Long-Term Monitoring of the Pigeon River
                                                                       By:  Avril Wiers

Project at a Glance :

This project is a collaboration between Careerline Tech Center, Ottawa County Parks and Recreation, and the Ottawa County Soil and Water Conservation District to implement long-term water quality monitoring and explore green infrastructure and best practices to protect water quality in all seasons.
       
Driving Question:

How can we protect and improve the water quality of the Pigeon River watershed?             

Standards:

• Water Resources & Quality
• Public Policy & Decision Making
• Scientific & Career Readiness

Team / Culture Building:

• Wilderness Welcome
• Team Building and Team Initiatives (weekly)​
• Creative Sequence Scenario Assessment

​Entry Event:

• Kayaking the Pigeon River

Stakeholders:

• Ottawa County Parks and Recreation
• Ottawa County Soil and Water Conservation District
• Citizens of Ottawa County 
• Ottawa County Road Commission​
• Ottawa County Commissioners

Empathy Building:

• Stakeholder Map
• Interviews with stakeholders
• Inquiry / Need to Knows:
• ​ Read the Ottawa County Conservation District Pigeon River Management Plan.
• Work day at Port Sheldon Natural Area with Ottawa County Parks and Recreation.
• Invite a guest speaker from Ottawa County Office of Water Resources and/or Strategic Impact.
• Biomimicry protocol
• Water Quality Monitoring (What affects water quality? lab) 
• SaltWatch (How does road salt affect the environment? lab) 
• Allegan Conservation District (SaltWatch program overview)​​

Incubation:

• Introduce a Wonder Wall
• “What about…”
• Crazy Eights
• MindMapping
• SCAMPER​​

Checking in:

• Weekly check-in (class meeting)
• Lab report groups (seasonally)

• One-on-Ones (monthly) 
• Committee Minutes
• Classroom discussions

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Solution Building:

•  Saturate & Group solution ideas
• Explore examples of green infrastructure (Rain garden at City of Holland; green roof at Second Reformed Church; etc.)
  
• Affinity Mapping
• Green infrastructure project (city planning) 
• Collaborate with Ottawa County Strategic Impact

Critique and Revision:

• Dot Voting
  
• NUF Test
  
• Critical Friends
• Meet with Ottawa County Parks and Recreation, Ottawa County Conservation District, Ottawa County Strategic Impact, etc. for feedback.​​

Authentic Audience:

• Ottawa County Parks and Recreation
• Ottawa County Soil and Water Conservation District
• Citizens of Ottawa County
• Ottawa County Strategic Impact Department
• Ottawa County Commissioners

Final Presentation:

• Presentation at Hemlock Crossing County Park (Invite Ottawa County Commissioners, etc.) 
• Students will determine their solution and  try to  implement it! ​​

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:

• Rubric for assessment
• Feedback form from authentic audience
• Journaling, press releases, etc.
• Student Showcase/Celebration​

Meet the Educator:
Avril Wiers teachers the Environmental Field Studies program at the OAISD Careerline Tech Center.

     “Project-based learning empowers students to make real-world connections and advocate for change in their communities.”