LFSC 591 Rivers and Tributaries: Studies in sustainable waters

Summer 2010 dates TBA
3 graduate credits

How do our activities impact the waters we depend on? Learn by doing as you spend the week investigating some of Virginia’s most interesting rivers and tributaries. This week of outdoor, hands-on learning will provide you with engaging activities for your students, a new GPS unit and a multitude of resources to enhance your SOL’s.
The water quality and ecology of our surface waters are shaped by geology, hydrology, and human activity, past and present. We will investigate the impact of human manipulation of the landscape on the health of streams in and around the Richmond area, always relating our results to stewardship and sustainability practices. Our sites will include streams affected by acid mine drainage, logging, agriculture and urban development. We will sample relatively unimpacted systems for comparison. Our goal is to enhance your science curriculum by giving you the tools to give your students hands-on field and lab-based exercises that relate to their local waters.

What You Will Do

During this week, you will learn to evaluate water quality and stream health in several ways. In the field, you will collect data on insect and fish communities and learn about the effects of introduced species on our native stream communities. You will use a variety of kits and probe-ware to test chemical parameters that are indicative of healthy waters and you’ll look at the degradation and restoration of aquatic habitats. You will practice geocaching in an urban natural park to refine your GPS (global positioning systems) skills. In the lab, you will run experiments on plankton/nutrient dynamics, E. coli contamination and water quality parameters.
Your work will provide you with a background and training in:
• Stream and river ecology.
• Biological and chemical assessments of stream health.
• Native and introduced species in aquatic systems.
• Aquatic insect and fish identification.
• GPS technology and use.
• Laboratory exercises and techniques that will supplement chemistry, earth science and biology curricula.
• You’ll also earn three graduate credits.

What You Will Take With You

By the end of the week, you will have a wealth of resources and knowledge to take home with you. Through grant funding, this workshop will provide you with:
• A new Garmin GPS unit.
• Water quality testing kits.
• A field guide to aquatic insects.
• Your own reference collection of aquatic insects.
• A host of resource materials that will enable you to provide your students with engaging field and lab experiences that increase their awareness and stewardship of their local water resources.
• Free parking.
• Daily lunches, snacks and one dinner.
Campus housing and tuition assistance may also be available.

Facts and figures

Tuition for each workshop is $550 for three graduate credits. All other RiversandTributaries fees are paid for by the grant. If your school system does notprovide tuition assistance, tuition assistance may be available. A deposit of $50 is necessary to hold your seat. This deposit is fully refundable until two weeks before the start of classes; thereafter, there is a $50 charge for cancellation. Your $50 deposit will be applied to your program fee.  Tuition will be billed directly by the university in August.
If you are from out of town, or if you live in town and just want to feel like a college student again, plan an inexpensive stay in one of our dorms in a singleroom with private bath.  Please see the accommodations page for on-campus dorm pricing details.  Campus housing assistance may be available. Commuter parking is available and will be paid for by the grant. You will have the opportunity to enjoy meals and socialize with other participants on campus or at some of Richmond’s unique areas like the Fan, Shockoe Slip and Carytown – home to a variety of small shops and eateries as well as the historic Byrd Theatre, which still screens movies at nostalgic discount prices.

Lead Instructor

Anne Wright
E-mail: abwright@vcu.edu

Contact us

For more information about this workshop contact Anna Jones at (804) 828-8831 or Jackie McDonnough at (804) 828-1305.