{"id":1017,"date":"2021-01-13T12:54:51","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T17:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.seagrant.w3.uvm.edu\/2021\/01\/13\/watershed-alliance-k-12-program-expands-to-new-york\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T17:49:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T21:49:18","slug":"watershed-alliance-k-12-program-expands-to-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/seagrant\/2021\/01\/13\/watershed-alliance-k-12-program-expands-to-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"Watershed Alliance K-12 Program Expands to New York"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tSince 2002, Lake Champlain Sea Grant has partnered with University of Vermont (UVM)\u00a0Extension to bring\u00a0the Watershed Alliance<\/a> education program to elementary, middle, and high school students in the Lake Champlain basin. Students receive\u00a0hands-on watershed education in the classroom, at UVM’s\u00a0Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, on Lake Champlain aboard the UVM\u00a0research vessel Melosira<\/em>, and in basin tributaries.<\/p>\n

\n\tMore than\u00a015,000\u00a0students,\u00a0teachers,\u00a0and family members have participated\u00a0in this free and low cost programming since its inception. Due to the program’s location at UVM\u00a0and staff limits, the majority of participants served have been Vermonters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tA long-term goal of Watershed Alliance is to reach K-12 students across the entire Lake Champlain watershed in both Vermont and New York, using the established Vermont-based program as a model for other universities. The establishment of a New York Watershed Alliance program at the State University of New York (SUNY)\u00a0Plattsburgh required additional funding and staff.\u00a0After achieving institute status in 2018, Lake Champlain Sea Grant received a significant base funding increase from the National Sea Grant Office, and we were poised to reach more students from previously underserved regions.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis increase in funding paired with support from the Lake Champlain Basin Program<\/a> allowed us to establish a new branch of Watershed Alliance based out of the Lake Champlain Research Institute at SUNY Plattsburgh. We were able to reach more than 450 students from New York during the inaugural expansion year in 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring our first winter, we co-hosted a watershed science fair with CFES Brilliant Pathways<\/a> of Essex, New York. Sixty-five students from Keeseville Elementary, Boquet Valley Middle School, Crown Point Middle School, Beekmantown Middle School, and Willsboro Middle School attended\u00a0with their teachers. Students participated at interactive stations where they engaged in\u00a0topics such as: benthic macroinvertebrate identification, cultural and natural history of the basin, water quality, and best management practices.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the fair, the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) station was a participant favorite. Students learned\u00a0about the capabilities of ROVs\u00a0and had the opportunity to drive\u00a0\u201cGary\u00a0the ROV”\u00a0around in a small tank to discover model fish at various depths. This event garnered attention from local media<\/a>, further amplifying our central purpose\u00a0to increase awareness and knowledge of watershed issues in the Lake Champlain basin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMore telling than numbers of participants is the impact of the program on students and teachers.<\/p>\n

\n\t“We need to protect the future,” noted sixth-grader Celton\u00a0after\u00a0attending the watershed science fair. “If we don’t really start learning more about our environment and how to help it, it might just start to fall apart.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWatershed Alliance is most well known for its\u00a0Stream Monitoring and Stewardship program in which participants\u00a0get to put on waders and explore a stream near their school while assessing its physical, chemical, and biological health.<\/p>\n

\n\t“This program is important in enhancing science education while fostering a connection to the natural world,” remarked Erica Loher, a Boquet Valley Middle School teacher\u00a0who would not otherwise have the resources to provide her students with these valuable experiences.\u00a0“Watershed Alliance does an amazing job of covering New York State standards while making real world connections to the natural environment and inspiring students to see how they can make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt is likely no surprise that some of our favorite moments so far in the journey to establish the Watershed Alliance in New York have taken place on Lake Champlain! For three days in the fall of 2019 the City of Plattsburgh Marina hosted the Melosira<\/em> for a run of programming. Students and teachers joined our crew out on the water to practice the limnology techniques that\u00a0scientists use to study lakes and gain an understanding of how our community action can influence lake health.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt seems students and teachers feel the same affinity for learning experiences on the lake as we do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDespite living so close to the lake, many of my students have never been on the lake,” wrote\u00a0Sonal Patel-Dame a teacher at Plattsburgh High School who offered her\u00a0perspective on the Lake Champlain Live program. “Nate and the Melosira<\/em> crew took my students on an amazing journey, using sophisticated sampling equipment. This was an incredible way to start off the school year, and I am able to reference that experience when talking about various topics throughout the year. Students now take ownership of their learning and realize that there is so much they can do to save the world, and it all starts in their backyard.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tRecently, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have not been able to host our customary, intimate, in-person learning experiences. In spite of this, our newly established presence in New York allowed Watershed Alliance to adapt quickly to the new education landscape altered by COVID-19\u00a0and continue to serve students and teachers. We designed Watershed Explorer Challenge<\/em><\/a> booklets to engage students in a self-paced exploration of the Lake Champlain basin and distributed more than 450 in New York.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Watershed Explorer Challenge <\/em>has been a great adaptation in the face of adversity and adds another layer to Lake Champlain Sea Grant’s efforts to further our offering of Watershed Alliance programs to every student living in Lake Champlain basin. We are committed to growing the program and serving our community as best we can no matter the challenges our region faces moving forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNate Trachte,\u00a0the education specialist for Lake Champlain Sea Grant at SUNY Plattsburgh,\u00a0runs Watershed Alliance programming on the New York side of the lake. The Lake Champlain Sea Grant education team includes Ashley Eaton, the watershed and lake education coordinator,\u00a0and Caroline Blake, the watershed and lake education program assistant.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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