to identify the five un-known macroinvertebrates?On the back of their papers,ask students to write, inparagraph form, two reasonswhy macroinvertebrates areimportant to humans.

Test Answers: 1-caddisflylarva, 2-scud, 3-mayflynymph, 4-ramshorn snail,and 5-riffle beetle adult.The scud is moderately tol-erant of pollution. All theothers are intolerant.

McCafferty: Aquatic Entomology.© 1983:Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA.WWW.jbpub.com. Reprinted with permission.

Scud


Name That “Bug”!

One important method fordetermining water quality

is to look at what lives in thewater. When you visit EnoRiver State Park, you’ll bedoing just that––identifyingwater “bugs”!

The numbers of organismsyou find in the river and thediversity of species will tellyou if the river is healthy.Excellent water quality isindicated by the presence of alarge number of different kindsof organisms, especially thoseintolerant of pollution. Exam-ples of animals that requireexcellent water quality arestoneflies, freshwater musselsand water pennies. Onlycertain kinds of animals areable to live in polluted water.If the acidity of the water is toohigh or if dissolved oxygen istoo low, most aquatic animalscannot survive. Examples ofanimals that are tolerant ofpollution are black fly larvae,leeches and certain types ofworms.

In this activity, you’ll meetsome of the animals that live inthe Eno River. You’ll alsolearn how to identify or classi-fy them using a dichotomouskey. A dichotomous keydivides characteristics thatdescribe organisms into twochoices. At each level of thekey, you will pick the choicethat best describes the organ-ism you are trying to identify.

Food Webs

Many of the macroinverte-brates are predators that eatother animals; for example, thedobsonfly larva and the drag-onfly nymph. Others, likefreshwater mussels, scuds andcaddisfly larvae, eat detritus(decaying materials) in thewater. Some, like leeches, areparasites on fish, reptiles ormammals. All the macroin-vertebrates play an importantrole in the food web of a riveror stream. For example, manyfish depend on aquatic insectsfor food. Without them, mostof the fish would starve andthe food web would begin tocollapse. Mussels, snails andcrayfish are eaten by a widevariety of animals, includingmore terrestrial species such asthe raccoon.

So the next time you see an“ugly bug” in the water, don’tturn away in disgust. Learnits name by keying it out!This little animal can tell youwhat’s happening to yourfavorite swimming hole or tothe water supply for yourtown. That’s why we call it anindicator species––its pres-ence or absence can be used todetermine the health of aparticular environment. Re-member that “beauty is in theeye of the beholder”!

Student’s Information: The Key to Water Quality

How a Dichotomous KeyWorks

Practice using the Key to 10Common Leaves first. Noticethat the list of leaf characteris-tics is arranged as a series ofeither/or statements. For eachpair of statements, only onewill be the correct descriptionof the unknown leaf. Forexample, if you are handed aleaf from a pine tree to identi-fy, you would start at the top ofthe key with these two choices:1. Leaf long and needle-like, or2. Leaf not needle-like.

A pine needle is long andneedle-like, so you wouldchoose statement 2 and contin-ue to the next pair of choicesunder that side of the dichoto-mous key.

After you have mastered theleaf key, you can try the Key toCommon Macroinvertebrates.A macroinvertebrate is aninvertebrate (animal without abackbone) that can be seenwith the naked eye. Many ofthem are insects or insectlarvae, but only a few are truebugs. Macroinvertebrates alsoinclude many non-insectgroups––mollusks (example:snails and mussels) and crusta-ceans (example: crayfish).Notice that each macroinverte-brate’s name on the key isfollowed by a letter “T” (toler-ant of pollution), “I” (Intoler-ant) or “M” (moderatelytolerant).


Am

eric

an h

olly

Riv

er b

irch

Wil

low

oak

Lea

f no

t nee

dle-

like

Lea

f w

ithou

tte

eth

Eac

h to

oth

with

spi

neLea

f ed

gew

ith te

eth

Lea

f w

ith 3

lobe

s;pe

tiole

sho

rter

than

3.5

cm

Red

map

le

Lea

f w

ithou

tlo

bes

Tee

th w

ithou

tsp

ines

Lea

f B

ase

Mid

rib

Vei

n

Sinu

s

Petio

leLob

e

Tip

Wav

y-ed

ged

Fine

-too

thed

Coa

rse-

toot

hed

Sing

le-t

ooth

ed

Dou

bled

-too

thed

Bla

deSp

ine

(Tre

e L

eave

s)

Key

to 1

0 C

omm

on L

eave

s

5

Shor

tlea

f pin

eL

oblo

lly

pine

Whi

te o

ak

Petio

le o

f le

af1

cm o

r lo

nger

Lea

f lo

ng&

nee

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like

Edg

e of

leaf

with

teet

hE

dge

of le

afw

ithou

t tee

th

Lea

f w

ith 5

lobe

s;pe

tiole

3.5

cm

or

long

er

Swee

t gum

Lea

ves

in g

roup

of

3;m

ore

than

10

cm lo

ngL

eave

s in

gro

up o

f 2;

less

than

10

cm lo

ng

Lea

f w

ith lo

bes

Petio

le o

f le

af le

ssth

an 1

cm

Tuli

p po

plar

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afra

s

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f pe

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cm

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less

than

2 c

m

Inch

es

Cen

tim

eter

s

43

21

12

34

56

78

910

1112


10 Common Leaves

7. 8.

9.

10.

1. 2.3.

4.5.

6.


Coi

led

shel

l Ent

ire b

ody

soft/

cylin

dric

al

Tai

l-lik

eap

pend

ages

Thr

ee ta

iled

Long

con

spic

uous

tail

appe

ndag

esS

hort

inco

nspi

cuou

sta

il ap

pend

ages

Tai

l app

enda

ges

broa

d &

oar

-like

May

fly n

ymph

(I)

Dam

selfl

y ny

mph

(M)

No

obvi

ous

legs

Dis

tinct

hea

d,en

larg

ed a

bdom

en

Mor

e th

an th

ree

pairs

of l

egs

Ram

shor

n sn

ail (

I)

Bod

y w

ithou

tsu

ctio

n di

sks

Bod

y w

ithsu

ctio

n di

sks

at b

oth

ends

No

dist

inct

hea

d, b

ody

tape

red

at b

oth

ends

Tai

l app

enda

ges

bris

tle-li

ke

Wor

m-li

keC

ater

pilla

r-lik

e

Scu

d (M

)

Shr

imp-

like

body

flat

tene

d to

side

, sw

ims

with

legs

Lobs

ter-

like

Cra

yfis

h (M

)

Bod

y w

hite

to g

reen

ish

with

or w

ithou

t a p

orta

ble

case

Bod

y da

rk, h

ead

with

prom

inen

t pin

cher

s

Dra

gonf

ly n

ymph

(M)

gill

tufts

at b

ase

ofla

tera

l app

enda

ges

no g

ill tu

fts

Fre

shw

ater

wor

m (T

)C

rane

fly

larv

a (M

)Le

ech

(T)

Bla

ck fl

y la

rva

(T)

With

out s

hells

Mac

roin

vert

ebra

tes

Leg

end

Pol

lutio

n T

oler

ance

Inde

x V

alue

Gro

upG

roup

Gro

up

I II III

( I )

- Int

oler

ant

(M)

- Mod

erat

e(T

)- T

oler

ant

Fis

h fly

(I)

©

©©

©©

©

©

©

Dob

sonf

ly la

rva

(I)

©

McC

affe

rty:

Aqu

atic

Ent

omol

ogy.

© 1

983:

Jon

es a

nd B

artle

tt Pu

blis

hers

, Sud

bury

,MA

.W

WW

.jbpu

b.co

m.

Rep

rint

ed w

ith p

erm

issi

on.

Key

To

Com

mon

Mac

roin

vert

ebra

tes

Fou

nd a

t F

ews

For

d, E

no R

iver

Sta

te P

ark

Tw

o pa

irs o

f win

gsex

tend

ing

over

abd

omen

No

win

gs

Bee

tle-li

keap

pear

ance

Hin

d le

gssh

ort

Act

ive

unde

rw

ater

sur

face

Spi

ral s

hell

Thi

n bo

dy w

ith w

ide

spre

ad le

gs

Act

ive

onw

ater

sur

face

Wat

er s

trid

erad

ult (

M)

Wat

er s

corp

ion

adul

t (M

)W

hirli

gig

beet

lead

ult (

M)

Sw

ims

on b

ack

two

long

oar

-like

legs

Cra

wls

on

rock

s,bl

ack

body

Riff

le b

eetle

adu

lt (I

)B

acks

wim

mer

adu

lt (M

)

Tw

o ta

iled

Sto

nefly

nym

ph (I

)

She

ll ne

arly

uni

form

in s

hape

(rou

nded

)S

hell

long

erth

an w

ide

Obv

ious

legs

Fre

shw

ater

mus

sel (

I)P

ouch

sna

il (I

)F

resh

wat

er c

lam

(M)

Cad

disf

ly la

rva

(I)

Wat

er p

enny

bee

tle la

rva

(I)

No

tail-

like

appe

ndag

essm

all r

ound

Thr

ee p

airs

of l

egs

Dou

ble

shel

lS

ingl

e sh

ell

With

she

lls

©

©

©©

©©

©

©©

©©

©© H

ind

legs

long

Bod

y w

ith h

arde

ned

exos

kele

ton,

flat

tene

d


Aquatic Life Illustrations

2. 3.

4.

5. 6.

1.

©

©

©

©

©

©

McCafferty: Aquatic Entomology.© 1983: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA.WWW.jbpub.com. Reprinted with permission.


Answer Sheet to 10 Common Leaves

7. 8.

9.

10.

1. 2.3.

4.5.

6.

Willow oak

Shortleaf pineTulip poplar

SassafrasSweet gum

River birch

American holly White oak

Red maple

Loblolly pine


Answer Sheet to Aquatic Life Illustrations

2. 3.

4.

5. 6.

1.

leech

stonefly nymph

freshwater mussel

water penny

backswimmer adult

crayfish

©©

©

©

©

©

©

McCafferty: Aquatic Entomology.© 1983:Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA.WWW.jbpub.com. Reprinted with permission.


The Key to Water Quality – Test

Can you identify these five macroinvertebrates? Use the key to help you.

1.

2._________________________________

__________________________________

3.

______________________________

____________________________________

4.

_____________________________________

5.

Note: This winged insect was found crawling onrocks in the river.

sideview

6. Which of the five animals (above) could live in water that is somewhat polluted?

_______________________________________________

with case©

©

©

©

©

©

©




Coi

led

shel

l

Tw

o pa

irs o

f win

gsex

tend

ing

over

abd

omen

No

win

gs

Bee

tle-li

keap

pear

ance

Hin

d le

gssh

ort

Act

ive

unde

rw

ater

sur

face

Ent

ire b

ody

soft/

cylin

dric

al

Spi

ral s

hell

Thi

n bo

dy w

ith w

ide

spre

ad le

gs

Act

ive

onw

ater

sur

face

Wat

er s

trid

erad

ult

(M)

Wat

er s

corp

ion

adu

lt (M

)W

hir

ligig

bee

tle

adu

lt (M

)

Sw

ims

on b

ack

two

long

oar

-like

legs

Cra

wls

on

rock

s,bl

ack

body

Rif

fle

bee

tle

adu

lt (

I)B

acks

wim

mer

ad

ult

(M)

Tai

l-lik

eap

pend

ages

Tw

o ta

iled

Thr

ee ta

iled

Long

con

spic

uous

tail

appe

ndag

es

Sto

nef

ly n

ymp

h (I

)

Sho

rt in

cons

picu

ous

tail

appe

ndag

es

Tai

l app

enda

ges

broa

d &

oar

-like

May

fly

nym

ph

(I)

Dam

self

ly n

ymp

h (M

)

She

ll ne

arly

uni

form

in s

hape

(rou

nded

)S

hell

long

erth

an w

ide

No

obvi

ous

legs

Obv

ious

legs

Dis

tinct

hea

d,en

larg

ed a

bdom

en

Mor

e th

an th

ree

pairs

of l

egs

Fre

shw

ater

mu

ssel

(I)

Po

uch

sn

ail (

I)R

amsh

orn

sn

ail (

I)F

resh

wat

er c

lam

(M)

Bod

y w

ithou

tsu

ctio

n di

sks

Bod

y w

ithsu

ctio

n di

sks

at b

oth

ends

No

dist

inct

hea

d, b

ody

tape

red

at b

oth

ends

Cad

dis

fly

larv

a (I

)

Wat

er p

enn

yR

iffl

e b

eetl

e la

rva

(I)

Tai

l app

enda

ges

bris

tle-li

ke

No

tail-

like

appe

ndag

es;

smal

l & ro

und

Wor

m-li

keC

ater

pilla

r-lik

eT

hree

pai

rs o

f leg

s

Scu

d (M

)

Shr

imp-

like

body

flat

tene

d to

side

, sw

ims

with

legs

Lobs

ter-

like

Cra

yfis

h (M

)

Bod

y w

hite

to g

reen

ish

with

or w

ithou

t a p

orta

ble

case

Bod

y da

rk, h

ead

with

prom

inen

t pin

cher

s

Dra

go

nfl

y n

ymp

h (M

)

Gill

tufts

at b

ase

ofla

tera

l app

enda

ges

No

gill

tufts

Fre

shw

ater

wo

rm (T

)C

ran

e fl

y la

rva

(M)

Lee

ch (T

)B

lack

fly

larv

a (T

)

Dou

ble

shel

lS

ingl

e sh

ell

With

she

llsW

ithou

t she

lls

Mac

roin

vert

ebra

tes

Leg

end

Pol

lutio

n T

oler

ance

Inde

x V

alue

Gro

upG

roup

Gro

up

I II III

( I )

- Int

oler

ant

(M)

- Mod

erat

e(T

)- T

oler

ant

Fis

h fl

y (I

)D

ob

son

fly

larv

a (I

)

Hin

d le

gs lo

ng

Bod

y w

ith h

arde

ned

exos

kele

ton,

flat

tene

d

The

Key

to

Wat

er Q

ualit

y -

Key

for

Tes

t

14.1. May 2000Eno River State Park, NC

On-Site Activity #1 Go With The Flow

Major Concepts:• Water flow• Water quality• Natural and human influ-

ences on water flow• Aquatic habitats

Learning Skills:• Observing, using num-

bers, collecting data inthe field

• Measuring, averagingnumbers, calculating wa-ter flow

Subject Areas:• Science• Mathematics• English Language Arts• Social Studies* See Activity Summary


Location:Fews Ford Access Area

Group Size:8 students per group


Appropriate Season:April through October

Calculating WaterFlow in the EnoRiver

Objectives:

• Calculate the rate of wa-ter flow using measure-ments and a mathemati-cal formula.

• List three human actionsthat affect water flow.

• List three natural influ-ences on water flow.

• Describe the importantrelationship between wa-ter quantity and quality.

• Describe three problemsthat can result from riverwater quantity extremes.

• Describe three problemsthat can result from riverwater quality changes.

• Discuss at least twothings people can do tohelp protect rivers andwater quality.



Educator's Information:

In this activity, the studentswill learn a simple method

for determining water flow.They will then use this infor-mation to explore the waysthat water flow and waterquality are affected by hu-man and natural factors.They will also be asked tothink of ways they can influ-ence local governments toprotect water quality.

To prepare your studentsfor their visit we recommendPre-visit Activity #1, “MapTrivia.”

Instructions:

1. Prior to your visit to thepark, have students read theStudent's Information. Leada brief discussion concerningthe importance of water flowin maintaining water quality.Explain that in this activity,the students will learn how tocalculate water flow and thus

be able to evaluate this as-pect of the Eno River’swater quality.

2. Explain the method formeasuring water flow andsafety procedures that mustbe followed.

3. Select three students to getinto the water. Have twostudents measure the lengthand width, and one student

Materials:Provided by park:

life jackets, throw ropes,100 ft. tape measure, metalyardstick, stopwatches,tennis balls, boundaryropes, charts, activitysheets, clipboards, pencils

Provided by educator:worksheets (one per stu-

dent), pencils

Special Considerations:See the safety message inthe Introduction page 1.3.


6. Lead a discussion of fac-tors that affect water flow(natural and human), andhow these factors in turn af-fect aquatic life. (Naturalfactors affecting water flowinclude drought, floodingand natural stream obstruc-tion, i.e., beaver dams or logjams. Human activities in-clude dams, irrigation, andindustrial use. These naturaland unnatural water controlscan adversely impact aquaticorganisms by reducing wa-ter flow and decreasing wa-ter quality. See "Water Flow

Basics" under Student's In-formation for specific ex-amples of how changes inwater flow alter aquatichabitats.)

7. Discuss how low (orhigh) water flow can affectaquatic food webs. (Whenthe aquatic habitat changesas a result of water flow de-crease or increase, some ani-mals may die. Other ani-mals that depend on themfor food will also eventuallydie.)

measure the depth of theflow space. Have the otherstudents write down themeasurements on theirworksheets.

4. Select four students tomeasure the rate of flow.Have two students, eachwith a ball, go to the up-stream end of the flowspace. Have two other stu-dents, each with a stop-watch, go to the downstreamend of the flow space. Thestudent with ball #1 shouldplace it in the river upstreamfrom the beginning of theflow space and hold his/herhand in the air. As the ballpasses the beginning of theflow space, he/she quicklydrops his/her hand. This isthe signal for the stu-dent with stopwatch#1 to start the stop-watch. The stopwatch isstopped the moment theball passes out of the flowspace. He or she will thenretrieve the ball, and theywill repeat this four moretimes. The students withball #2 and stopwatch #2will follow the same proce-dure. The other students willrecord the flow rates on theirworksheets as the studentswith the stopwatches an-nounce them.

5. Have all the students de-termine the four averagesand then calculate the waterflow rate in cubic feet/sec-ond. Discuss these resultsand what they might mean tothe Eno River’s water quali-ty.


8. Ask the students how theycan influence the govern-ment to protect our water re-sources. Be sure to empha-size the importance of every-one being involved in caringfor our resources (steward-ship). The Eno River Asso-ciation is an organization thatexemplifies stewardship. Iftime allows, the leader willbriefly explain how the parkwas created with the help ofthe Eno River Association.

Assessment:Pencil and Paper Test––

1. Create your own post-testby filling in the sections A,B, C, and D on the work-sheet in this activity. Canstudents calculate the waterflow with the data you haveprovided?

2. Ask students to list threenatural causes and three hu-man causes for changes inwater flow.

3. Have students describetwo ways that low flow canaffect water quality. Repeatfor high flow.

4. Finally, ask your studentsto give several ways thatpeople can protect rivers andwater quality.

Extension:Although water flow is

more often expressed in cu-bic feet per second, you canask your students to convertthis to the metric system. Toconvert cubic feet per sec-ond to cubic meters per sec-ond, multiply by 0.03. Ex-ample: 371 cubic feet persecond becomes 11.13 cubicmeters per second.




Student’s Information: Water Flow

flowing, evaporation hascaused it to become verysalty. At this point, the saltcontent averages 700 partsper million, which is muchtoo salty for irrigation.

A huge delta and estuaryat the mouth of the Coloradoused to be one of the mostproductive in the Southwest.However, the decrease inwater flow has caused manychanges. In 1922 ecologistAldo Leopold explored thedelta. He described it “as amilk and honey wildernesswhere egrets gathered like apremature snow storm, jag-uars roamed, and wild mel-ons grew.” Since that timetwo marine animals have be-come endangered––one aporpoise and one a large fishcalled a totoaba. (Thetotoaba spawned in the estu-ary, and the tide carried theireggs up into the naturalnursery of the delta.)

According to saltwateragronomist NicholasYensen, “The river was likethe Nile in its importance tothe delta; unknown speciesmay have disappeared...”As a result of the decrease inwater flow, entire aquaticcommunities have disap-peared and food webs havecollapsed.

verted from the Colorado!(Multiply 16.5 million by325,850 to see how manygallons are taken from theriver each year––over fivetrillion gallons!) Sometimesthe water level is so low thatrafters can not run certainrapids in the Grand Canyon.

Dams above the canyoncontrol how much watermoves through the canyon.This has had a big impacton aquatic life. For ex-ample, before the Coloradowas dammed, the riverflowed cold and carried lotsof mud and silt during thespring floods. In the fall, itslowed to a warm cleartrickle. Native species werewell adapted to these condi-tions. Now dams trap sedi-ment in huge reservoirs andconstantly release clear coldwater from the bottom of thelake. This creates excellenthabitat for introduced spe-cies, like trout, but is con-tributing to the near extinc-tion of several native speciesof fish that do not toleratethe cold water.

By the time the ColoradoRiver reaches the Gulf ofCalifornia, it is barely atrickle. At times the riverdries up before it reaches thegulf. Even if there is water

Wing in a river or stream. Someof the ways that we expressthe rate of flow are gallonsper second, cubic feet persecond, or acre feet per sec-ond. (An acre foot is equal toone acre of water one footdeep, or 325,850 gallons ofwater.) When you visit EnoRiver State Park, you willparticipate in an activity toestimate the water flow in cu-bic feet per second. Why isthis important? Read the fol-lowing story and discoverwhy water flow is such animportant concept.

The river is the Colorado.It begins in the ColoradoRockies and empties 1,450miles later into Mexico’sGulf of California. TheColorado provides water forseven western states. Thisincludes water for humanconsumption as well as irri-gation for farms and domes-tic livestock. The Coloradois one of the most controlledrivers in the world. It hasscores of dams, hundreds ofmiles of aqueducts and tun-nels, dozens of pumping sta-tions, thousands of miles ofcanals, and more than 30 hy-droelectric plants. Water ispumped from the Colorado tocities like San Diego, Califor-nia; Las Vegas, Nevada; Den-ver, Colorado; and Phoenix,Arizona. Each year 16.5 mil-lion acre feet of water are di-

ater flow refers to theamount of water mov-


Water Flow BasicsYou might be surprised

to learn that even the Eno isaffected by low water flow.Such conditions can haveadverse effects on the entireaquatic community.

• When water levels arelow, the water tempera-ture can increase and re-sult in less dissolvedoxygen being available.This can be deadly tomacroinvertebrates andfish.

• Algae can spread rap-idly during low waterflow, and these plants usetremendous amounts ofoxygen as they decay.Fish kills can occur be-cause of insufficient dis-solved oxygen.

• During low water levelsthere is less habitat forriver animals, and theybecome more vulnerableto predators.

• Low water flow alsomeans low water volume.With less water availableto dilute pollutants, toxiclevels are reached morequickly.

• Last but not least, youmight be forced to con-serve water during lowflow periods to make sureyou have enough to drinkand bathe.

W e have talked a lot aboutlow water levels but highflow levels affect us also.Heavy rains wash exposedsoil into the river. This sedi-ment can suffocate macroin-vertebrates, kill fish eggs,and alter habitat. A lot of

towns and cities divert rain-water into storm drains thatempty into rivers. Thisstormwater can bring toxicmaterials into the river: ve-hicle oil and gas from pave-ment; chemicals used infarming and lawn care; over-flow from wastewatertreatment plants; and trashfrom dumps and othersources.

As you can see, waterflow is very important to us.Using water wisely and pro-tecting our river’s water-shed from unwise use aretwo ways we can help main-tain a healthy and morenatural water flow.

A beaver dam reduces water flow downstream,while providing a wetland habitat upstream. Howdoes a beaver dam differ from a manmade dam?


How To Calculate Water Flow

Equation: ______ ft. x ______ ft. x ______ ft. ÷ ______ sec. = ________ cubic ft./sec.

Worksheet for On-Site Activity #1

A Average length of flow spaceNorth bank ________ ft. + South bank ________ ft. = _______ ÷ 2 = _______ ft.

B Average width of flow spaceUp river ________ ft. + Down river ________ ft. = ________ ÷ 2 = _______ ft.

C Average depth of flow space

1.______ in. + 2.______ in. + 3.______ in. + 4.______ in. + 5.______ in. = _______ in.

__________in. ÷ 5 = ______ in. ÷ 12 in. = _______ ft.

D Average rate of flow through flow space

Ball 1

1._____sec. + 2._____sec. + 3._____sec. + 4._____sec. + 5._____sec. = _____sec.

Ball 2

1._____sec. + 2.______sec. + 3.______sec. + 4.______sec. + 5._____sec. = _____sec.

Ball 1 ____ sec. + Ball 2 _____sec. ÷ 10 = __________ sec.

XB C DA

A - Average length of flow space C - Average depth of flow space

B - Average width of flow space D - Time of flow through space

Solving for X = water flow rate in cubic ft./sec.

Equation: A x B x C ÷ D = X


How To Calculate Water Flow

Equation: ______ ft. x ______ ft. x ______ ft. ÷ ______ sec. = ________ cubic ft./sec.

A Average length of flow spaceNorth bank ________ ft. + South bank ________ ft. = _______ ÷ 2 = _______ ft.

B Average width of flow spaceUp river ________ ft. + Down river ________ ft. = ________ ÷ 2 = _______ ft.

C Average depth of flow space

1.______ in. + 2.______ in. + 3.______ in. + 4.______ in. + 5.______ in. = _______ in.

__________in. ÷ 5 = ______ in. ÷ 12 in. = _______ ft.

D Average rate of flow through flow space

Ball 1

1. 20 sec. + 2. 22 sec. + 3. 18 sec. + 4. 23 sec. + 5. 21 sec. = 104 sec.

Ball 2

1. 21 sec. + 2. 26 sec. + 3. 24 sec. + 4. 21 sec. + 5. 22 sec. = 114 sec.

Ball 1 _____ sec. + Ball 2 _____ sec. ÷ 10 = __________ sec.

XB C DA

80 95 175 87.5

75 7915883

10 18 24 12 6 70

70 14 1.17

104 114 21.8

87.5 79 1.17 21.8 371

A - Average length of flow space C - Average depth of flow space

B - Average width of flow space D - Time of flow through space

Solving for X = water flow rate in cubic ft./sec.

Equation: A x B x C ÷ D = X

Answer Sheet for On-Site Activity #1 (An Example)


On-Site Activity #2 Mind Your p’s and H’s

Major Concepts:• Water quality• pH range (acid-neutral-

base)• Acid precipitation

Learning Skills:• Observing, classifying• Reading informational ma-

terials with complex vo-cabulary

• Expanding on information






Appropriate Season:April to October

Materials:Provided by the educator:

pencils, student worksheet(one copy per student)

Provided by the park:Test paper, LaMotte TestKit, “pH Ranges That Sup-port Aquatic Life” poster,“Sample pH Range” poster,sample items (distilled wa-ter, Eno River water, vin-egar, lemon juice, Liquid-Plumbr™, Rolaids™,Coca-Cola™, soap, Formula409™, baking soda)

The Power ofHydrogen

Objectives:

• Demonstrate the use oflitmus paper and theLaMotte test kit for de-termining pH.

• Find the pH of at leastthree common sub-stances.

• List two natural influ-ences that can affectthe pH rating of a river.

• List two human influ-ences that can affect thepH rating of a river.

• State the North CarolinaEnvironmental Manage-ment Commission's pHrange for aquatic macro-invertebrates (6.0-9.0).

Special considerations:Chemical reagents are

used in water quality testing.Because misuse of these chemi-cals can be hazardous, standardchemical protection procedureswill be required. Goggles andrubber gloves will be providedfor all students handling testingkits. These must be worn at alltimes during test procedures.The educator will assist in see-ing that all safety precautionsare followed.


In this activity, studentswill test the pH of several

household products, as wellas river water. Park staffwill lead a discussion focus-ing on the pH scale, whatpH ranges aquatic life willtolerate, and natural and hu-man influences that canchange the pH of a river orstream. The students willuse litmus paper to test thepH of several items andrecord their results on the“Sample pH Range” work-sheet. They will also use aLaMotte test kit to test thepH of distilled water andEno River water and recordtheir results on the “SamplepH Range” worksheet. Parkstaff and students will dis-cuss their results and com-pare them to the “pH RangesThat Support Aquatic Life”poster. They will note theextreme ranges of the sam-ples and be able to deter-mine which organismsmight be able to live in wa-ter with those pH’s.

Have the students read theStudent’s Information priorto the park visit.


Review how aquatic lifeis affected by pH. Be sure tocover the concept of toler-ance ranges for different or-ganisms. Use an examplesuch as the one on mayflynymphs. Also, discuss therange of pH tolerance foundon the “pH Ranges That Sup-port Aquatic Life” poster.

4. Discuss with the studentsthat the rainwater, collectedin a park rain gauge, willhave a varying pH. (Resultsfor the park have been from5.4 to 6.5.) Review the acidprecipitation section of theStudent’s Information. Em-phasize that rain is naturallyacidic, with a pH around 5.5.Rain is buffered by the soil,resulting in stream waterwith a pH between 6 and 8.Note that there are naturallyacidic bodies of water, par-ticularly in the eastern part ofthe state. Finally discusswhat acid precipitation is,where it comes from, andhow it changes the pH of thestream water.

5. Discuss other ways the pHof streams is changed, rein-forcing the Student’s Infor-mation, particularly:

• pH increases with in-creases in effluent fromsewage treatment plants(effluent is high in ammo-nia which neutralizes ac-ids)

• pH increases with pho-tosynthesis in plants

(photosynthesis removescarbon dioxide, CO

2)

• pH increases with aera-tion by riffles and rapids(aeration adds oxygen,O

2)

• pH decreases with an in-crease in rainfall (rainwa-ter is typically moreacidic)

• pH decreases with de-composition of plants(decomposition removesO

2)

• pH decreases with res-piration (animal breath-ing releases CO

2)

6. Discuss the pH of house-hold products (the pH ofmany products used forcleaning is basic, while thepH of items that taste sour isacidic). Explain the test pro-cedure using litmus paper.Note that litmus paper cantest a broad range of pH andthat each litmus paper typecovers a specific range withinthe pH scale.

7. Have one student comeforward and pick a product totest. Prior to testing, have thestudent decide if the productwill be basic, acidic or neu-tral. Have the student selecta strip of litmus paper fromwithin the range they thinkappropriate and place it in theproduct. Match the color onthe litmus paper chart. Dis-cuss the results and have the

Instructions:

1. Review the pH informa-tion provided in the Student’sInformation. Discuss whatthe term pH means and howit is measured. Be sure touse an example––if theriver's pH changes from 6 to5, this means the river is now10 times more acidic; from 6to 4 would mean it is 100times more acidic.

2. Have two students test thepH of the Eno River waterusing the LaMotte Test Kit.Have one student read how itis done from the instructionswith the test kit while theother student does the test.Have the students then testthe pH of the distilled waterand the pH of the rainwaterusing the LaMotte Test Kit.

3. Discuss the results, rein-forcing the Student’s Infor-mation. The Eno River watershould fall between 6.0-9.0to meet the standards forfresh water set by the N.C.Environmental ManagementCommission. Generally, thepH falls between 6.5-7.5, thebest range for macroinver-tebrates.


A change in the pH of ariver can be one of the firstindicators of water qualityproblems and can quicklyaffect the aquatic life in thestream. Volunteers and parkrangers test the Eno Riverseveral times each month forpH, dissolved oxygen, tem-perature, water flow andmacroinvertebrate populationand diversity. Several yearsago,this vigilant testing ofthe river identified a chemi-cal spill that put the pH over12 for a period of time!Dedicated volunteers havealso provided data to help es-tablish water flow regula-tions controlling the amountof water that can be removedfrom the river. The EnoRiver is fortunate to have somany good stewards!

Assessment:If you have litmus paper,

or other method of testing forpH in your classroom, set uplab stations and ask studentsto find the pH of a variety ofsubstances. Then, discuss, orask students to write their an-swers to the following ques-tions:

student mark the class poster.All students should marktheir own worksheet.

8. Continue this process untilall products are tested.

To test Rolaids™, soapand baking soda, dissolve theproducts with an equalamount of distilled water.Remind the students thatpure, deionized water con-tains equal numbers of H+

and OH- ions and is consid-ered neutral, pH of 7. Notethat this will slightly bufferthe true pH of these products,but the products will still pro-vide examples of basic pH’s.Point out that Rolaids™ andbaking soda are both basic(pH of 9) and that bakingsoda could be used for acidindigestion just as well asRolaids™. Discuss some ofthe foods that give us acid in-digestion. [Pizza (tomatoes),chili (tomatoes), orange juice(citric acid), etc.] We, too,are living organisms and cannot tolerate drastic changes inpH! To test “you,” have astudent place the tip of a stripof paper on his or her tongue.Have the class decide if thestudent is acidic, basic, orneutral prior to the test.

9. Sum up the activity byemphasizing that aquatic lifeis affected when the pH var-ies a great deal from neutral.

1. Describe two events, onenatural and one human-caused, that will increase thepH of a stream or river. Ex-plain why.

2. Describe two events, onenatural and one human-caused, that will decrease thepH of a stream or river. Ex-plain why.

3. Give the EnvironmentalManagement Commission'sacceptable pH range forNorth Carolina fresh waters.

Modification:If time permits, take a

short hike upriver and testthe pH of the Eno at differentsites along the trail. Ask thepark staff for trail sugges-tions.


macroinvertebrates do bestif the pH is between 6.5 and7.5.

The pH of rainfall is natu-rally acidic, usually registeringfrom 5 to 5.5. However, manysoils are somewhat basic and“buffer” the rainwater byraising its pH, making it lessacidic. As a result, despite thepH of non-polluted rain beingaround 5.5, the pH of moststream water is between 6 and8. However, you can findnaturally acidic water inswamps, bogs, Carolina bays,and blackwater rivers in theeastern part of the state.There, the soils contain largeamounts of peat (partially de-cayed plant material) which isacidic.

Some acidic waters are notnatural, but the result of acidprecipitation. Acid precipita-tion falls in the form of rain,snow, fog, sleet and hail. Theacidity results primarily fromthe mixing of water vaporwith sulfur dioxide (from coalburning power plants) and ni-trous oxides (from cars andtrucks) in the atmosphere.Acid precipitation can causechanges in the pH of ourwaterways.

Student’s Information: Mind Your p’s and H’s

he term pH means(p)ower of (H)ydrogen

ion activity. Scientists usethe pH scale to define thedegrees of acidity/basicity insoil and water. On one endof the scale, a pH of 0 is ex-tremely acidic (many hydro-gen ions, H+), whereas at theother end of the scale, a pHof 14 is extremely basic(many hydroxide ions, OH-).A pH of 7 is neutral (equalnumbers of H+ and OH-

ions), being neither acidicnor basic. pH is measuredon a logarithmic scale witheach number representing afactor of ten. Thus, achange in a river’s pH from6 to 5 means that the river isnow 10 times more acidic;from 6 to 4 means it is 100times more acidic.

North Carolina has estab-lished water quality stan-dards. For all fresh waters,except swamps, the accept-able pH range is 6.0 - 9.0(swamps can have a pH aslow as 4.3).

Aquatic life is affectedwhen the pH varies a greatdeal from neutral. Differentorganisms tolerate varyingranges of pH, and the popu-lation of aquatic organismswill change if the pHchanges favor certain spe-cies. For example, mayflynymphs do best when thepH is around 6.5, but theyusually cannot survive if thepH drops below 5.0. Most

T The pH of water increases(becomes more alkaline orbasic) with increases in thefollowing: effluents from sew-age treatment plants (the efflu-ent is high in ammonia), pho-tosynthesis in plants (photo-synthesis removes carbon di-oxide, CO

2), and aeration by

riffles and rapids (aerationadds oxygen, O

2).

The pH of water decreases(becomes more acidic) witheach of the following:increases in rainfall (allowinglittle or no buffering from thesoil), decomposition of plants(decomposition removes O

2)

and respiration (animalbreathing releases CO

2).

Changes in pH can givevaluable clues to water qualitychanges. A pH change, eitheran increase or decrease, maybe an indication of biologicalprocesses such as decom-position of organic matter,photosynthetic activity or anincrease/decrease in pollutantlevels.

Monitoring the pH of ourstreams and rivers is of greatimportance. It can alert us tochanges in our water qualityand help us to protect our wa-ters by giving us clues to thesource of the changes.

NEUTRAL

MODERATE

MODERATE

Acid Base

STRONG

WEAK

WEAK

STRONG

pH Scale

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14


Worksheet for On-Site Activity #2

H2O (Distilled)

H2O (Eno River)

H2O (Rain)

Vinegar

Lemon Juice

Liquid-Plumbr™

Yourself

Rolaids™

Coca-Cola™

Baking Soda

Formula 409™

Soap

Sample pH RangeNeutralAcid Base

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14


pH R

ange

s T

hat S

uppo

rt A

quat

ic L

ife

Bas

ic

Bac

teri

a

Plan

ts(a

lgae

, wat

er-w

illow

,ar

row

head

)

Cat

fish

, Suc

kers

, Car

p,so

me

inse

cts

Bas

s, C

rapp

ie

Mus

sels

, Sna

ils, C

lam

s

Lar

gest

Var

iety

of A

nim

als

(may

flie

s, s

tone

flie

s,ca

ddis

flie

s)

Aci

dic

Neu

tral

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14


On-Site Activity #3 Sediment: The “S” Word

Major Concepts:• Water quality• Sediment• Sedimentation• Water pollution

Learning Skills:• Observing, inferring and

predicting• Reading technical infor-

mation and expanding onideas





Estimated time: 20 minutes


Materials:Provided by the educator:

One copy of Student's Infor-mation per student

Provided by park:Imhoff Cones (2), 2000 mlof water with high level ofsuspended solids

Objectives:• Demonstrate how to mea-

sure sediment levels usingthe Imhoff cones.

• Describe three ways sedi-ment affects aquatic life.

• List three origins of sedi-ment and three possibleways to control the levelof sediment in the river.

• List the most importantcauses of stream degrada-tion in North Carolinatoday.


In this activity, students willobserve and determine the

amount of sediment in thetest cones. They will discussthe origin of sediment, howsediment is tested in streamsand lakes, and the effect ofsedimentation and turbidityon aquatic life.

the leader will pour another1,000 ml of sediment-ladenwater into a second Imhoffcone.

3. Have the students comparethe two samples and observethat the second cone containsmore suspended sediment;the larger particles are set-tling to the bottom, and thewater near the surface of thecone is clearing. The firstcone contains layers of sedi-ment on the bottom; the wa-ter appears uniform in clarityfrom the surface to the firstlayer of sediment. Ask thestudents to explain why thewater in the first cone is lessturbid. (The water in the firstcone is less turbid because ithad time to settle and has notbeen disturbed – like a quietpool.)

4. Ask the students wheresediment comes from, itseffect on aquatic life, andways to control sediment ina watershed. Go over the

Instructions:

1. Before coming to the park,discuss the Student's Infor-mation with your class.

2. Park staff will prepare a1,000 ml sample of sedi-ment-laden water in an Im-hoff cone prior to the arrivalof the students. When thestudents arrive the groupleader will discuss sedimentand turbidity. At this point,

Yellow Lampmussel


key points from the Student’sInformation, stressing thatsome sediment is natural, butthat most of the heavy sedi-ment we see in our streams isdue to human activities. Havethe students list several ani-mals or plants which might bedisturbed or killed due toheavy sediment loads. Thenhave them list ways that sedi-ment could be controlled. En-courage students to suggestany personal actions theycould take to decrease thesediment runoff into our wa-ters.

2. List three ways that sedi-ment can enter a river orstream.(Urban runoff, constructionsites, timber harvesting,livestock overgrazing nearwater body)

3. Describe three ways tocontrol the amount of sedi-ment entering our rivers andstreams.(Vegetative buffer––leave astrip of plants along thebanks of a river to capturesediment; ground cover––will hold soil in place; siltfence––will catch and trapsediment before it entersriver; contour plowing––willprevent runoff from carryingsoil down the hillside)



Assessment:Pencil and paper test–

1. What is the most impor-tant cause of water pollutionin North Carolina today?(Sedimentation)

4. List two or more harmfuleffects that sediment has onaquatic life.(Can decrease the amount ofdissolved oxygen in water,can smother fish eggs, cancover rocks thereby reducinghabitat for insect larvae,and can clog fish gills)

Modification:If time permits, take a

short hike upriver and mea-sure sediment levels with theImhoff cones at various sitesalong the Eno. Ask the parkstaff for trail suggestions.Also, look for possible ori-gins of sediment.


for when too much phospho-rous and nitrogen get into thewater, an over abundance ofalgae may grow. Dependingon the source(s) of the solids,turbid water may be almostany color: white, red-brown,green, gray, purple, etc.

At higher levels of turbid-ity, water loses its ability tosupport a diversity of aquaticorganisms. Waters becomewarmer as suspended par-ticles absorb heat from sun-light. The higher the concen-tration of particles, the higherthe water temperature rises,which means there is lessoxygen available. Also, tur-bidity reduces the amount oflight penetrating into the wa-ter which decreases photo-synthesis. This in turn fur-ther reduces oxygen concen-trations. Thus, fish and otheraquatic creatures may die ofsuffocation.

Additionally, suspendedsolids may clog fish gills, re-duce growth rates and de-crease resistance to disease,as well as prevent egg andlarval development.

Sediment:Where It Comes From

Sediment is the result ofrain or other precipitationfalling on exposed surfacesand carrying materials fromthem into streams and lakes.

Sediment occurs naturally insmall amounts in any bodyof water. Natural erosion ofriver banks or shorelines isone example. However, hu-mans add significantly tosediment loads in a numberof ways. Road construction,timber harvesting, allowinglivestock to over graze (sothat the soil is bared), clear-ing land for buildings, andfarming all can contribute tosediment problems in ourwater unless sediment con-trol methods are used.

Sediment:Stop It from the Start

With appropriate controlmethods, sediment can bestopped before it becomes aproblem. Here are severalways:

1. Planning – anytime aproject is planned near abody of water, appropriatesediment control methodsshould be included beforethe project starts.

2. Buffer areas – leavingwide undisturbed strips ofvegetation between a projectand a body of water is es-sential in helping stop ex-cessive sediment fromreaching the water.

3. “Silt fence” – string afine mesh net between theproject and the body of wa-

Student’s Information: Sediment: The “S” Word

Sof stream degradation inNorth Carolina today. Sedi-ment clogs fish gills, de-stroys habitat needed foregg-laying, blocks sunlight,carries pollutants and buriesplant life.

Sediments are solid mate-rials, usually soil particles,that settle to the bottom of ariver, stream or lake. As arule, particles of silt, clay andorganic materials settle to theriver bottom, especially inimpounded or slow-movingstretches of river. Thesesettled particles (sedimenta-tion) can accumulate andsmother the eggs of fish andaquatic insects that were laidon the river bottom. Sedimentsettles into spaces betweenrocks making these micro-habitats unsuitable for mayflynymphs, stonefly nymphs,caddisfly larvae and otheraquatic insects which requiresuch spaces.

Turbidity results fromsolids remaining suspendedin the water. The water is nolonger clear, but cloudy ormuddy. Suspended solidsvary, ranging from clay, siltand plankton to industrialwastes and sewage. Theymay come from soil erosion,waste discharge, and urbanrunoff from streets and park-ing lots. They also may bethe result of excess nutrients,

edimentation and turbid-ity are the major causes


ter. When this fence is erect-ed properly, it can trap a lotof sediment.

4. Ground cover – afterinitial clearing for a project,all exposed areas should beseeded with grass or plantedwith some other ground coverand covered with straw toprevent the soil from beingwashed away.

5. Contour farming –farmers can plow with thecontour of the land and leavebuffer areas along the edgesof their fields. They can alsotry to keep cover crops onexposed soil to minimizeerosion.

6. Prevent Overgrazing –livestock should be moved atthe first sign of erosion. The

number of animals shouldnot be more than an areacan handle. Buffer areasalong water should befenced. Watering areasshould be located where thebanks are not steep. Thesewatering areas should befenced off and new areasshould be used when erosionbecomes a problem.

Credit: Tennessee Valley Authority. 1993. EnvironmentalResource Guide––Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention.


On-Site Activity #4 Water Bugs

Major Concepts:• Water quality• Indicator species• Adaptations• Ecosystem• Energy flow

Learning Skills:• Observing, using numbers,

classifying, inferring andpredicting

• Reading informationalmaterials; using keys andidentification guides

• Calculating stream indexvalues

Subject Areas:• Science• English Language Arts• Mathematics* See Activity Summary for

a Correlation with DPI ob-jectives in these subjectareas.

Special Considerations:See the safety message inIntroduction on page 1.3.

Location: Fews Ford

Objectives:• Describe 3 characteristics

of aquatic macroinverte-brates that help them sur-vive in aquatic habitats.

• Using keys and fieldguides, identify 3 macro-invertebrates in the field.

• Name 3 indicator speciesand explain how they areused to determine waterquality.

• Calculate the stream in-dex rating for a river.

• List and describe 5 fac-tors necessary for ahealthy river ecosystem.


To prepare your studentsfor their visit, we recom-

mend they complete the twopre-visit activities in thisEELE. The purpose of thisactivity is to introduce stu-dents to macroinvertebratesand aquatic organisms andhow they can be used as indi-cator species to determinethe health of the river.



Group Size:16 students, 2 adults

Estimated Time: 1 hour


Materials:Provided by park:

kick net, seine net, dip net,wide mouth plastic jars,aquaria, plastic tubs, clip-boards, maker board, fieldguides, laminated fish keys,laminated invertebrate key,aquarium nets, plasticspoons, glass dishes, table,life jackets, extra activitysheets, examples of adultmacroinvertebrates

Provided by the educator:worksheets, pencil (one perstudent)

Note: Make sure participantsbring a complete change ofclothes. They should alsowear clothes and shoes thatthey don't mind getting wetand/or dirty.


Group II – macros that aremoderately tolerant to a re-duction in water quality.They are given an indexvalue of 2.

Group III – macros that aretolerant to pollution. Theirdominance indicates poorwater quality. They aregiven an index value of 1.

The students will learn howto calculate the Stream IndexValue by using the formula:

(3 x # species in Group I)(2 x # species in Group II)

+ (1 x # species in Group III)= Stream Index Value

4. After the students haveidentified their specimens anddetermined the Stream IndexValue, park staff will lead agroup discussion summarizingwhat they’ve learned, whatthey’ve identified from theriver, and the importance ofindicator species and theStream Index Value.

Assessment:Use the test at the end of

this activity, or design one ofyour own.

Extension:Back in the classroom, have

students create differentgraphical representations oftheir field data.

2. Separate the students intogroups of four or five andhave them collect aquaticsamples following all safetyprocedures.

3. After collecting samples,each group should identify theaquatic macroinvertebrates us-ing the “Key to CommonMacroinvertebrates.” Theyshould also use field guides toaid in identification. Havethem record their answers onthe “Aquatic Sampling DataSheet” and use their results todetermine the Stream IndexValue (relative health) of theriver.

The Stream Index Valueplaces macros into one ofthree groups based upon howtolerant or sensitive they are tochanges in water quality.

Group I – macros that arevery intolerant to water pol-lution. The dominant pres-ence of Group I species isan indication of good waterquality. Group I is given anindex value of 3.

McCafferty: Aquatic Entomology.© 1983: Jones and Bartlett Publishers,Sudbury, MA. WWW.jbpub.com.Reprinted with permission.

Instructions:

1. Park staff will lead a briefdiscussion focusing on: mac-roinvertebrates (macros),what they are and why theyare important; metamorpho-sis, what it is and how it isaccomplished; and indicatorspecies, what they are andhow they are used to deter-mine the health of ariver. Park staff willalso cover use of thesampling equipmentand safety precau-tions that must befollowed.

The students will beinvolved in collecting macro-invertebrates in the river andmust be dressed appropriate-ly. Park staff will rope offthe area where sampling willoccur. Life jackets and afirst aid kit will be available.Park staff will discuss safetyconsiderations and the edu-cator will assist in seeing thatall safety precautions arefollowed. The students willwork in groups of four orfive, with one person record-ing the data. After complet-ing the worksheet, studentswill gather and discuss theirresults with park staff.


Student’s Information: Water Bugs

visit to Eno River State Park,you need to know more aboutwater in the form of a river.

What is a river? A riveris defined as a natural flow ofwater which empties into anocean, a lake, or anotherriver. It is the result ofsprings, streams and creeksjoining together to produce alarger volume of flow. Thesesmaller bodies of water arecalled tributaries. The landthat a river and its tributariesflow through is called a wa-tershed. A healthy rivermust have a well-protectedwatershed because any kindof disturbance to the water-shed has an effect on theriver.

River as an Ecosystem

A river is an ecosystem.The plants and animals in theriver, along with the physicalsurroundings of the water-shed form an interdependentsystem. You might comparea river to a fine stew or soup.The various living or once-living parts of the watershedare the ingredients for thestew or soup. Usually themore ingredients you add, thebetter the stew. A stew alsoneeds spices to make it tastejust right. In our analogy, thespices refer to the nonlivingparts of the river ecosystem–oxygen, minerals, sunlight,etc. If you try to make a stewwith just one ingredient, or if

you leave out an importantspice, your stew is not goingto be good.

Here then is a recipe fora fine healthy river:

Some sunlight – justenough for the algae, moss,diatoms and aquatic plants tocarry on photosynthesis.(Too much sun heats up thewater and robs it of dis-solved oxygen.)

Fallen leaves – they pro-vide the main source of ener-gy for a river system. In thefall, leaves drift down fromthe trees into the water wherethey soon sink to the bottomor get caught in logjams orwedged between rocks. Atthis point, bacteria and fungiclimb aboard the leaves andbegin to “munch out,” caus-ing the leaves to decomposeand break down into smallerpieces. The half-eaten leaves,bacteria and fungi are even-tually swept downstreamwhere they provide food formunchers, grazers and filterfeeders – the wonderfullyadapted macroinvertebrates(macros), such as stoneflynymphs, mayfly nymphs,and caddisfly larvae. Theseorganisms further breakdown the leaves into a veryfine mulch called detritus.In addition to the munchers,grazers and filter feeders,there are other types of mac-roinvertebrates that prey on

“Water, water everywhere nor any drop to

drink” –so says the sailor inSamuel Taylor Coleridge's“Rime of the Ancient Mari-ner” as his boat is becalmedat sea. Fortunately, in ourarea, water is everywhere andthere seems to be plenty todrink, at least for now. Butthat may be changing. Let'stake a closer look at waterand discover what a fragileand sensitive resource it is.

What is water? The dic-tionary defines water as acolorless, odorless transpar-ent liquid occurring on earthas rivers, lakes, oceans, etc.,and falling from the clouds asrain, snow, ice, etc. Wateroccupies more than 70 per-cent of the earth’s surface,and it makes up approximate-ly 60 percent of the humanbody. You may have heardthe saying “Water is life.”Think about it for a minute.Can you think of any livingorganism that does not de-pend on water?

David Quammen, in hisbook, Natural Acts, A Side-long View of Science and Na-ture says, “Without life, therewould still be water. Withoutwater no life.”

Water comes in manyforms. To really appreciateit, you need to pick out one ofits many forms and get toknow it personally. For your


other macroinvertebrates.Lots of different kinds ofmacros are a sign of ahealthy river.

Dissolved oxygen andcarbon dioxide – all theanimals in the river need dis-solved oxygen to breathe.These same animals breatheout carbon dioxide, which isessential for algae and otheraquatic plants. These plantsin turn take in the carbon di-oxide and give off oxygen.

Aquatic plants and animals– aquatic plants like river-weed and water willow pro-vide cover for macros andsmall minnows. All theaquatic animals in the riverprovide food for each otherand non-aquatic animals in acomplex food web. When allthese various plants and ani-mals die or excrete waste,they return essential nutrientsthat were borrowed so thatthey could live.

Various minerals – thefine spices of a river includecalcium bicarbonate, potas-sium, nitrates and phos-phates. These ingredientshelp balance a river’s pH;provide building material forthe shells of snails, mussels,clams and crayfish; help fishbreathe more efficiently; andact as natural fertilizers es-sential for aquatic plants.

These are just the mini-mum ingredients needed fora healthy river. A river needsonly natural ingredients; un-natural ingredients can havea bad affect on a river. DavidQuammen sums up whatmakes a healthy river whenhe talks about a trout stream.“A good trout stream mustfirst be an excellent insectstream, a superior haven foralgae and fungi and bacteria,a prime dumping ground for

dead leaves, a surpassingreservoir of oxygen andcalcium. It will then also,and thereby, be a goodosprey stream, a favoriteamong otters, a salvation todippers and kingfishers andbank swallows and heron,mergansers and Canadageese and water shrews,mink and muskrat and bea-ver. Not to mention the oc-casional grizzly bear. Andwho knows but that, some-time, a human might want todrink.”

If there are plentiful num-bers of many different spe-cies of plants and animals ina river, then we have ahealthy river. Takingsamples of these aquaticplants and animals is ameans to monitor the qualityof a river’s waters.



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Worksheet for 0n-Site Activity #4

Aquatic SamplingName: ________________________________ Date: ___________________________Location: ______________________________ Temperature: Air ______Water ______Methods used to sample: _________________ Stream Index Value: _______________

Instructions:Use the “Key to Common Macroinvertebrates” or “Pollution Tolerance of Macroinverte-brates” chart to identify organisms. Record the species of organisms found in the spacebelow, using the chart to classify them by their tolerance levels. (See example below.)

Group I Group II Group III

Calculate the Stream Index Value by multiplying the number of species of organismsin each group by the index value for that group. Then, add the resulting three numbersto obtain the Stream Index Value (see example below.)

Group I Group II Group IIIEXAMPLE:

1. stonefly 4. riffle beetle 1. dragonfly 1. black fly

2. mayfly 5. caddisfly 2. crayfish 2. freshwater worm

3. mussels 6. 3. 3.

StreamIndex Rating

ExcellentGood

FairPoor

CumulativeIndex Values23 and above17 to 2211 to 1610 to less

( 3 x no. of species - Group I)( 2 x no. of species - Group II)

+ ( 1 x no. of species - Group III) = Stream Index Value

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Total =

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Total =

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Total =

(3 x 5) + (2 x 2) + (1 x 2) = 21[21 is the stream index value, which is a good rating according to the chart above.]

Adapted from A Field Manual for Water Quality Monitoring, An Environmental Education Program for Schools byMark K. Mitchell and William B. Stapp.


Pollution Tolerance of Macroinvertebrates

Group I - Index Value = 3These macroinvertebrates cannot tolerate pollution or changes in water quality. Their pres-ence or dominance generally indicates good water quality.

mayfly nymph hellgrammite freshwater mussel(dobsonfly larva)

stonefly nymph riffle beetle adult right-handed pouch snail

water penny beetle caddisfly larvalarva

Group II - Index Value = 2These macroinvertebrates can exist in a wide variety of water quality conditions.

dragonfly nymph damselfly nymph crayfish

freshwater clam scud

whirligig beetle water strider

Group III - Index Value = 1These macroinvertebrates can exist in polluted water. Their dominance indicates poor waterquality.

black fly larva leech freshwater worm

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Test for 0n-Site Activity #4 – Water BugsName: ________________________________ Date: _________________________

Instructions: You have just sampled a river and found the following macroinvertebrates:dragonfly nymphs, damselfly nymphs, freshwater clams, freshwater worms, scuds, cray-fish, mayfly nymphs and black fly larvae. Use the “Pollution Tolerance of Macroinverte-brates” chart to classify the organisms by their tolerance levels and record below:


Calculate the Stream Index Value using the formula below.

What is the Stream Index Value for this river? _________What is the Stream Index Rating? _______________________

List five factors (or ingredients) needed for a healthy river ecosystem. Make surethat you include at least two nonliving factors. Explain why each factor is importantto the health of the river:

1. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the back of this paper, list three macroinvertebrates and, for each one, describean adaptation that allows it to live in a particular aquatic habitat.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Total =

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Total =

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Total =

StreamIndex Rating

ExcellentGood

FairPoor

CumulativeIndex Values23 and above17 to 2211 to 1610 to less

( 3 x no. of species - Group I)( 2 x no. of species - Group II)

+ ( 1 x no. of species - Group III) = Stream Index Value


Answer Key for Test for On-site Activity #4

1.Mayfly nymphs2.3.4.5.

Total = 3 x 1 = 3

1. Dragonfly nymphs2. Damselfly nymphs3. Freshwater clams4. Scuds5. Crayfish

Total = 2 x 5 = 10

1. Black fly larvae2. Freshwater worms3.4.5.

Total = 1 x 2 = 2


Stream Index Value = 15Stream Index Rating = Fair

Ingredients for a Healthy River Ecosystem: (in any order)

1. Sunlight – makes photosynthesis possible. Plants need sunlight to live. Oxygen, aby-product of photosynthesis, is needed by animals in order to breathe.2. Dead leaves (detritus) – are the main energy source for the ecosystem (base offood web). Smaller organisms feed on this and are eaten by larger organisms.3. Various minerals – are necessary for plants to grow (fertilizers) and for animals tomake shells and/or some kind of skeleton.4. Aquatic plants and animals – Plants provide food and shelter for animals. Theanimals and plants are interrelated through a complex food web. The greater the diver-sity of organisms, the healthier the river is (indicates excellent water quality).5. Dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide – oxygen is needed by animals. Carbondioxide is needed by plants in order to carry on photosynthesis.

On the back of this paper, list three macroinvertebrates and, for each one, de-scribe an adaptation that allows it to live in a particular aquatic habitat.

Sample Responses:

1. Mayfly nymph (or damselfly nymph) - has gills that allow it to take dissolved oxy-gen from the water.2. Water penny (or stonefly nymph) - has special adaptation allowing it to cling torocks so that it can live in fast-moving streams where there is abundant dissolvedoxygen.3. Freshwater clam (or mussel) - has hard shell to protect it. Uses siphons to take inriver water and filter out food particles.


Post-Visit Activity #1 Fragile Waters

Major Concepts:• River basin• Water quality• Air quality• Land use planning• Resource management

Learning Skills:• Observing, communicat-

ing and predicting• Problem solving, respect-

ing differences, working ingroups

• Expanding on ideas, rec-ognizing bias and persua-sive techniques

Subject Areas:• Science• Social Studies• English Language Arts* See Activity Summary


Location: classroom

Estimated Time: one to three45 minute periods


• Balance the need to pro-tect water quality witheconomic and other con-cerns while working witha group to arrange landuse cutouts on a map.

• Give at least two exam-ples of how air and waterquality are connected.


Every human use of landin the Eno River water-

shed has a positive or nega-tive effect not only on theEno River, but on the water,wildlife and people fromhere to the Pamlico Sound.What we do with land is a re-flection of our priorities andlifestyles. The search for amodern day “good life” andall its conveniences producesmixed results for plants, ani-mals, water quality andpeople in the Eno watershed.Some people see our naturalresources as little more thanraw material for human use.Others believe that the natu-ral environment is to be pre-served without regard for hu-man needs. Still others yearnfor a balance between devel-opment and protecting ourresources. Very real differ-ences of opinion regardingthese issues exist betweenwell meaning people.

At the core of land useissues is the concept ofgrowth. Growth in natural

Materials:Provided by educator:Per student:

One copy of Student’sInformation and SpecialSpecies Fact Sheet

Per three students:Scissors, masking tape,paste or glue, paper,Legend and Land UseCutouts, Topo Map ofthe Upper Eno River Ba-sin, Eno River to thePamlico Sound

Credits: “Dragonfly Pond,”Project WILD AquaticEducation Guide––1987,1992. Council for Environ-mental Education. Adaptedwith permission fromProject WILD. In NorthCarolina, Project WILD ispart of the N.C. WILDenvironmental educationprogram. For informationabout N.C. WILD, contactthe N.C. Wildlife ResourcesCommission, Division ofConservation Education,1712 Mail Service Center,Raleigh, NC, 27699-1712

Objectives:• List two animal species

endemic to the Neuseand Tar river watersheds.

• Evaluate the effects ofdifferent imaginary landuses on the Eno Riverwatershed.

• List and discuss fiveways to minimize damag-ing effects in the EnoRiver watershed.


systems has inherent limits,imposed by a dynamic bal-ance of energy between allparts of the system. Energyin natural systems is trans-lated into food, water, shel-ter, space and continued sur-vival. This means that thevitality of natural systems isexpressed by their ability tobe self-regulating. This ca-pacity for self-regulationmakes it possible for allnatural members of an eco-system to live in harmony.All life forms of any ecosys-tem must be considered. Themacroinvertebrates in thewater are just as necessary toa habitat as the plants andfish. It is this natural dy-namic balance, with all itsinherent and essential parts,that much of human land usehas tended to disturb.

Human activities often gobeyond the natural limits of asetting. Humans have theability to import energysources that allow a systemto exceed its natural limits––or to remove energy sourcesthat are necessary for a sys-tem to stay in balance. Forexample, people can damrivers to provide power,drinking water and irriga-tion. Water from the rivercan be used in factories,mills, sewage treatment andother industries that needlarge amounts of water toproduce certain products.Combustion of fossil fuelsand vaporization of animalwastes add nitrogen to the air

which eventually finds itsway into our waters. All ofthese activities affect life inthe Eno River watershed.

The purpose of this activ-ity is to encourage studentsto wrestle with development,local economy and resourcemanagement issues. The stu-dents will use the Eno Riverwatershed as a microcosmof environmental concernsin making management deci-sions. They will contendwith the arrangement ofoverlapping and conflictingland uses in an effort to pre-serve the Eno River water-shed. When the studentsreach some kind of agree-ment about local issues, theywill discuss how what theyhave done affects the riverdownstream. The activityends with the idea that theplanet is, in fact, a singleriver watershed.

Instructions:

1. Prepare copies of the Leg-end and Land Use Cutoutssheet, the Topo Map of theUpper Eno River Basin, theStudent’s Information, andthe Special Species FactSheet. Explain the activity.Tell the students that theywill be responsible for ar-ranging the pattern of landuse around the Eno River tominimize the impact on theriver. Remind them thatsome of the land uses mightbe conflicting and thereforethey will have to make some

very tough management de-cisions. Ask students to readthe Student’s Information andSpecial Species Fact Sheet.

2. Divide the class intogroups of three to five, witheach group representing oneof the interest groups (below)or taking on the role of thetown commissioners. Stu-dents will stay in thesegroups until the end of theactivity. Each group mustdecide where to place all theland uses.

Possible interest groups:• Residents - people who

want to live there.• Farmers - want to use the

land to raise food.• Businesses - want to use

land for commerce andgrowth.

• State park - wants to pre-serve and protect water-shed for plants and wildlife, recreation, drinkingwater and historic sites.

• Highway department -wants to build a bypassroad to ease traffic con-gestion in town.

• Textile factory - wants toconstruct a huge factorythat would provide 500jobs and boost localeconomy.

• School representatives -want to build a newschool to accommodatemore students due torapid growth of the town.

• Hospital representatives -propose building a newhospital to service the


community in the futurebecause of expectedgrowth and developmentin the area.

• County and state represen-tatives - believe it is es-sential to have a biggerlandfill and a newer,more efficient wastewa-ter treatment plant.

3. Give each group a copy ofthe Topo Map of the UpperEno River Basin and theLegend and Land Use Cut-outs page. Read the follow-ing text to your students:

You will be using an en-largement of an actual topo-graphic map of the upperEno River basin. Topo-graphic is derived fromGreek words topos, meaningplace, and graphein, mean-ing to write or draw. Thus, atopographic (topo) map is adrawing or pricture of aplace. One feature on a topomap is contour lines. Con-tour lines are thin lines thatindicate the contour of theland and its elevation. Thedistance between contourlines on your map is 10 feet.Where the lines are veryclose together, there is steepterrain. Level terrain appearswhere contour lines are fur-ther apart. In this activity,the steepness or flatness ofthe terrain will dictate wherecertain land uses can occur.For example, you would notput a landfill on a steepridge. A legend explainingother map symbols is in-cluded on the Legend and

Land Use Cutouts page.Spend some time discuss-

ing features and symbols onthe topo map. Practice locat-ing ridges, summits, rivers,highways, etc. Then read thefollowing text aloud:

Note: There are two spe-cies of plants and three spe-cies of animals on the mapwhere they might naturallyoccur. These species are ei-ther state protected or havespecial habitat requirements.The purpose of placing theseon the map is to make the de-cisions more realistic. Infor-mation on these species isgiven on the Special SpeciesFact Sheet.

4. Have the students cutout the land use pieces fromthe Legend and Land UseCutouts page. When they fas-ten the cutouts to their topomap, suggest that they usesmall loops of tape. This willallow them to change theirminds before they paste themdown.

5. Place the following ruleson the chalkboard:

• all land use cutouts mustbe used; the cutoutsmay be cut smaller

• cutouts may touch, butmay not overlap

• no cutout, except for thestate park, can touch orcover a “Special Spe-cies” circle

• except for the state parkand the vegetable farm,all cutouts must touch a

new or existing road• vegetable farm and

landfill must be on rela-tively level land

• both textile factory andwastewater treatmentplant must touch theriver

• no cutout can touch orcover an existing build-ing

6. Once the students have cutout the necessary materialsand are ready to make landuse decisions, have themcreate a list of pros and consfor each land use. Guide theclass discussion so the conse-quences of each land use areconsidered. Record these onthe chalkboard.

7. Have the students work intheir groups long enough tobegin to seriously grapplewith the challenge.

8. Invite each group to dis-play and describe their workin progress. Encourage dis-cussion of their choices. Inthe discussions emphasize:

• no land use can beexcluded

• wildlife habitat must bepreserved

• everyone within theirsmall group must agree

Discuss how their planswill impact the various inter-est groups.

Look for the consequencesof their proposed land useplans. Be firm about this be-


ing a very difficult set ofchoices. Remind them thatfor certain habitats this is a“no-win” situation in manyways. The best that can behoped for is that the land useplans will minimize thethreats to the river and thespecial plants and animals.

Assessment:

1. Pass out the Eno River tothe Pamlico Sound sheet.Have each group connecttheir topo map to the EnoRiver section of this sheet.Ask one group to describetheir plan to the class. Then,have all the students brain-storm possible effects thatthis land use plan could haveon the water quality, air qual-ity, and people downstream.For example, you could em-phasize the effluent (and/orsmoke and fumes) from thetextile factory. How will itbe treated? Where? Bywhom? Where will it go?What effect will it have onair and water quality in theriver basin?

2. Ask the students to lookagain at all of the land usesin this activity. What couldthe people who are actuallyin charge of these variousland uses do in their prac-tices to minimize the damageto Eno River and the specialspecies? Review technolo-gies that were discussed inthe on-site activities of thisEELE, such as vegetativebuffers and silt fences. In-

clude other ideas that stu-dents may have heard about.For example, some industrieshave developed new technol-ogy that allows them to re-move harmful waste using ascrubbing filter. Maybe sucha filter could be used on theirtextile factory. Some com-munities have used newtechnology to collect meth-ane gas (a common gas gen-erated by decomposing gar-bage) from landfills and useit as a source of energy.

3. Ask the students tocreate a list of things they,personally, can do to beginto reduce the potentiallydamaging effects of theirown lifestyles on the down-stream habitats. If possibleinvite them to report periodi-cally, throughout the schoolyear, on their progress in car-rying out these new prac-tices. Discuss the conceptthat all the waters of theplanet are, in fact, part of asingle Eno River.

4. Display all the final landuse plans for everyone to seeand discuss. Analyze themerits of each of the ap-proaches. Ask each studentto write a paragraph statingwhich land use plan wouldhave the least harmful effecton the Eno River (or NeuseRiver Basin) and why. In ad-dition, ask them to describeat least three things thatcould be done to furtherminimize the damage to wa-ter quality in the river basin.

Extensions:

1. Review the Neuse RiverBasin map from Pre-visit Ac-tivity #1. Call the Divisionof Water Quality at (919)733-5083 for a copy of theNeuse River Basinwide Wa-ter Quality ManagementPlan.

2. Take a field trip to Cliffsof the Neuse State Park nearGoldsboro to collect similardata on the river the Enofeeds into, the Neuse. Formore information contact:

Cliffs of the Neuse St.Park345-A Park Entrance RoadSeven Springs, NC 28578(919) 778-6234

3. Collect newspaper articleson local water and land re-lated issues as a currentevents activity.

4. Learn more about environ-mental impact statements.Try to obtain actual state-ments concerning land use inyour area. See what con-cerns are addressed in thesedocuments.

5. Find out about zoninglaws and land use regulationsin your area. Would the plansthe student groups proposedfor the upper Eno River beallowed in your community?

6. Send a representativesample of the students’ landuse plans to the park. (Wewould appreciate the feed-back.)


Student’s Information: Fragile Waters

The watershed for theEno River is located in

an area that is growing rap-idly. Home owners and in-dustries are spreading outfrom our cities into thecountry. Business and in-dustry seek undevelopedland to use and help our lo-cal economy by creatingnew jobs. This is good butsometimes developmentconflicts with protecting theriver and the special speciesthat live in the watershed.This is where differentpeople have different ideasabout how to best use theland, air and water in theEno River watershed andstill insure that the EnoRiver is clean.

Think back to your visitto the Eno River. We knowthat the Eno provides drink-ing water for Hillsboroughand Raleigh. We know thatwater is taken from the Enofor sewage treatment, irri-gation and use in industry.


Many different forms of rec-reation are enjoyed in the EnoRiver watershed. The EnoRiver and its watershed pro-vide crucial habitat for manyplant and animal species.The Carolina madtom (a cat-fish) and the Neuse Riverwaterdog (a salamander) aretwo animals that are endemicto the Tar and Neuse riverbasins, of which the Eno ispart. Endemic means theyare found in these river basinsand nowhere else on earth!The panhandle pebblesnail, atiny and very rare snail, ap-pears to be endemic to justthe Eno River.

During your visit to thepark, you explored varioustypes of water quality prob-lems, such as sedimentationand changes in stream flow.Some threats to water qualityare not as obvious. For ex-ample, in eastern North Caro-lina, atmospheric nitrogen ac-counts for at least 25% of the

new nitrogen added yearly toour waters. (Atmosphericnitrogen comes from fossil-fuel combustion in cars,trucks, power plants and in-dustries, as well as vaporiza-tion of wastes from agricul-ture and wastewater treat-ment plants.) All this extranitrogen stimulates thegrowth of algae and can re-sult in fish kills. Atmo-spheric nitrogen also contrib-utes to acid rain. Whenevaluating the health of ourrivers, we shouldn't forgetthat air, land and water qual-ity are all closely linked.

So how do we make landuse decisions that will ben-efit the local economy andstill protect our air, waterand other natural resources?The following activity is de-signed to give you a taste forhow difficult the decision-making process can be.


Special Species Fact Sheet


American ginseng

This medicinal plant hasbeen over-collected to sellin this country and overseas.Ginseng is very rare in thisarea and is becoming rare inthe mountains where it wasonce plentiful. It has beenused for centuries for its re-ported medicinal powers.

Thorey’ s graybackdragonfly

This dragonfly has veryspecial habitat requirements.It needs wet seeps or marshyareas near springs to raise itsyoung. This dragonfly huntsmainly in the forest instead ofover water like most otherdragonflies.

Carolina madtom

This endemic catfish isfound only in the Neuse andTar river basins. It prefersshallow water with little cur-rent over a sandy bottom.The Neuse River populationis listed as “special con-cern,” which means it haslegal protection status inNorth Carolina.

Yellow lady’s-slipper orchid

A rare wildflower in thisarea, it requires soils that areclose to a neutral pH (mostsoils in our region are acidic)and a mature tree canopy togive partial shade. It takes aminimum of 15 years for thisorchid to grow from seed toa flowering plant.

Yellow lampmussel

Almost all mussels requireclean water to live in. Sincethe lampmussel is a filter-feeder, it passes large vol-umes of water through itssystem to strain out its food.If the water in which it livesis polluted, the pollutants canbecome concentrated in themussel’s tissue and killit, or impair its ability to re-produce. The presence ofthis mussel in a river is an in-dicator of good water quality.


RIV

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Topo Map of the Upper Eno River Basin

©

©

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Legend and Land Use Cutouts

Elevation heights 550Light-duty road

Unimproved road

• •

XTopo lines (10 ft. intervals)Power line

Summit symbol

LEGEND FOR TOPO MAPBuilding

ROAD

TEXTILE FACTORY

HOSPITAL

SHOPPINGMALL

VEGETABLE FARM

WASTE WATERTREATMENT

PLANT

GASSTATION

OFFICE COMPLEX

SCHOOL

FIRESTATION

GROCERY

DRYCLEANERS

STATE PARK

LANDFILL


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Post-Visit Activity #2 Troubled Waters

Major Concepts:• Water pollution• Environmental issues• Stewardship• Environmental

sustainability

Learning Skills:• Communicating, inferring,

predicting• Problem solving• Creative Writing

Subject Areas:• Science• English Language Arts• Social Studies* See Activity Summary for

a Correlation with DPIobjectives in these subjectareas.

Location: Classroom

Estimated Time: Two ormore 45 minute class periods.


Materials:Provided by educator:Per student: Student’s Informa-

tion and “Troubled Waters”

Instructions:

1. Have the students read theStudent’s Information. Fo-cus on environmental sus-tainability and how waterpollution interferes with theability of a water body tosustain life––for people aswell as other living things.

2. Have each student read thestory “Troubled Waters.” Af-ter the students have finished

Objectives:

• Identify two potentialcause and effect relation-ships involving aquaticpollution.

• List and evaluate twoalternative solutions toproblems with aquaticpollution.

• Create an action plan toreduce pollution andimprove the sustainabili-ty of a river, stream,pond or other water body.



Credits: “Something's FishyHere,” Project WILD Aquat-ic Education Guide––1987,1992. Council for Environ-mental Education. Adaptedwith permission fromProject WILD. In NorthCarolina, Project WILD ispart of the N.C. WILDenvironmental educationprogram. For informationabout N.C. WILD, contactthe N.C. Wildlife ResourcesCommission, Division ofConservation Education,1712 Mail Service Center,Raleigh, NC, 27699-1712.


reading, discuss the storywith them. Ask them tothink about as many differentendings to the story as possi-ble. Ask each student towrite an ending to the story.

3. Divide the class into smallgroups. Have each group dis-cuss how they think the storyshould end, sharing the end-ing they wrote. Ask eachgroup to present one or moreof their endings to the rest ofthe class. List the essentialpoints of each ending on thechalkboard.

4. Discuss which ending(s)best illustrate environmentalsustainability. Identify causeand effect relationships.Look for possible relation-ships between the story andproblems regarding wateruse in the Eno River water-shed or an aquatic habitat inyour community.

5. Next, have the studentsgenerate a list of possibleaquatic problems that theybelieve exist in their commu-nity. Go through the list,noting which problems theymight be able to solve. Forexample, pollution in anearby brook is far more re-alistic for them to addressthan an entire river basin. Itis important that the studentsbe able to experience somesuccess in developing a planto tackle the problem. Havethem form groups that have acommon interest in one ormore of the “solvable” prob-

so that we can share your ef-forts to clean up local aquaticareas with other groups.

Assessment:1. Ask students to write abrief story describing thepossible downstream conse-quences of the followingevents (or others of theteacher's own creation):• A wastewater treatment

plant has a failure andraw sewage enters a river.

• A forest is cut down tomake way for a new shop-ping mall with large park-ing area. (It is locatednear a river's tributary.)

• A large freshwater wet-land is drained for a newgolf course.

Stories should show causeand effect relationships.

2. Next, ask the students tochoose one of the events inquestion #1 and list two pos-sible solutions to the waterquality problem. Solutionsshould illustrate environmen-tal sustainability.

3. If the class, or a group ofstudents has implemented anaction plan, evaluate the suc-cess of this plan. Whatworked well? How could theplan have been improved?

Extension:Find out if any Stream

Watch groups or RiverKeeper groups are operatingin your area. Invite a repre-sentative to come to yourclass and talk to the students.

lems and develop an outlinelisting steps on how to findout more about the problem.Once they have developedthis outline, have each groupreport back to the class. Or,decide on one problem andwork on it as a class.

6. If several groups outlinedseparate problems, ask theclass to select the problemthey would most like to ad-dress. Assure them thatchoosing one does not makethe others less important. Tobe most effective in solving aproblem, it helps for every-one to get behind one effort.Remind the students to de-velop an attitude for a clean,sustainable environment.Have them seek solutionsrather than only place blame.

7. Once a specific issue ischosen, have the class list10 things that can be done tomake that problem less dam-aging to aquatic habitats. Fo-cus on environmental sustain-ability –– how can the prob-lem be solved so that theaquatic habitat can sustainlife for years to come?

8. Act as facilitator to theclass by helping them de-velop an action plan. Estab-lish a time line and specificassignments.

9. Once the students haveimplemented their actionplan, or have completed aproject, please send a briefsummary report to the park


Student’s Information: Troubled Waters

land and sell the idea of apark to the state of NorthCarolina. As a result, EnoRiver State Park was bornand the reservoir project wasabandoned. All of this workoriginated from one person’sdecision to take action.

There is still much to bedone to protect aquatic habi-tats in the Eno River water-shed. Reducing or eliminat-ing pollution is one areawhere individuals can make adifference. Significant aes-thetic improvements can re-sult from reducing two com-mon forms of water pollution– litter and sedimentation.Other forms of pollution areharder to detect and control.Much work needs to be doneto identify and eliminatesources of pollution in lakes,rivers, groundwater andoceans.

Pollution is a term that is,at times, difficult to define.

Even in nature, pure watercannot be found. When pre-cipitation falls from the sky,it picks up carbon dioxideand other gases and becomesmore acid and capable ofdissolving some rocks. Wa-ter is known as the “univer-sal solvent.” This means thatit can dissolve many kinds ofsubstances. Water can alsocarry suspended particles(sediment) such as soil andplant material. These parti-cles reduce the penetrationof light into water which af-fects the plants living belowthe water’s surface. Watertemperature and the amountof dissolved gases alsochange over time and affectthe aquatic life.

The presence of chemicalsin water affects organismsdifferently, depending uponthe chemicals’ concentration.Some chemicals can be toxicto some organisms even atvery low concentrations.

Environmental pollution isan issue everywhere on

the planet. Often individualsfeel overwhelmed, helpless,and unable to do anything tohelp. Yet successful actionto reduce environmentalproblems often starts throughthe actions of one individual.Students have initiatedprojects that improved thesafety of neighborhoods,created parkland, and pre-served major habitats forwildlife. When a group ofindividuals join together, thechances of solving problemsincreases. For example, EnoRiver State Park owes itscreation to an individual whoformed a group called theAssociation for the Preserva-tion of the Eno River Valley.

The city of Durham want-ed to build a reservoir thatwould have flooded the en-tire Eno River valley. Byworking together, the groupwas able to acquire some




Scientists usually measurethe concentration of materialsin ratios, comparing the partsof the chemical substance tothe parts of water containingit. When concentrations ofmaterials reach critical levels,certain organisms die. Mac-roinvertebrates are especial-ly sensitive to small changesin water quality.

Living things need the ox-ygen that is dissolved in wa-ter. When oxygen levels fallbelow certain points, organ-isms die. The warmer thewater, the less oxygen it canhold. Some animals needmore oxygen than others;therefore, warm water can bedescribed as polluted forsome kinds of organisms andnot for others.

Water pollution is usuallydescribed in relation to theuse humans make of the wa-ter in which the pollutant isfound. For example, if con-ditions in the Eno River reachthe point where Roanokebass, a sought after gamefish,start to die, the river wouldbe considered polluted.However, the river might stillsupport other types of fishthat can tolerate more pollu-tion than a Roanoke bass. Inother words, water could bedescribed as polluted forsome organisms and not forothers. That's why it is im-portant to know the river's le-gal classification. Classifica-tions are assigned to the riv-ers of North Carolina basedupon the existing or contem-plated best usage of the vari-ous streams in the river

basin. When a river orstream no longer supports theintended or best use, it isconsidered “impaired.”Then actions must be takento restore the river.

The purpose of this activi-ty is to recognize that all ofus can make a contribution toenvironmental sustainabili-ty in our own community.Environmental sustainabilitymeans the ability to meet theneeds of the present withoutcompromising the ability offuture generations to meettheir needs. We are all re-sponsible for actions affect-ing life in the Eno River wa-tershed, and other watershedswhere we live and work.Let's help these waters sus-tain life for generations tocome!

Roanoke Bass

©



Troubled Waters

quality they needed to sur-vive. She also planned tocatch some aquatic insects todisplay alive in her aquari-um at the fair. Merlin hadpromised to help her. Withhis help, she would have agood chance of winning the“Most Unusual Animal Dis-play.” Barre could hardlywait to go to the river andcollect the aquatic insectsfor her display.

Finally, the day before thescience fair arrived. Merlinand Barre walked down theshort trail to the Eno River.Signs of spring were every-where. Trout lilies, violets,and crested-dwarf iris werein bloom. Fresh new greenleaves were unfurling on ev-ery tree and shrub. Butter-flies and bees floated andbuzzed in the clean warmair. Their hopes ran high;what a great day! Theywere sure to catch lots ofneat aquatic insects. Merlinand Barre made their waydown the slippery bank ofthe Eno and out onto a

After admiring them, hewould release them. Barrewas the expert at finding andcatching the biggest crayfish.She would also spend moretime looking at the aquaticinsects than Merlin. Thesebizarre animals were fasci-nating to her and she alreadyknew the names of most ofthe common ones. The riverprovided endless opportuni-ties for adventure. There wasalways something new wait-ing to be discovered.

Springtime was eagerlyanticipated by Barre andMerlin. Spring meantwarmer weather, fresh air,wildflowers and lots of newlife in the river. This springwas especially important toBarre. Every year the fifthgrade class had an environ-mental science fair. Studentswould choose a topic and de-velop a display to be judgedat the fair. This year thetheme for the fair was waterquality. Barre had decidedto learn more about aquaticinsects and the kind of water

MMcCafferty: Aquatic Entomology.

© 1983: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA.WWW.jbpub.com. Reprinted with permission.

erlin and Barre werebrother and sister.

They lived in an old woodenhouse right beside the EnoRiver, just a little waysdownstream fromHillsborough. Merlin was inthe sixth grade and his sisterBarre in the fifth.

Ever since they were ableto walk, their parents hadtaken them down to the river-side to play. As they grewolder, they discovered manywonderful things living in theriver. With homemade netsand aquariums, they wouldspend hours catching andwatching crayfish, waterstriders, stonefly nymphs,minnows, frogs and turtles.They learned how to handleand release these creatureswithout harming them orthemselves.

Often in the spring andsummer, the entire familywould spend a day picnick-ing and fishing. Merlin likedto catch feisty Roanoke bassbecause they fought so hard.


gravel bar that stuck out intothe river. The water wasshallow here and movedswiftly over small rocks andgravel. Here they planned topick up rocks and gentlyscrape the clinging insectsoff them. Merlin had a dipnet to catch some minnowsand water striders.

Barre eagerly started pick-ing up rocks while Merlintried to catch the minnows.The first rock she picked uphad no insects on it, neitherdid the second or third rock.Merlin had not caught anyminnows or even seen anywater striders. Where wereall the insects? They bothlooked around puzzled. Mer-lin then noticed some deadaquatic insects floating onthe surface in a pool behindthe gravel bar. Barre andMerlin looked around care-fully and found hundreds ofdead insects floating on thesurface and washed up on thebank. There were even somedead minnows. It took a fewmoments to register. Barreforgot all about what thiswould mean for her sciencedisplay. They both felt genu-ine concern. These fascinat-ing animals that had providedthem with hours of enjoy-ment were all dead! Whatcould have happened?They soon realized that therewas a mystery to be solved!

What would a CrimeScene Investigator do undersimilar circumstances?

Right! Look for clues.Hundreds of aquatic insectsdon’t keel over from fear ofbeing exposed in public at ascience fair! There had tobe a really good reason.Barre and Merlin were de-termined to discover the an-swer.

A quick glance over thesurrounding area revealedlittle evidence of foul play.Merlin did note that therewas a condition common toall of the dead aquatic in-sects. They were slippery tothe touch and seemed to becoated with a soapy sub-stance. Barre saw the foamysuds first. The suds wereclinging to the rocks andcollecting in the still watersof the deeper pool upstream.They started upstreamsearching for more clues.Beyond the deep pool thesuds were scarce. Carefullythey moved further upstreamuntil they came to where theriver flowed through town.Beyond this, a new black-topped parking lot sporting abrand new mini-shoppingmall, signaled the edge ofthe town. There they dis-covered something new.Under fresh packed soil,tucked beside the fence,storm drains were partiallyburied. They were openedto allow flow of water intothe Eno.

That night at dinner Barreand Merlin talked with theirparents. They decided to

map the area of the newshopping center and identifythe stores that might havesoap in their waste water.

Merlin and Barre sat downand compiled a list of theshopping center’s stores.They produced several possi-bilities – Floyd’s Cleaners,Davis’ Wash and DryLaundromat, Geiger’s CarWash, and Tillotson’s AutoBody. They decided torecord observations on adaily basis for a week. Theyagreed to take turns lookingfor evidence. (Good detec-tives keep records, note pat-terns and follow trails beforethey draw conclusions ormake accusations.)

One evening when it wasBarre’s turn to observe, hermother drove her to theshopping center. What shefound made her very excited.When she got home sherushed into Merlin’s roomand cried, “We’ve got them!When Mom drove me to theshopping center we droveover a big bump in the park-ing lot near the car wash.They have a big black hoserunning into the drain pipe.They connect it after dark! Isaw it - I know it! They let itflow into the storm drainsfrom their storage tanks.That’s where the soapis coming from! We gotta dosomething Merlin! Wheredo we go? What do we do?”


Acid – having a pH less than 7; the chemical state of water or other substance in which thehydrogen (H+) ions exceed the hydroxyl (OH–) ions. For example, a car’s battery acid has apH of 1. See pH scale.

Acid Precipitation (including Acid Rain) – any form of precipitation that is acidic as aresult of mixing with sulfur or nitrogen compounds in the atmosphere. Sulfur and nitrogencompounds can come from coal burning power plants and car emissions.

Adaptation – a change in the structure or activity of an organism that produces a betteradjustment to its environment, thus enhancing its ability to survive and reproduce. For ex-ample, the flattened, oval shape of the larva of the riffle beetle (called a water penny) is anadaptation that helps it cling to the surface of rocks in swift flowing waters.

Aeration – the process of exposing to the air or of causing air to circulate through.

Algae – primitive one-celled or multi-cellular plants that contain chlorophyll, but have notrue root, stem, or leaf. Normally found in water or damp places.

Algal Bloom – a heavy growth of algae in and on a body of water, usually resulting fromhigh nitrate and phosphate concentrations entering water bodies from farm/lawn fertilizersand detergents. Phosphates also occur naturally in some rock formations.

Alkaline – see Base.

Ammonia – a colorless, strong smelling gas composed of nitrogen and hydrogen. (pH = 12)

Anatomy – the branch of biology that deals with the structure of plants and animals.

Aquatic Life – a plant or animal growing or living in or upon water.

Average – the numerical result obtained by dividing the sum of two or more quantities by thetotal number of quantities; for example, 2 + 4 + 6 + 8 = 20 and 20/4 = 5; therefore, 5 is theaverage of the four numbers.

Base – having a pH greater than 7; the chemical state of water or other substance in whichthe hydroxyl (OH–) ions exceed the hydrogen (H+) ions. For example, soap has a pH of 10.See pH scale.

Biochemistry – the branch of chemistry that deals with the life processes of plants and ani-mals.

Biology – the science that deals with the origin, history, physical characteristics, life pro-cesses and habits of plants and animals.

V O C A B U L A R Y

6.2Eno River State Park, NC May 2000

Classification – the grouping of organisms into categories based on shared characteristics ortraits. For example, any animal that has feathers is considered a bird and placed in the ClassAves. Furthermore, if the bird has its eyes in front rather than on the side of its head, it is amember of the Order Strigiformes (the owls).

Community – a group of plants and animals living in a specific region under similar condi-tions, and interacting with each other through food webs and other relationships.

Contour Lines – thin lines found on a topographical map that indicate elevation. They showthe contour of the land.

Decomposer – an organism whose feeding action results in decay, rotting or decomposition.The primary decomposers are bacteria and fungi. They are very important parts of a healthyecosystem.

Decomposition – to rot or to break apart into basic components. Decomposition makesnutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, available for use by other organisms.

Delta – a usually triangular alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river.

Detritus – dead organic matter, such as fallen leaves, twigs, and other plant and animalmaterial that exist in any ecosystem.

Dichotomous – divided into two parts, groups or classes, such as a dichotomous key. Usinga dichotomous key, one can identify an unknown organism by following the one branch ofeach pair that better describes the organism.

Distribution – the act of scattering or spreading out; the geographic range of an organism.

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) – the amount of oxygen gas molecules dissolved in water. Fish andother aquatic animals depend on DO for respiration.

Ecosystem – plants, animals and their physical surroundings that interact with environmentalconditions, such as temperature and rainfall, forming an interdependent system.

Effluent – a liquid flowing out. The outflow of a sewer, septic tank, etc.

Endangered Species – a species that verges on extinction in all or part of its range.

Has 4 legs and scalesHas feathers

Has 6 legs and antennaeHas no eyelids and no legs

Has 4 or more legs Has 2 or fewer legs

an animal

lizard bird snakeinsect


Endemic – found only in a particular region or area. For example, the Carolina madtom is aspecies of catfish found only in the Tar and Neuse rivers. Thus, it is endemic to the Tar andNeuse rivers.

Environmental Sustainability – the ability to meet the needs of the present without compro-mising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Erosion – the process by which soil particles are carried away by wind, water, freezing andthawing, or a combination of these factors.

Estuary – semi-enclosed area where fresh water from rivers meets salty water from the sea.Example: The Lower Neuse River Basin from New Bern to the Pamlico Sound.

Eutrophication – naturally-occurring changes that take place after a water body receivesinputs of nutrients, mostly nitrates and phosphates, from erosion and runoff of surroundinglands; this process can be accelerated by human activities.

Evaporation – the natural process by which water changes into vapor.

Food Chain – the transfer of energy and material through a series of organisms as each one isfed upon by the next. For example:

Detritus —> caddisfly larvae —> sunfish —> otter

Food Web – the interlocking pattern of food chains which exist in an ecosystem.

Habitat – the environmental conditions of the area where a plant or animal naturally grows orlives; its environment.

Indicator Species – an organism whose presence or absence in a particular environment canbe used to determine the health of that particular environment.

Insect – any animal in the Class Insecta. Has a head, thorax, abdomen, and three pairs of legson the thorax. As adults they usually have one or two pairs of wings attached to the thorax.

Irrigation – the pumping of water from ponds, lakes, or rivers through pipes or canals tosupply crops with water during dry periods.

Key – an ordered list of significant characteristics of a group of organisms used to identifyunknown species.

Larva – (larvae, plural) the immature form of an animal that changes structurally when itbecomes an adult, usually by complex metamorphosis.

Latitude – measured in degrees, the distance north or south from the equator. For example,Durham is at 36° N latitude.


Longitude – the distance measured in degrees east or west of the prime meridian (0° longi-tude) at Greenwich, England. Durham is at 79° W longitude.

Macroinvertebrate – macro means large, invertebrate means without a backbone. Aninvertebrate usually large enough to be seen without the aid of magnification.

Metamorphosis – meta means change, morphe means form. A change in form, structure orfunction as a result of development. A physical transformation undergone by various animalsduring development from the larval stage to the adult form. For example, through metamor-phosis, a hellgrammite (larval form) becomes a Dobsonfly (adult form). The change fromtadpole (larval form) to frog (adult form) is another example of metamorphosis.

Molecular Biology – the branch of biology that deals with the chemical and physical compo-sition, and the activities of the molecules of living matter.

Mussel – any of the various freshwater or saltwater bivalves (meaning the two shells), heldtogether by a strong muscle.

Non-permeable – not open to passage or penetration, especially by fluids.

Nonpoint Source Pollution – pollution that cannot be traced to a specific point because itcomes from many individual places or a widespread area (e.g., urban and agricultural runoff).

Nymph – the young of an insect that undergoes incomplete metamorphosis, differing fromthe adult primarily in size and structural proportions.

Organism – a plant or animal; any living thing.

pH – a measure of the power of the hydrogen ion (H+) activity in a substance.

pH Scale – a range of 0 to 14 used to measure the degree of acidity or basicity of a substance.A pH of 7 is neutral. See Acid and Base.

pH0 14

FEW OH–

LARGELY OH–

7

LARGELY H+

FEW H+

ACID RANGE BASE RANGENEUTRAL


Photosynthesis – the chemical process carried on by green plants in which the cells thatcontain chlorophyll use light energy to produce glucose (a plant food) from carbon dioxideand water; oxygen is released as a by-product. See Respiration.

Plankton – collective term for the mostly microscopic plants (phytoplankton) and animals(zooplankton) that float or drift in oceans and fresh waters. These plants and animals are avery important food source in aquatic environments.

Point Source Pollution – pollution that can be traced to a single point source, such as a pipeor culvert (e.g., industrial and wastewater treatment plant discharges).

Pool – a deep still spot in a river, creek or stream.

Precipitation – a general term for all forms of falling moisture including rain, snow, hail orsleet.

Respiration – the process by which an organism takes in oxygen and releases carbon diox-ide; breathing. See Photosynthesis.

Riffle – a shoal or gravel bar in a shallow part of a stream that produces a stretch of choppyruffled water surface.

River Basin – the watershed of an entire river. It encompasses the many smaller watershedsof the river's tributaries or branches.

Runoff – rain, melted snow and other materials that drain or flow off surfaces such as citystreets, roofs, suburban lawns and agricultural land.

Sediment – deposits of soil or organic matter that were suspended in water and then settledto the bottom. It is often deposited in the water by runoff.

Sedimentation – the deposition or accumulation of soil particles in water.

Sewage – liquid and solid waste mixed with water.

Soil – a collection of organic and inorganic particles, mainly composed of clay, silt, sand, andgravel.

clay - less than 1/256 of a millimeter (mm) in diametersilt - between 1/256 and 1/16 of a mm in diametersand - between 1/16 and 2 mm in diametergravel - over 2 mm in diameter

Species – a biological classification of organisms. All organisms of a single distinct kind thathave a high degree of similarity, and can mate and produce fertile offspring.

Stewardship – the act of people taking responsibility to maintain and protect a clean andhealthy environment.


Stream Index Value – the relative health of a water body. It is based on the tolerance orsensitivity of a macroinvertebrate to changes in water quality and calculated using a simpleformula.

Taxonomy – a system of arranging animals and plants into natural, related groups based onsome factor common to each, such as structure, embryology, biochemistry, etc.

Threatened Species – a species that could become endangered in the future if it is not givensome kind of protection.

Topographic – an accurate and detailed drawing of surface features of a particular region.These surface features include mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, highways, bridges, etc.

Tributary – a stream or river flowing into a larger stream or river. The Eno River is a tribu-tary of the Neuse River.

Turbidity – cloudiness caused by particles suspended in water.

Volume – a quantity, bulk, mass, or amount. The amount of space occupied in three dimen-sions.

Wastewater Treatment Plant – a facility where household, business and industrial sewageare treated to remove harmful bacteria and chemicals.

Water – a colorless, transparent liquid occurring on the earth’s surface as rivers, lakes,oceans, etc. A chemical compound of hydrogen and oxygen, H

2O.

Water Treatment Plant – a facility where water is treated with chemicals, processed anddistributed to homes, businesses and industries for drinking and other clean water uses.

Watershed – the total land area that drains directly or indirectly into a particular stream, riveror lake.

Wetland – an area flooded by water frequently enough to support plants adapted to living inregularly or seasonally wet soil. Examples of wetlands are swamp forests, marshes, bogs,pocosins, beaver ponds and Carolina bays.

7.1 May 2000Eno River State Park, NC

Borror, J. Donald and E. Richard White.1990. A Field Guide to Insects of AmericaNorth of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Co.,Boston, MA.

Coker, Robert E. 1954. Streams, Lakes,Ponds. University of North Carolina Press,Chapel Hill, NC.

Council for Environmental Education.1987, 1992. Project WILD Aquatic Educa-tion Guide. For information contact: Wild-life Resources Commission, ConservationEducation Division, 1712 Mail ServiceCenter, Raleigh, NC, 27699-1712. Phone:(919) 733-7123 Web: http://www.ncwildlife.org

Division of Water Quality. A variety ofmaps, river basin management plans, andother printed materials are available ontheir website: http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/wqs/ Phone: (919) 733-5083

Division of Water Resources. StreamWatch News, “pH What Does it Mean.”Feb. 1991. Division of Water Resources,1611 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC,27699-1611. Phone: (919) 733-4064StreamWatch website:http:/www.dwr.ehnr.state.nc.us/wrps/swhome.htm

Hall, Stephen and Dawson Sather. 1988.Inventory of the Natural Areas andWildlife Habitats of Orange County, NorthCarolina. Sponsored by the Triangle LandConservancy in coordination with theNorth Carolina Natural Heritage Program.For information, contact: Natural HeritageProgram, Division of Parks & Recreation,1615 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC,27699-1615. Phone: (919) 715-8697

North Carolina Department of Transporta-tion. 2000. “North Carolina TransportationMap.” Maps can be obtained by calling:1-877-DOT-4YOU or 1-800-VISITNC.

Kejellstrom, Bjorn. 1975. Be Expertwith Map & Compass, The “Orienteering”Handbook/New Revised Edition. CharlesScribner’s Sons, New York, NY.

LeGrand, Harry E. and Stephen P. Hall.1993. Natural Heritage Program List of theRare Animal Species of North Carolina.North Carolina Natural Heritage Program,Division of Parks and Recreation, 1615Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1615. Phone: (919) 733-4181

Linnsennanier, Walter. 1972. Insects of theWorld. McGraw Hill Co., New York, NY.

McCafferty, Patrick W. and Arwin W.Provonsha, illustrator. 1983. AquaticEntomology, The Fisherman’s andEcologist’s Illustrated Guide to Insects andTheir Relatives. Jones and Bartlett Pub-lishers, Sudbury, MA. WWW.jbpub.comIlustrations reprinted with permission.

Mitchell, Mark and William Stapp. 1990.Field Manual for Water Quality Monitor-ing. An Environmental Education Programfor Schools. Thomson-Shore Printers,Dexter, MI.

Nebel, Bernard and Edward Komondy.1981. Environmental Science, The Way theWorld Works. Prentice-Hall Inc.,Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Needham, James and Paul Needham.1962. A Guide to the Study of FreshwaterBiology. Holden-Day Inc., Oakland, CA.

References


O’Toole, Christopher, ed. 1986. The Ency-clopedia of Insects. Facts on File Inc.,New York, NY.

Penak, W. Robert. 1989. Freshwater Inver-tebrates of the U.S. The Ronald Press Co.,New York, NY.

Pfeiffer, C. Boyd and Mark Sosin. 1987.Aquatic Resources Education Curriculum.Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.,Dubuque, IA.

Quammen, David. 1985. Natural Acts,A Sidelong View of Science and Nature.Nick Lyons Books, New York, NY.

Reid, K. George and Herbert Zim. 1967.Golden Guide, Pond Life. Golden PressInc., New York, NY.

Taylor, Mark. 1989. Streamwatchingwith Kids, An Outing Leader’s Guide.Reprinted by North Carolina WildlifeResources Commission, ConservationEducation Division, 1712 Mail ServiceCenter, Raleigh, NC, 27699-1712. Phone:(919) 733-7123

Tennessee Valley Authority. 1993.Environmental Resource Guide–– NonpointSource Pollution Prevention. For moreinformation contact: TVA, Office ofNatural Resources and EconomicDevelopment, Environmental/EnergyEducation Program, Knoxville, TN 37902.

United States Department of Agriculture.July 1986. Teaching Soil and Water Con-servation, A Classroom and Field Guide.Soil Conservation Service, USDA, 4405Bland Road, Raleigh, NC, 27609. Phone:(919) 790-2887

United States Department of Agriculture.1989. Key to the Major Invertebrate Spe-cies of Stream Zones. Soil ConservationService Publication SCS-TP-161, WaterQuality Indicators Guide, United StatesDepartment of Agriculture, 4405 BlandRoad, Raleigh, NC, 27609. Phone: (919)790-2887

Wiessinger, John. 1990. Right Before YourEyes, "All Eyes," #9009, and "FlyingDragons," #9020. Box 453, Ethna, NY,13602.

Wildlife Resources Commission. March1991. Wildlife in North Carolina. “SpecialIssue, Endangered Species." Also, No-vember 1999. Wildlife in North Carolina."Special Issue, Rivers of North Carolina."Contact:Wildlife Resources Commission,Conservation Education Division, 1712Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC. 27699-1712. Phone: (919) 733-7123Website: http://www.ncwildlife.org

Winborne, Ferne B. 1989. A Guide toStreamwalking. Division of WaterResources, Department of Environmentand Natural Resources, 1611 Mail ServiceCenter, Raleigh, NC, 27699-1611. Phone:(919) 733-4064



8.1

SCHEDULING WORKSHEET

Date request received_______________ Request received by______________________________

l) Name of group (school) _________________________________________________________

2)Contact person __________________________ ____________________________________name phone (work) (home)

_______________________________________________________________________________address

3)Day/date/time of requested program _______________________________________________

4)Program desired and program length _______________________________________________

5)Meeting place _________________________________________________________________

6)Time of arrival at park _______________ Time of departure from park ______________

7)Number of students _________________ Age range (grade) _______________________

8)Number of chaperones _______________

9)Areas of special emphasis _______________________________________________________

10) Special considerations of group (e.g. allergies, health concerns, physical limitations)_________

_______________________________________________________________________________

11) Have you or your group participated in park programs before? If yes, please indicate previous

programs attended: ____________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

If no, mail the contact person an Educator's Guide.

12) Are parental permission forms required? _________ If yes do they have these forms? _______

If they do not, mail contact person a Parental Permission form.

I, ________________________________, have read the entire Educator's Guide andunderstand and agree to all the conditions within it.

Return to: Eno River State Park6101 Cole Mill RoadDurham, North Carolina 27705

8.2

PARENTAL PERMISSION FORM

Dear Parent:

Your child will soon be involved in an exciting learning adventure - an environmental educationexperience at Eno River State Park. Studies have shown that such “hands-on” learning programsimprove children's attitudes and performance in a broad range of school subjects.

In order to make your child’s visit to “nature’s classroom” as safe as possible, we ask that youprovide the following information and sign at the bottom. Please note that insects, poison ivy andother potential risks are a natural part of any outdoor setting. We advise that children bringappropriate clothing (long pants, rain gear, sturdy shoes) for their planned activities.

Child’s name ___________________________________________

Does your child:

• Have an allergy to bee stings or insect bites?_____________________________________

If so, please have them bring their medication and stress that they, or the group leader, be

able to administer it.

• Have other allergies? ________________________________________________________

• Have any other health problems we should be aware of?____________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

• In case of an emergency, I give permission for my child to be treated by the attending

physician. I understand that I would be notified as soon as possible.___________________________________________________ __________________

Parent’s signature date

Parent’s name _________________________________________ Home phone ______________ (please print) Work phone _______________

Family Physician’s name ________________________________ phone ___________________

Alternate Emergency Contact

Name________________________________________________ phone ___________________

May 2000Eno River State Park, NC

8.3

NORTH CAROLINA PARKS & RECREATIONPROGRAM EVALUATION

Please take a few moments to evaluate the program(s) you received. This will help us improve

our service to you in the future.

1. Program title(s) _______________________________________________ Date ____________

Program leader(s) _______________________________________________________________

2. What part of the program(s) did you find the most interesting and useful? ___________________

________________________________________________________________________________

3. What part(s) did you find the least interesting and useful?________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

4. What can we do to improve the program(s)?__________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

5. General comments ______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

LEADERS OF SCHOOL GROUPS AND OTHER ORGANIZED YOUTH GROUPS

PLEASE ANSWER THESE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS:

6. Group (school) name _________________________________________________________

7. Did the program(s) meet the stated objectives or curriculum needs? ____________________

If not, why? ________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Please return the completed form to park staff. Thank you.

May 2000Eno River State Park, NC


Notes


Notes




Notes

McCafferty: Aquatic Entomology.© 1983:Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA.



Notes

The Freshwater Fishes of North Carolina.© 1991 Edward F. Menhinick.

Reprinted by permission.

Eno River State Park EELE

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