Using this book 1 · Thinking like a watershed means realizing everything counts, that all parts of a watershed are connected. It means seeing linkages—understanding the science

Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Using this book • 1

Using this book“Life and water are inseparable . . .”

— David James Duncan

Oregonians from all walks of

life have focused their attention

on watersheds.

1

A note from the authorsWe thought we were on the cutting edge ofwatershed education when The Stream Scene:Watersheds, Wildlife and People began in 1985at Corvallis (Oregon) High School. But JohnPlayfair was far ahead of us, recognizing thebasic features of a watershed and their implica-tions in the early 1800s.

Human actions since Playfair’s time havehad huge impacts on this country’s watersheds.We have dammed our rivers, logged our forests,farmed the bottomlands, grazed the hillsides, anddeveloped nearly everything that’s left—mostwithout a clear understanding of the cumulativeeffects.

Today, Oregonians and others across thecountry are facing the problems created in ourwatersheds—problems with water supplies,

problems with water quality, and problems withfish.

The Oregon Plan for Salmon and Water-sheds, a grass-roots effort championed by Gover-nor John Kitzhaber, is a call to all Oregonians,whether they live in a city, a suburb, or on afarm, to join the effort to save our salmon andprotect our rivers. It represents commitments onbehalf of government, organizations, and privatecitizens from all areas of the state—citizens whofeel salmon, trout, rivers, streams, and water-sheds are worth saving. The Oregon Plan began

as a way to address declines in coastal salmon. Ithas now expanded into a comprehensive state-wide approach to watershed protection thatincludes improvements in water quality and fishpopulations and an expansion of public con-sciousness.

As a result, Oregonians from all walks of lifehave focused their attention on watersheds—andthe uplands, waterways, and fish in them. Resto-ration and recovery efforts are taking place innearly every major watershed. Everyone is “get-ting their feet wet”—government agencies,businesses, private landowners, educators,

“Every river appears to consist of a maintrunk, fed from a variety of branches, eachrunning in a valley proportional to its size,and all of them together forming a systemof valleys connecting with one another, andhaving such a nice adjustment of theirdescending slopes that none of them jointhe principal valley either on too high or toolow a level; a circumstance which would beinfinitely improbable if each of these val-leys were not the work of the stream whichflows in it.”

Playfair’s Law — John Playfair, 1802

2 • The Stream Scene: Watersheds, Wildlife and People Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

students, and individuals. Everyone wants tohelp, but few know where to begin.

One place to begin a good watershed educa-tion is The Stream Scene: Watersheds, Wildlifeand People. Stream Scene is a comprehensivelook at watersheds from the top down. It startswith the water cycle, which drives the wholewatershed system, and moves to uplands andriparian areas, hydrology, water quality, aquaticorganisms, and lots in between.

Bruce Babbitt, U.S. Secretary of the Interior,in his address to Trout Unlimited on the event oftheir 40th birthday, confirmed the need for learn-ing about watersheds:

To protect wild salmon and trout, we musttranscend traditional boundaries. After all, nostream—and no trout or salmon species—canbe healthy if the land around it is sick. Mov-ing water is a mirror of its surroundings. Tosave salmon and trout, we must heal the landitself. We must dream big dreams; we mustthink like a watershed.

Thinking like a watershed meansrealizing everything counts, that all parts of awatershed are connected. It means seeinglinkages—understanding the science ofstream health. . . .

Thinking like a watershed is aboutpossibilities, too—about imagining the futureby rediscovering the past. . . . Many say itcan’t be done. But I have a simple reply: It ishappening already.

And the reason it’s happening is becauselocal individuals, organizations, educators, stu-dents, and others care enough to find a way tomake a difference. Watershed education, whethercommunity-based or school-based, is successfulbecause each one of us has a deep-seated needfor a “sense of place.” A “sense of place” is anawareness of who we are. It is recognition of ourrole in a community, a role that may take theform of participation in a watershed council,watershed education, or watershed stewardshipas a caretaker of the land on a ranch or farm.

Put a local map in front of someone andwatch them point out where they live. That’s a

sense of place! Revisit your hometown and dropby your old school. That’s a sense of place!Relive special wading, angling, or rafting experi-ences and recapture the connection you felt withthose streams. That’s a sense of place! A sense ofplace is also taking responsibility for shaping thefuture of a community, making personal choicesto reduce our impacts on natural resources, andvolunteering time and more just because it makesa difference.

Now, in Oregon and across the country, asense of place is about watersheds. Watershedshave boundaries, but watershed education doesnot. Watershed education is for young and old,housewives and technical specialists, ranchersand developers. People, all kinds of people, arean integral part of watersheds. MichaelDombeck, chief of the U.S. Forest Service,described this human connection in a 1997speech:

Healthy watersheds retain historic flows andare resilient in the face of natural events suchas floods, fire, and drought and are morecapable of absorbing the effects of human-induced disturbances. They connect headwa-ters to downstream areas, wetlands andriparian areas to uplands, and subsurface tosurface flows.… We simply cannot meet theneeds of people if we do not first secure thehealth of our watersheds.

We hope Stream Scene is a meaningful guide asyou develop a “sense of place” and watershedresponsibility in your students, school, andcommunity.

Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Using this book • 3

Active LearningThe Stream Scene: Watersheds, Wildlife, andPeople is a curriculum guide to basic knowledgeabout watersheds. It encourages responsibility,action and community involvement.

Activities in Stream Scene are largely de-signed for middle and high school students, buteach activity suggests ways to adapt the conceptsfor younger students. Adult learners also benefitfrom the background material and activities inStream Scene.

Each chapter provides teachers with clear,up-to-date background information. Chaptercontent is suitable for student reading or it can beoutlined and used in a lecture or discussionformat. Some sections are more technical thanothers. Evaluate the reading level before assign-ing student reading.

Other chapter features include a vocabularylist of key words, activity extensions, a bibliogra-phy, and student activities to develop and expandthe concepts presented in the chapter.

Extensions, found at the end of each back-ground section, include activities from otherwater and watershed education curriculum,including Aquatic Project WILD, Project WET,Earth: The Water Planet, Groundwater: A VitalResource, The Comprehensive Water EducationBook, Watershed Uplands Scene, and others.Educators can strengthen a student’s watershededucation experience by incorporating ideas from

the extensions list. For copies of extension activ-ity curricula, refer to the starred items in Chapter14.4 of the resources section beginning on 519.You will also find sources of equipment, refer-ence books, posters, and more in this section.

Activities are presented in both “teacher” and“student” versions. Teacher versions includeobjectives, methods, suggestions for youngerstudents, materials lists, vocabulary, answerkeys, notes to the teacher, and scientific inquiryideas.

Ideally Stream Scene studies will lead to aseries of field investigations. Classroom activi-ties used without a field experience are generallyeffective, but to develop the connections hintedat by Babbitt, Dombeck, and others, studentsneed to become “part” of their watershed. Onlyby studying its history, its future, its problems, itssuccesses—totally immersing themselves in thereality of their watershed—can students developthe “sense of place” that translates into responsi-bility, action, and stewardship. Suggestions forfield investigations begin on page 439. Beginwith these procedures, but encourage students toask questions and develop further investigationsin their watershed. Brainstorm a list of individu-als who can provide professional and technicalresources. Invite them to visit your class or studysite to share their knowledge. Once students areproficient and accurate with stream samplingmethods, opportunities may exist to assist withlocal watershed monitoring efforts. Look into a

Calvin and Hobbes copyright 1995 Watterson. Reprinted with permission of Universal Press Syndicate. All rights reserved.

4 • The Stream Scene: Watersheds, Wildlife and People Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

partnership with your local watershed counciland encourage student participation in the water-shed council process. Students can become animportant part of what is happening in theirwatershed.

Assigned teams in a half-day field trip cancomplete all of the field investigations includedin this book. Hopefully, you and your studentsare not limited to a single half-day field exercise.The more numerous and more varied the activi-ties in the watershed system, the richer the expe-rience for the students. Find ways to help themget their hands dirty and their feet wet. It’s allpart of effective watershed education.

In most cases the standard English system ofmeasurement is used throughout Stream Scene.Refer to pages 511 for metric conversion tables.

Other helpful tools found in Stream Sceneare hints for “make and take” field equipment,information about Oregon’s Salmon-Trout En-hancement Program (STEP), field data collectionsheets, other curriculum resources, websites,watershed council contacts, a glossary, and more.

Because a number of Oregon’s fish speciesare classified as threatened species under theEndangered Species Act (ESA), certain condi-tions and guidelines apply to fish sampling orhabitat restoration work. When considering fishsampling or habitat restoration work as part ofyour watershed study, contact the nearest OregonDepartment of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) officeto discuss your ideas with a STEP biologist orlocal fish biologist. Refer to the map andaddresses in Chapter 11.

Backgroundinformation

Vocabulary list

Extensions:ways to furtherdevelop theconceptspresented inthe chapter

Bibliography

Activities with

• Academic content

area standards

• Objectives

• Methods

• Suggestions for

younger students

• Materials

• Vocabulary

• Notes to the

teacher

• Going further

(scientific inquiry

ideas)

Student activity pages

Teacher activity pages withanswer key

Meeting Oregon’s educationstandards

An important part of each Stream Sceneactivity is its correlation with Oregon’s academiccontent area standards. Stream Scene can helpyour students meet standards for English, sci-ence, social studies, math, and career relatedlearning. Refer to the correlations in Chapter 13beginning on page 483.

An important feature of each activity is the“Going Further” section. “Going Further” is a listof inquiry-based activities. Most of these sugges-tions will help students reach success in meetingscientific inquiry standards.

So, what’s next? Considerusing the self-directed learn-ing approach outlined inWatershed Uplands Scene:Catching The Rain. Fundedby the Governor’s Water-shed Enhancement Boardand created by KateFerschweiler, KermitHorn, and Al Hughes ofthe Environmental Edu-cation Association ofOregon, this programhelps high school stu-dents dig deeper into the study ofwatersheds. Students work as part of independentstudy teams to explore the interdependenciesamong weather and climate, soils, vegetation,and wildlife in a watershed. The next level ofstudy looks at human uses of a watershed—thesocial impacts and processes that affect land usessuch as urban, forestry, recreation, and agricul-ture. Finally, students tie all they have learnedtogether in a land-use decision-makinginvestigation. Using activitiesfrom the Watersheds UplandsScene is also a good way tohelp older students meetOregon’s education bench-marks. To get a copy of theWatershed Uplands Scene,consult the resources section onpage 530.

Suggestions for studentassessmentOne way students can monitor their progresstoward achievement of the statewide educationbenchmarks is to create and maintain a portfolioof their work. A portfolio is a collection of workitems most representative of a student’s skills

and accomplishments. It lets studentsand others track their progress, sharewhat they have learned with others,and offers a way for students to valuetheir own work.

Allow students to choose the itemsthat go into the portfolio. Encourageyour students to personalize their portfo-lio and update it regularly to representtheir best work. Provide models of goodportfolios and standards for their assess-ment.

Items in the portfolio might includejournal entries, field data reports, artwork,creative writing, graded activities, related

newspaper clippings or magazine articles, or anyother evidence of participation in watershededucation studies. Students should also includetheir own personal thoughts about the signifi-cance of any part of the portfolio or the commu-nity effects that may be realized as a result ofstudent involvement in watershed issues.

Journal entries, as partof a portfolio, help studentsevaluate the benefits theyhave gained from theirwatershed education experi-ences. Journal entries mightinclude:• descriptions of newknowledge and skills theyhave gained;

Susan Smith

For more information about ODFW”s Aquatic and Angler Education Program, contact the department at 503-947-6002, or write to ODFW Aquatic Education Program, 3406 Cherry Ave. NE, Salem, OR 97303-4924. Inquiries about the annual Creeks and Kids Educator Workshop should be directed to Lin Howell, Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, 503-681-6429.

Using this book • 5efildliW & hsiF fo tnemtrapeD nogerO

6 • The Stream Scene: Watersheds, Wildlife and People Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

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6/1/99 A Sense of Place

I learned how to define a watershed

today and what a "sense of place"

means to me. John and I first outlined

the boundaries of the Metolius River

watershed with one color. Then we

outlined the Lake Creek watershed,

the stream we are studying, in

another color. We also marked the

school's location on the map. It was

sometimes hard to tell where to

draw the lines, but using the maps

made it easy to see that a water-

shed reaches from "ridgetop to

ridgetop." I was surprised to learn

that one watershed fits into another.

The smaller watersheds are

called subbasins. Even though the

Metolius River flows into the

Deschutes River, it is still part of one

big giant watershed, the Columbia

River Basin. Mr. Wolf showed us

a map of the Columbia River water-

shed. It's huge! It stretches clear

into British Columbia and Alberta,

Canada, plus Idaho, Montana,

Wyoming, Nevada, Washington,

and Oregon. I guess I didn't realize

how connected it all is. No wonder

everyone is so worried about the

salmon!

Student Journal

• scenarios that assess their ability to clearlyexpress ideas, think critically, reviseprevious thoughts, and expand under-standing;

• activities or data reports that demonstratetheir ability to develop a problem-solvingprocess, analyze data, and draw conclu-sions;

• student explanations of how informationthey have learned is tied to other disci-plines (i.e., English, math, social studies,science, career-related learning); and

• their feelings about the unit of study, howit might affect their future involvement asan adult in a community, and a self-evalu-ation of their effort and progress.

Evaluate a student’s portfolio to the extent itdemonstrates:

• a variety of writing skills

• comprehension of watershed concepts

• a progression of skill development (ex-pressing ideas, critical thinking, revising

thoughts, problem-solving, data analysis,drawing conclusions) from the beginningto the end of the watershed unit

• an appreciation for watersheds

• student understanding of issues affectingtheir watershed

• a sense of responsibility toward naturalresources

• a self-evaluation of progress; and

• pride in one’s work.

Collaborate with teachers in other disciplinesto help students connect the study of watershedsacross the curricula. Assessments provided byteachers in other subject areas will reinforcethese connections for your students.

Portions of the “Suggestions for student assessment”section are adapted from the Rivers CurriculumProject, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville,Illinois.

Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Using this book • 7

Example journal entry ideas

Activity Name __________________________________________________

Describe what you did in this activity.

What did you expect to learn or discover during this activity? What new skills did you gain or improve?

What part of the activity was most important? Why?

What was the most enjoyable? What part was most useful?

What is the next logical question that could be answered by continuing this activity? What happenedduring the activity that caused you to ask this question?

Look at your question above. Design an investigation that would answer the question. Make sure theinvestigation is safe and can actually be accomplished.

Next, design a data or recording form to record the results of your investigation.

List the possible outcomes of your investigation. Answer your original questions for each of the out-comes.

How have your skills in other subject areas (English, math, social studies, etc.,) helped you with thisactivity?

How have you become more aware of watersheds during this activity? How has this affected your attitudeabout the environment in general and about watersheds specifically?

How would you rate your effort and personal progress in this activity? Explain.

8 • The Stream Scene: Watersheds, Wildlife and People Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

key input throughout develop-ment of the Watershed Educationproject:

A: Bill Alexander, BetsyAnderson, Bruce Anderson,John Anderson, Tori Ander-son, Steve Andrews, KathyAplin, Margaret Armstrong,B: Bill Bakke, HowardBarbour, Mary Barnhart,Hugh Barrett, Kim Bauer,Neil Bauer, Thomas Bedell,Jerry Belcher, John Benneth,Ken Bentz, Linda Bermbach,Rich Berry, Phill Bestor,Jerry Booth, Patty (Farthing)Bowers, Wayne Bowers,George Brown, StephenBrownfield, RobertBuchanan, John Buckhouse,Bob Buscher, Cheryl Butler,C: Larry Callister, SuzanneCampbell, Jane Capizzi,Ruth Carpenter, JeanneCarver, Dale Champion,Errol Claire, Mitch Coleman,Jo Cooper, Gail Cordell,David Cunningham, LloydCurtis-Cunningham, D: LoriDaniels, Susan Daugherty,Donna DeForest, SusanDerry, Rita Dick, E: SusannaEpler, F: Tony Faast, JamieFereday, Kathryn Ferge,Lynne Ferguson, Jim Fisher,Ruth Foster, Bob Fowler,Jerome Fulton, G: KateGillow-Wiles, RebeccaGoggans, Michael Goodrich,Fred Gonzales, PatrickGriffiths, DavidGrosJacques, StephanieGunckel, H: Mary Hanson,Linda Harrington, ElaineHarris, Leia Hart, BillHastie, Lydia Hayes, MarcHeld, Scott Heller, Bob

AcknowledgementsThe Oregon Department of Fishand Wildlife would like to thankthe many people who contributeddirectly and indirectly to thiswork, including co-writers andeditors Patty Bowers and DonWolf; layout and design editorAnne Merydith-Wolf; graphicartists Sharon Torvik and DaveCreekmore; contributorsRosanna Mattingly, formerdistrict fish biologist ErrolClaire, OSU aquatic entomolo-gist Judy Li, OSU stream ecolo-gist Stan Gregory, former STEPbiologists Dennis Wise andWayne Bowers, BLM riparianspecialist Wayne Elmore, formerU.S. Forest Service hydrologistBruce Anderson, Clearing editorLarry Beutler, Oregon Depart-ment of Education natural re-sources specialist Don Sligar,Monument High School StreamTeam leader Ron Gaither,Michael Goodrich of GeoquestPublications, Carolyn HensleyJohnson of Yamhill-CarltonHigh School, Patrick Griffiths ofPilot Butte Middle School, andcurrent and former ODFW repre-sentatives Nancy MacHugh,Tony Faast, Bill Hastie, ShannWeston, Steve Andrews, andRich Berry.

We would also like to thankthe Oregon (formerlyGovernor’s) Watershed Enhance-ment Board for their continuedsupport and funding to completeboth the original and currentStream Scene publications aswell as base funding for theannual Creeks and Kids work-shop program.

The following educationaland technical reviewers provided

Heinith, Carolyn Hensley-Johnson, David Hill, HowardHoffer, Karen Holland, JohnHouston, Lin Howell, AlHughes, Georgine Hultz,Kirk Hutchinson, I: GeorgeIce, J: David Johnson, LeslieJohnstone, K: Dale Kirk, JoeKoziol, L: Lori LaMarche,Andy Landforce, Jon Lea,Larry Lee, Judy Li, JackLowers, Dave Luman, M:Nancy MacHugh, BruceMacke, Donn Maier, NealMaine, Dierdre Malarkey,Grant Martinsen, RandiMaxfield, LaDona May, BobMetzger, Judy Miller, JeffMitchell, John Monfore,Richard Myers, N: BobNaidis, Dawn Kori Nearing,Jane Newton, Victor Noble,O: Jim O’Connell, TomOrtman, Cara Osmin, P:Stephen Pauls, Bill Peal,Linda Pelroy, Ralph Perkins,Bob Phillips, Traci Pinkal, R:Mary Rellergert, JanellRenoud, Mary Roberts,Ralph Rogers, Fay Rust, S:Glen Schmidt, MarylouSchnoes, Ed Schwartz, ClarkSeeley, Linda Segal, LindaSerbus, Don Sligar, TwylaSmith, Margaret Stabler,Steve Stanhope, MichaelStebbins, Carol Svoboda,Gail Sykes, T: Clair Thomas,Pat Thompson, Dan Tilson,Vivienne Torgeson, VanTribble, V: Xavier Valdes,W: Shann Weston, RobertWille, Steve Wille, LynnWilson-Dean, Ted Wise,Karen Withrow, Don Wolf,Fred Woods, Bill Wysham,and Y: Jon Yoder.