Pond Watch is an after school program in which Columbia Junior High students in partnership with the City of Fife, will learn about fresh water ecology while monitoring the Dacca Community Park pond's water quality and help maintain the health of the pond. Members will meet monthly to journal vegetation, wildlife, and monitor possible nonpoint pollution sources, as a way to promote and encourage the upkeep and care of a natural habitat. Students will also monitor water pH, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, fecal chlorophyll, turbidity, and water chemistry in order to learn what levels the pond needs to be for good health. The City of Fife will provide students with equipment and assistance for future projects, which will require students to "design a solution" using "natural" alternatives to solve real pond problems. (Fife Free Press article)
Recent Field Testing
Pond Watch Strikes again!
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Jayme Gordon from the local Stream Team talked with students about the purpose of wetlands. As an introduction Jayme brought maps of the surrounding area showing various water features, as well as Wapato creeks flow direction. Students were surprised to find out that its water flow is actually diverted underground as it leaves the Fife area on its way to Puget Sound. She also discussed manmade versus natural pond systems, streams, and large bodies of water. To demonstrate the purpose of wetlands she created three surface models to show the results of urbanization to Pond watch members. The models simulated the rate of water flow on concrete surfaces (aluminum pan), farmland (pan with a cloth and 1 sponge), and finally, a wetland area which consisted of a pan with three sponges. Students timed the flow rate over each surface then concluded that a wetlands purpose is to “absorb” and hold excess water. |
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