Across the Watershed - Winter 2001

A 70-page "Teacher's Guide to the Great Swamp Watershed," complete with color photos, diagrams and maps, has been published by GSWA and is available to local teachers at no cost.

The guide, assembled by staffers Karen Parrish and Karen Patterson and intern Maureen Cremeans, is designed to help area teachers to introduce their students to the natural and cultural resources of Great Swamp and its watershed.

"We're hoping, with this guide, to instill in young people a sense of place and stewardship for their environment," according to Patterson. "Learning about these resources will help students better understand the role we all play in our watershed, develop respect for their local environment, and learn about actions they can take to protect it."

The guide offers a definition of a watershed; gives the location of the Great Swamp watershed; provides a brief natural and human history of the Great Swamp watershed; describes the threats to the watershed; lists activities that students can undertake to protect the watershed; and offers a compilation of additional teacher resources (field trips, web sites, workshops, etc.).

The informational material is accompanied by lists of suggested field trips and classroom activities.

Teachers interested in receiving a copy of the guide should call the Watershed Association at 973.966.1900.

Preparation of the guide was underwritten by the Schering-Plough and the Summit Area Public Foundations. Printing was supported by an anonymous donor.

In addition to the guide, GSWA offers several additional services to area teachers and students. These include Project WET (Watershed Education for Teachers) workshops two or three times each school year; classroom presentations featuring a three-dimensional working model of a watershed; and a small resource library of free materials on watersheds, wetlands, sources of pollution, etc.

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