Welcome to Wednesday!
Submitted by Mary Lugg on Wed, 2017-07-12 00:00
Good morning digital-learners,
Today's theme is Ecosystem Services of Biodiversity. We are starting the morning by banding birds and learning about population monitoring with the Idaho Bird Observatory. We will then take a tour of the Suez drinking water treatment plant.Holly Hovis, from the Bureau of Land Management will then take us on a tour of the gardens at Roosevelt Elementary. We will discuss the benefits of school gardens such as providing hands-on learning in a sensory rich environment, introducing Idaho's biodiversity to students, and how to connect gardens with lesson plans. Next, we will meet Peter Anderson and Sabrina Beus from Trout Unlimited to discuss their restoration project on Cottonwood Creek. They will focus on appreciating and restoring our local riverine ecosystem, teaching students to appreciate streams and fish, and using science and partnership to plan for restoring the Boise River.
Stay tuned for more information about today's Adventure!
Comments
Knowledge is power
What a jam packed day! But here is the great part of that, you get to learn about so many different resources that could be used to help students learn more about our watershed. How it affects birds and school gardens and trout! When I first took this class I didn't realize how specific the water has to be for trout to breed and how human interaction can harm that!
How a river gets its curves
There is a wonderful video "How a River Gets its Curves" that discusses the eco system at work. Beavers built dams, it erodes the sides of the river so it changes the flow. Nature!
Boise River
When I visited the waster treatment facility a few years ago they told us at one time sewage went right down the river. Even up until the 1980's.
Jealous!
Sound like a lot of interesting activities planned for the day, I imagine it was a bit overwhelming (in a good way) with lots of food for thought on what to take back to your classrooms. A lot of the day's activities listed we didn't experience in last year's workshop, and I'm glad for the diversity, yet jealous while I digitally participate!
Question, is biodiversity considered an ecosystem service, or a feature of an ecosystem that can provide more numerous and higher quality services? Either way, maintaining and growing biodiversity is important, especially as so much we do as humans reduces biodiversity at a frightening rate.