GENERAL RESOURCES FOR WATER STUDIES

WHERE'S OUR WATERSHED, LAKE TEMPERATURE STRATIFICATION  and WATER CYCLING:

* A Stream Survey Manual Appendix D, contains a basic description of how to find your watershed. Entire Manual downloadable at  Stream Survey [Volume1]  Manual:  http://www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/docstream/team/stream_survey_manual/vol_1/index.htm 
A Citizen's Guide to Basic Watershed, Habitat, and Geomorphology Surveys in Stream & River Watersheds" (February 2009)

* How to identify and map your watershed boundaries (a practice .jpg topographic map for Long Pond). See  http://docs.unh.edu/nhtopos/nhtopos.htm to get a black and white topo map of your own watershed for boundary identification.

* Portland Water District Teacher's Page and Kids Page including "build a Water Cycle"

* Watershed in a box  http://www.pwd.org/education/kids/kids_watershed.php from Portland Water District Kid's page

The Incredible Journey:   http://www.montana.edu/wwwwet/journey.html A watershed and water cycle activity that really helps kids understand how water "works" its way from sky to ocean. A Project WET activity. Well worth taking the time!

* Why Lakes Stratify.   http://faculty.gvsu.edu/videticp/stratification.htm  A good description of how stratification works (animated) from Grand Valley State U, Michigan.

EXPLORING THE DIVERSITY OF BOTTOM CRAWLIES:

* Wonderful, Wacky Water Critters a .pdf guide to the kinds of bottom crawlies found in rivers and ponds. (university of Wisconsin Extension Service) http://learningstore.uwex.edu/Assets/pdfs/GWQ023.pdf 

The following good keys from the University of Wisconsin extension service are recommended for kids and adults.       

• Macroinvertebrate Life in the River: http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/pdf/level1/riverkey.pdf
• Key to Life in the Pond: http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/pdf/level1/pondkey.pdf

Other UWEX pages for kids: The new Environmental Ed. for Kids (EEK) resources for kids and teachers is worth exploration. Try the Aquatic Key Game.

* A Diversity index for Bottom Crawlies Using Hester-Dendy Samplers, shorter version (Earl Morse Author).

Longer version of diversity index info with worksheets for class use or workshops.

Project Wild is a widely used environmental education curriculum. Many of its lessons are include games with a point. For example, several activities are tag games. At camp, you can play the game for a while and then reflect on the play-by-play as it relates to ecological concepts. Of special interest is "Aquatic Times," where kids write a column for your lake's newsletter.  Check out the curriculum at http://www.projectwild.org/. You can probably find a copy at your local library (It's been around for a long time!!). See in particular Project Wild Aquatic:

http://www.projectwild.org/ProjectWILDK-12AquaticCurriculumandActivityGuide.htm

OTHER WATER MONITORING RESOURCES:

                    Volunteer Stream Monitoring: A Methods Manual. (EPA). very comprehensive, fairly technical. 
                                http://books.google.com/books?id=4qgVCi4tYikC&pg=PT109&dq=aquatic+invertebrates+of+New+England&lr=&as_brr=1&ei=10n_ScOpG4fCM63X4O8I#PPA1,M1

Lake Water Quality Indicators. Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program (VLMP). http://www.mainevolunteerlakemonitors.org/waterquality/indicators.php

2009 Maine Lakes Report (VLMP) (VLMP) http://www.mainevolunteerlakemonitors.org/publications/index.php#MaineLakesReport and other invasive aquatic plant information/

SOME MATERIALS YOU MAY WISH TO MAKE:

                    * Hester-Dendy Sampler. a non-intrusive way to sample for bottom fauna continuously.

                    * How to make a deep water sampler for temperature, chemicals, pH (etc.).
                    (revision needed Earl Morse Author)

                    * Free black and white (uncluttered) historic topo maps. University of New Hampshire Library collection.. 
                    http://docs.unh.edu/nhtopos/nhtopos.htm
                    Great for defining watersheds, field notes. Small areas can be blown up and saved as .jpg files for
                    viewing and printing. Our Long Pond (now McWain Pond) map came from here.

A FEW LAKE AND STREAM MONITORING ORGANIZATIONS, PUBLICATIONS, AND PROJECTS (MAINE):

                    Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program (VLMP) http://www.mainevolunteerlakemonitors.org/
                        An excellent organization for Lake Monitor training, information and other services. See their Maine Center for Aquatic
                        Invasive Plants information. Free training is available to anyone who would like to participate, including advanced
                        training for existing plant patrollers. For more information, e-mail Roberta Hill.

                    Lakes Environmental Association (LEA) http://www.mainelakes.org/ Very active milfoil and invasives control programs.
                        Very active in southern and southwestern Maine.  Natural history educational programs throughout the year.

                    Maine Congress of Lake Associations (MaineCOLA) http://www.mainecola.org/ Your Voice for Maine Lakes.
                        Comprehensive support resources for lake activists and lake associations.

                    Maine Project WET (Water Education for Teachers).  http://www.umaine.edu/projectwet/
                        Lots of resources for Youth Instructors.  Six hour Project WET workshop comes with a great 512 page activity guide for K-12

                    State of Maine teacher's resource page with links to activities and other sites and many excellent resources.

                    Maine Watershed Web (Geology Dept,Bowdoin College) http://learn.bowdoin.edu/apps/hydrology/watersheds/
                        a fairly new project from Bowdoin.

                    PEARL,  http://www.pearl.maine.edu/watersheds/watersheds.htm  An extensive data project from the University of Maine.
                        You really need to take the time to explore this rich resource.

                    Maine DEP Watershed Survey Manual (download) http://www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/docwatershed/materials/survey_manual.pdf
                    Emphasis placed on phosphorus loading.  Good resource for long-term investigations.

                     Maine Aquatic Diversity Report (2008)  http://www.maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mnap/aquatic/2008_aquatic_rep.pdf
                        "Life in Maine's Lakes and Rivers," an excellent overview of the importance of diversity in Maine lakes

                    A Buffer Restoration Handbook. http://www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/docwatershed/bufa.htm 
                        A Guide to Creating Vegetated Buffers for Lakefront Properties (1998)

World Water Monitoring Day is a way to get your lake monitoring activities shared with a wider network of people doing the same thing.  You can register online at http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org/index.html

An excellent, accessible book on macroinvertebrates is A Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America by J. Reese Voshell, Jr. For more information: http://www.mwpubco.com/titles/inverts.htm

Visit the State of Maine's Lakes Page for access to a wide range of the excellent resources available in Maine.

EPA "Environmental Kid's Club."  An excellent resource for kids and their teachers.  Covers a wide range of environmental concerns, not just water. Some excellent activities and resource books for kids.

KIDS (Kids Involved Doing Service-Learning) is a nonprofit organization that serves schools and community organizations in Maine and throughout New England. KIDS assists teachers, administrators and community partners as they work with K-12 students to identify, research and address real community challenges (an approach known as service-learning). Students are involved in powerful learning experiences, forge stronger ties to their communities, and gain the skills and confidence they need to become engaged citizens.

SERIOUS STEWARDSHIP PROJECTS FOR OLDER KIDS:

                    Mapping Lake bottom profile for older kids.(gps device needed)

                    Annual lake plant survey (invasive sleuthing)

                    Discovering your temperature stratification pattern over the summer.

                    Bottom crawlies diversity. Annual succession, feeder streams.

                    Lakeside buffer restoration planting with native species

                    A summer newsletter column for kids and by kids with kid involvement in monitoring, fun activities and events

STEWARDSHIP PROJECTS FOR YOUNGER KIDS:

                    Bottom crawlies diversity. Annual lake and stream succession.

                    Lakeside buffer restoration planting with native species

                    Kids teaching kids new environmental games during lake day, day camp or residential camp.

                    Storytelling, songwriting, and mythology tales specific to your lake.  Young writers and journaling, Stories By the Young (theater)

                     A summer newsletter column for kids and by kids with kid involvement in monitoring, fun activities and events.

* indicates materials used and/or distributed at the "Exploring Your Lake With Kids" workshop.

SILLY, BUT FUN, IDEAS FOR ADULTS:

                Got a pond full of Chinese Mystery Snails?   If you can't beat em....eat em!  Resources here