Jackson teachers start Stream Team to take education outside

Three teachers at Jackson Middle School are taking education outdoors with a new after-school activity.

The seventh-grade science teachers founded a stream team, which works in conjunction with the Missouri Department of Conservation. The group, made up mostly of seventh-graders, collects data at local streams for the department, said Jason Bruns, a seventh-grade science teacher at the middle school.

"It's problem solving more than anything," he said. "This is how science works. You have to collect the data to find trends."

The Jackson team is part of statewide network monitoring streams throughout Missouri. Since the department started the volunteer program in 1988, more than 3,000 stream teams have sprung up across the state. The project started with litter pickup, but in 1993 groups started monitoring water quality for the department.

Bruns said he and the other two teachers went through training with the department in St. Charles on how to identify invertebrates. They will complete more training this summer to learn how to monitor oxygen and nitrate levels, he said.

He said the team collected data twice in May with about 20 students each time. Starting next school year, Bruns said, the group will continue to work at three sites: the Whitewater River in Bollinger County and two areas along Whitewater Creek in Cape Girardeau County.

He said the activity draws students outdoors and away from video games.

"There's just so much technology, the kids don't go outside anymore," he said.

During data collection, students get into the water and kick up bugs from the bottom of the stream with their feet. After pulling them out with a net, they pick up the crawfish, worms and insects with tweezers and identify them.

"They couldn't believe all the things they picked up from the bottom," said Deborah Gregory, a seventh-grade science teacher. "It was sort of eye opening for them."

The group also measures water temperature, depth and flow, describes the surrounding landscape and picks up litter. The amount of animal diversity measures the level of pollution.

"If you can find good diversity, then you'll know how clean your water is," Bruns said. From what they saw, he said the area streams looked healthy.

Tim Kluesner, another seventh-grade science teacher, said he got the idea to start Jackson's program from his father, who has a team with the county juvenile justice division.

He said the project teaches students about volunteering time for the community. It also gave them a different perspective of the streams they use for vacations and float trips.

"They were very surprised by the amount of animals that were in the rocks," he said. "They didn't realize they were scooting along so many bugs."

abusch@semissourian.com

388-3627

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