EDUCATION PROGRAM

OUR VISION: in thirty years, a stream without a buffer will look as out of place as a smoker in a conference room does today.

To foster that vision, our environmental education programs focus on students first and, through them, the larger community. We are:

	Continuing to Develop our Potomac Highlands Watershed School to build a community of learners and problem solvers among students, teachers, volunteers, and experts throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed that is *open to anyone, anywhere, free of charge, year-round*;
	Involving students in living laboratory programs using the power of the web to communicate, collaborate on monitoring techniques and field experiences, and share data to build a regional discussion on environmental issues;
	Using the Potomac Highlands Watershed School, PHLOW, Stream Scholars Summer Camp, and other CI programs to make critical thinking about environmental problem solving systemic and relevant both in schools and children's lives;
	Working to support the NOAA B-WET goal of encouraging "the development of partnerships among environmental education programs throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed”;
	Encouraging community-based conservation organizations to use the PHWS eForums, other PHWS activities, and other CI Programs (such as PHLOW) as tools to engage their local schools in substantive curriculum based programs to help strengthen their organizations, become better educated themselves, recruiting a new generation of members, and increasing their visibility and effectiveness.

Our education programs are helping to foster a generation of youth connected with their communities and prepared to be informed, active citizens and leaders for improved water quality, sustainable habitats and living resources, and improved local watersheds.

Below is an overview of our Education and Community Outreach activities.

Education

New - Potomac Headwaters Leaders of Watersheds (PHLOW)

From the Potomac Headwaters to the Chesapeake Bay, Stream Scholars Summer Camp 2008 was a success. Take a look here!

Environmental Forums

The current eForum is Oh Deer! 2008, which will run from October 20 to November 26, 2008, and is accessible by clicking on the phone in the High School. To help students visualize the problems caused by too many deer, we created a short Flash slide show about deer impacts on our forested lands. Take a look.

Click here to learn more about eForums or sign up to participate.

Students from 10 schools in 3 states participated in the Spring 2008 SCE Forum, and did a tremendous amount of thoughtful work seeking solutions to the Bay watershed's problems. Their final consensus papers are now posted. You can see the whole thing in the Environmental Forum Archives. SCE Forum students from Buffalo Gap High School (Staunton, VA) did an erosion control project at a nearby elementary school. Students from Jefferson High School did a tree planting project around a constructed wetland. Other students competed in a bumper sticker contest, which was won by China Jones at Rappahannock High School.

Jeffrey Lape, Director of the Chesapeake Bay Program, welcomed participants: "Thank you for your participation. We cannot wait to see the solutions you discover."

The Institute has long had a presence in the schools in the watersheds where we work. We have staff whose primary job is to establish and maintain classroom and hands on programs to engage the interest and continuing participation of substantial numbers of students. We believe that, in the very long run, helping today's children to become stakeholders in the river and the watershed may be the most important thing we can do.

Program activities range from half-day events for an entire grade-level, to 45-minute interactive discussions for a single class. They are tailored to suit the needs of students. We schedule activities on a first-come-first served basis subject to the availability of funds, but usually there is no cost to the schools or students - thanks to grants from The MARPAT Foundation, the Spring Creek Foundation, the USEPA Environmental Education Grants program, and donations from the membership of Cacapon Institute. A partial list of activities available includes:

	The Potomac Highlands Watershed School was created to increase understanding of important water quality and watershed issues in West Virginia's Potomac Highlands - and, by extension, much of Appalachia. The watershed school has lessons about watersheds, water pollution, and land-use planning. Regional issues underlie each lesson, and many are as relevant for adults as school children. For example, the pollution curriculum is based on West Virginia's efforts to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay. To learn more about the school, click here. Go to the school here. Hint: a fast connection helps. Another hint: click on objects and words to get "behind" the picture.
	CI's Stream Scholars Summer Camp 2008. In its sixth year, Cacapon Institute’s Stream Scholars Summer Camp had a great group of returning and new campers. As last year, the camp was held at Waites Run in Wardensville. For the fourth year, students had the opportunity to see the other end of the watershed with a trip down to the Chesapeake Bay on the last two days. They also met Senator Rockefeller and Congresswoman Capito in Washington DC, and planted a tree at Tyler Elementary School in downtown DC The trip was highlighted by a cruise on the 65 foot long R/V Aquarius (one of the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory's research vessels).
	CI's Stream Scholars Summer Camp 2007. In its fifth year, Cacapon Institute’s Stream Scholars Summer Camp had a great group of returning and new campers, and a move to Waites Run in Wardensville as our usual stream was too low to use. For the third year, students had the opportunity to see the other end of the watershed with a trip down to the Chesapeake Bay on the last two days. The trip was highlighted by a cruise on the 65 foot long R/V Aquarius (one of the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory's research vessels).
	CI's Stream Scholars Summer Camp 2006. In its fourth year, Cacapon Institute’s Stream Scholars Summer Camp was a mixture of exciting new experiences, a great group of returning and new campers, and a hopeful look at the future of our streams. For the second year in a row, students had the opportunity to see the other end of the watershed with a trip down to the Chesapeake Bay on the last two days. The trip was highlighted by a cruise on the 65 foot long R/V Aquarius (one of the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory's research vessels).
	CI's Stream Scholars Summer Camp 2005. In its third year, Cacapon Institute’s Stream Scholars Summer Camp was a mixture of exciting new experiences, new partnerships that expanded the scope of the camp, and a sobering look at the future of our streams if we fail to protect them. Due to popular demand, the third year expanded to five days.
	CI's Stream Scholars Summer Camp 2004. Stream Scholars is an exciting hands-on exploration of stream ecology and conservation with professional scientists. Due to popular demand, the second year was expanded from three to four days.
	CI's Stream Scholars Summer Camp 2003. Stream Scholars is an exciting hands-on exploration of stream ecology and conservation with professional scientists.
	Watershed Stewardship Fairs. During this three-hour activity, students rotate between concurrent mini-demonstrations given by local natural resource professionals. Total group size can range from 30 to 100 students. After the demonstrations, students participate in a panel discussion with the presenters. Best at the middle school level.
	Keep Well Water Study. This two-session activity takes place over three days. The students learn how to test for bacteria in their drinking water, conduct the test, and then analyze and discuss the results. Best for high school students.
	Around the Bend Students analyze mock water quality samples to deduce the condition of a river, and the likely human activities occurring “around the bend. ” Best for 9^th through 12^th grade.
	How Watersheds Work Uses a question-driven approach, and simple drawings to illustrate how water flows through a watershed, and how what people do within a watershed can promote or harm watershed functioning. Can be tailored to suit almost any grade level.

	Stream in an Envelope Water Quality Exercise. Students identify and tally amazing stream "critters" and then calculate a stream score using a standardized protocol. This leads to a discussion of factors affecting stream quality, watershed services and conservation, and the shared nature of water resources. Great for middle school students.
	Drawing Scientific Conclusions. Students analyze and graph locally-generated quantitative data on drinking water quality. A good way to learn about using scientific data, and how water relates to human health. Best for high school students.
	Making Science Real Summer Camp 2004. Campers used an inquiry-driven approach to exploring and understanding elements of the natural landscape - with hands-on, project-based activities to make science understandable. This program was offered in cooperation with Hardy County Schools.
	Making Science Real Summer Camp 2003. Campers used an inquiry-driven approach to exploring and understanding elements of the natural landscape - with hands-on, project-based activities to make science understandable. This program was offered in cooperation with Hardy County Schools.

To learn more, read our CI Educational Enrichment Program Flyer (in PDF format).

Community outreach

In the watersheds in which we work, our staff makes frequent presentations to community organizations such as the Ruritan Clubs, the Friends of the Cacapon and other groups and events like Hampshire Heritage Days. We try to encourage agricultural conservation techniques which also are good farming practices. And the Cacapon Institute Newsletter goes to approximately 1,000 homes and offices two to four times a year.

Issues concerning our watershed:

Lost River causeway removed.

Beavers and Our Landscape.

Corridor H and the Cacapon River - pictures and erosion control issues.

Cacapon Institute recently initiated a series of papers with the goal of seeking a more definitive understanding of water quality issues in the Potomac watershed. Click here to learn more.

Scientific world at large

Our education effort has two focuses; within the watersheds in which we work and out to the wider scientific world. Our current director, Neil Gillies and our founder, George Constantz have made presentations to government agencies and at a number of scientific conferences. Similarly, our publications reach a broad range of people and organizations. We still receive requests for "Portrait of a River" and the monitoring data which has been amassed since its original publication.