Watershed Festival

The James River Basin Partnership with partners MU Extension and City of Branson hosted the Christian and Taney County Watershed Festival in February and March of 2006. 1,211 Students attended the festivals and learned through hands-on activities about water quality issues in the Ozarks.

Building Your Watershed - Grades 4-6

This activity will teach students what a watershed is in a hands-on activity. Students will then have a chance to build their own watershed and see the effects of land use on water quality.

Water Quality Bag

These bags filled with wonderful educational information and resources regarding water quality can be checked out at your local Springfield Libraries. Please contact the library to check availability

Water Quality Kiosk

Visit this traveling water drop and have fun exploring caves, learning about watershed and water quality using a hands-on approach. Please contact the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks 417-886-1127 to find out where the kiosk is currently located.

An inquiry-based approach to watershed education. Students ask questions, learn to design and implement a river study from acquiring and reading watershed maps to determining/scheduling study sites and water quality testing. They will then compile and analyze results, share the results with their community, and learn to take action through a variety of productive avenues and disciplines. A great tool for beginning a school-based, community involved water monitoring program.

• Great for student research, Science Fair projects, and Science Olympiad training
• Kit can be checked also be checked out
   

Tapwater Tour - Grades 4-8

The Tapwater Tour is an exciting investigation of water quality examining the chemical properties of water directly from the tap. Students learn the relationships between good and poor water quality while examining the pH, chlorine, hardness, copper, and iron of water from the tap.

Watershed Tour - Grades 4-8

Introduce students to stream and river ecosystems through a classroom-based tour of a virtual watershed. Geared toward students in grades 4-8 and designed for teachers who are unable visit a stream with their students. Students will learn about stream ecology, water quality issues, and their own connection to a watershed.

Topsoil Tour - Grades 4-8

The Topsoil Tour is an investigation into the physical and chemical properties of soil. Each student on the Topsoil Tour completes seven units while conducting his/her own soil tests for soil texture, pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Science Olympiad - Middle School Event

Training packets are available for teachers and students to help prepare for the Water Quality Event in this science competition.

Students will learn through presentation style lecture about land use changes in the James River Watershed and their effects on water quality. Visulaizations will be shown to demonstrate urban change, forest change, and topography of the James River Watershed.