History of the Secondary Program

  • History of the Secondary Program

Late in 2000, the first version of the high school curriculum Life in Our Watershed: Investigating Streams & Water Quality was co-authored by Greg Suba and Eva Butler with support from the Splash team. It was reissued in 2005 as Version 2. Version 3, which features a new Student Handbook and Teacher's Manual, was issued in April 2009 as the Splash Secondary Curriculum for use in middle schools and high schools.

In December 2006, the curriculum was enhanced with the addition of a pictorial Guide to Stream Benthic Macroinvertebrates (BMIs). The BMI bench top guide was designed to assist students in identifying insects under the microscope during the bioassessment activity. The guide provides a key for sorting stream insects in order to investigate water and habitat quality in local streams.  

In February 2006, Splash completed the companion DVD for the Secondary Curriculum called the The Living Watershed. The purpose of the video is to acquaint students with stream organisms and the evolutionary adaptations that suit them for stream life. The live observations provide a natural history perspective on the preserved BMIs that students work with during the stream bioassessment and bioassay activities.

 

Secondary Program Evaluation

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Meet Bill Corbett, Master Falconer

Bill Corbett is a Master Falconer who occasionally visits the Splash Center with three of his feathered friends: Tesla the Golden Eagle, Ethel the Harris Hawk, and Bob the Screech Owl.

Learn more about what it takes to become a falconer.