School and Group Programs
Watershed Science: Discussion Questions
Streams
- Why are streams important to an ecosystem?
- What does a stream needs in order to be healthy?
- What other parts of the ecosystem depend on streams being healthy?
- How can you test a stream's health?
- Why are surrounding trees and plants important to a stream?
Have students pick one thing that lives in or around a stream and become an expert on it. Here are some ideas:
- Specific macro-invertebrates (caddisfly larvae, mayfly larvae, stonefly larvae)
- Fish
- River otters
- Water Ouzel (American Dipper)
Watersheds
- What is a watershed?
- What organisms live within each part of a watershed?
Soil
- How is soil made?
- What conditions contribute to the process?
- Which organisms contribute to the process?
- Why is soil a valuable resource?
- What are the layers of soil?
- What does each layer contain?
