OUR
VISION: in
thirty years, a stream without a buffer will look as out of place as a
smoker in a conference room does today.
To foster that vision, our environmental education
programs focus on students first and, through them, the larger
community. We are:
Using Potomac Headwaters Leaders of
Watersheds (PHLOW)
to teach students that hands-on conservation of local watersheds can
provide significant environmental benefits for the Chesapeake Bay
watershed.
PHLOW has three main sub-programs: Grow-a-Garden, Growing
Native, and Plant-a-Tree. Throughout these programs the distinct PHLOW model educates students with background knowledge
that leads to academically rich and environmentally meaningful hands-on conservation
projects at their
school.
Continuing to Develop our
Potomac Highlands Watershed School to build a
community of learners and problem solvers among students, teachers,
volunteers, and experts throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed that
is open to anyone, anywhere, free of charge, year-round;
Working to support the NOAA B-WET goal of
"Making it a MWEE."MWEE
(Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience)
is a form of Project Based Learning, where students study a complex
watershed problem through a collaborative investigative or
experimental process
over an extended period of time. When eSchool activities are coupled with hands-on conservation or
research projects they provide a MWEE.
Working to support the NOAA B-WET goal of encouraging "the
development of partnerships among environmental education programs
throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed”;
Encouraging community-based conservation organizations to
"Making it a MWEE", to use CI's eForums, other eSchool activities,
and other CI Programs as tools to engage their local
schools in substantive curriculum based programs as well as hands-on
programs to help strengthen
their organizations, become better educated themselves, recruiting a
new generation of members, and increasing their visibility and
effectiveness. Cacapon
Institute has, or can help find, technical and
financial resources to support such activities throughout the Chesapeake Bay
watershed.
Our education programs are helping to
foster a generation of youth connected with their communities and
prepared to be informed, active citizens and leaders for improved water
quality, sustainable habitats and living resources, and improved local
watersheds.
Our 13th Annual Stream
Scholars Summer Camp will run from July 6 to July 10, 2015. Campers
this year will take an overnight trip to the
headwaters of the Potomac River high up on Spruce
Knob, WV.
Download a brochure for all the details.
When you are ready,
fill out
an application.
The
Potomac Highlands Watershed
Schoolwas created to increase understanding of important water quality
and watershed issues in West Virginia's Potomac Highlands - and, by
extension, much of Appalachia. The watershed school has lessons about
watersheds, water pollution, and land-use planning. Regional
issues underlie each lesson, and many are as relevant for adults as school
children. For example, the pollution curriculum is based on West
Virginia's efforts to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay. To learn more
about the school, click here. Go
to the school here. Hint: a fast connection helps. Another
hint: click on objects and words to get "behind" the picture.
Linnean
Creek
in Washington DC is the sixth stream simulated
in a Virtual Stream Sampler, the
eSchool's realistic
simulations of volunteer stream assessments with
water quality measurements, habitat assessments, and benthic
macroinvertebrate collections. Newly restored Linnean
Creek flows into Broad Branch and then into Washington DC's
Rock Creek. This virtual stream will be
used to educated inner city youth about stream and watershed
health.
Just
click on the BMI Poster in any classroom to enter the
Benthic Portal, then click on the Virtual Stream Sampler
icon. This
activity completes the suite of eSchool lessons on stream
sampling and benthic macroinvertebrates.
The Potomac Highlands
Watershed School took first
place in the North American Adobe/Tech Soup design
contest for non-profitsin the
“Environmental Impact: Other Media” category.
Adobe, as part of its corporate social responsibility commitment,
provides products and training to non profit organizations to address
critical issues in our communities. Adobe sponsored the contest to
learn about the impact their software recipients are making through
words, images, and design. Our internet based eSchool that owes its
appearance and much of its personality to Adobe’s products. In their
award letter, they wrote:
“Congratulations!
Your project has been selected as a winner in the Adobe Show Your Impact
contest! We were truly moved and inspired by the excellent work that you
are doing and the positive impact that you are having on the community
you serve.”
Stream Scholars is
CI's hands-on exploration of stream ecology and conservation for middle
and high school students. This program was initially funded by the USEPA, and later by the MARPAT Foundation, WV Conservation Agency,
and our members. We now have twelve years of engaging West
Virginia middle and high school students in week long explorations
of stream science.
Potomac
Headwaters Leaders of Watersheds (PHLOW)
teaches students that hands-on conservation of local watersheds can
provide real environmental benefits for the Chesapeake Bay
watershed.
PHLOW has three main sub-programs: Grow-a-Garden, Growing
Native, and Plant-a-Tree. Through these programs the distinct PHLOW model educates students with background knowledge
that leads to academically rich and environmentally meaningful hands-on conservation
projects at their
school. We are now accepting
applications for the Spring 2015 project season - Due date January
16, 2015.
The Institute has long had a presence in the schools in the watersheds where we work. We have staff whose primary job is to establish and maintain classroom and hands on programs
to engage
the interest and continuing participation of substantial numbers of students. We
believe that, in the very long run, helping today's children to become
stakeholders in the river and the watershed may be the most important thing we
can do.
Program activities
range from half-day events for an entire grade-level, to 45-minute interactive
discussions for a single class. They are tailored to suit the needs of students.We schedule activities on a first-come-first served basis
subject to the availability of funds, but usually there is no cost to the
schools or students - thanks to grants from The MARPAT Foundation, the Spring
Creek Foundation, the USEPA
Environmental Education Grants program, and donations from the membership of
Cacapon Institute.A partial list
of activities available includes:
Watershed
Stewardship Fairs.During
this three-hour activity, students rotate between concurrent
mini-demonstrations given by local natural resource professionals.Total group size can range from 30 to 100 students.After the demonstrations, students participate in a panel discussion
with the presenters. Best at the middle school level.
Keep
Well WaterStudy.This two-session activity takes place over three days.The students learn how to test for bacteria in their drinking water,
conduct the test, and then analyze and discuss the results. Best for high
school students.
Around
the Bend
Students analyze mock water quality samples to deduce the condition of a
river, and the likely human activities occurring “around the bend.” Best for 9th through 12th grade.
How
Watersheds Work
Uses a question-driven approach, and simple drawings to illustrate how water
flows through a watershed, and how what people do within a watershed can
promote or harm watershed functioning.Can be tailored to suit almost any grade level.
Stream
in an Envelope Water Quality Exercise.Students identify and tally amazing stream "critters" and
then calculate a stream score using a standardized protocol.This leads to a discussion of factors affecting stream quality,
watershed services and conservation, and the shared nature of water
resources. Great for middle school students.
Drawing
Scientific Conclusions.Students analyze and graph locally-generated quantitative data on
drinking water quality.A good
way to learn about using scientific data, and how water relates to human
health. Best for high school students.
Making Science Real Summer Camp
2004. Campers used an inquiry-driven approach to exploring
and understanding elements of the natural landscape - with hands-on,
project-based activities to make science understandable. This
program was offered in cooperation with Hardy County Schools.
Making Science Real Summer Camp
2003. Campers used an inquiry-driven approach to exploring
and understanding elements of the natural landscape - with hands-on,
project-based activities to make science understandable. This
program was offered in cooperation with Hardy County Schools.
In the watersheds in which we work, our staff makes frequent
presentations to community organizations such as the Ruritan Clubs, the
Friends of the Cacapon and other groups and events like Hampshire Heritage Days. We
try to encourage agricultural conservation techniques which also
are good farming practices. And the Cacapon Institute Newsletter goes to
approximately 1,000 homes and offices two to four times a year.
Cacapon
Institute recently initiated a series of papers with the goal of seeking a more
definitive understanding of water quality issues in the Potomac watershed.
Click here to learn more.
Our education effort has two focuses; within the watersheds in which we work and
out to the wider scientific world. Our current director, Neil Gillies
and our founder, George Constantz have made presentations to government agencies
and at a number of scientific conferences. Similarly, our
publications reach a broad range of people and organizations. We still receive
requests for "Portrait of a River" and the monitoring data which has
been amassed since its original publication.
Cacapon
Institute - From the Cacapon to the Potomac to the Chesapeake Bay,
we protect rivers and watersheds using science and education.
Cacapon Institute
#10 Rock Ford Road
Great Cacapon, WV 25422
Website made
possible by funding from The Norcross Wildlife Foundation, the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Virginia Environmental
Endowment, NOAA-BWET, USEPA, The MARPAT Foundation, and our generous
members.