💧🌿 Cane Creek Middle School’s annual Creek Week is always a hit with students, but this year they have a deeper understanding of why stream health is so important.
Classes rotated through three stations where they tested the water with digital probes, found and identified macroinvertebrates, and took physical creek measurements. They learned how pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, phosphates, temperature, and electrical conductivity can tell scientists a lot about water quality. And, of course, they got to splash around and enjoy their beautiful campus.
“We learned how clean Cane Creek is even after the hurricane,” said eighth grader Shane. “We took a bunch of measurements, and it makes me happy to know that it’s doing alright.”
“It was really cool to see all the creatures that live in the creek,” added Saylor, another eighth grader. “It was kind of shocking that there’s something alive under every rock. I want to do this again.”
Eighth grade science teacher John Bell joined media coordinator Wayne Stone and NC Wildlife Resources Commission Mountain Region Fisheries supervisor Doug Besler to operate the three science stations on the creek and teach students about different aspects of stream health.
“It takes the science learned in the classroom and applies it to real life,” Bell said. “These students get to do real science and analyze a creek in their community to determine if the water is healthy. It makes the experience tangible and helps students think like scientists.”