Citizen Scientists program asks students to pay it forward
This year, the Bucks County Conservation District is “shedding” conventional methods of ecological education.
The Citizen Scientist Training Program: Pay it Forward in Your Watershed project is a way to educate individuals about maintaining streamside properties and encourage them to spread that knowledge, according to Mary Ellen Noonan, environmental educator at BCCD.
The five-week training session, expected to begin Nov. 5, will focus on the importance of riparian areas — areas located along a natural watercourse.
This is the second year the district has run a program of this sort, said Noonan. Last year’s course, titled “Riparian Buffer Maintenance for Streamside Property Owners,” provided training to Delaware Valley College environmental design students, who then held free consultations in the community to demonstrate proper care for these areas.
“[The students] not only received the training, but also had a chance to interact with homeowners, giving them experience for the future when they enter the job market,” Noonan said.
This year’s training — open to all streamside property owners — is free, but those who participate must agree to “pay it forward” by training other property owners in streamside care.
“Last year was very successful, but the majority of the students graduated and moved outside of Bucks County,” said Noonan. “I thought, ‘I have to do something different next time.’”
Noonan will work with other educators and industry specialists — including a representative from the Stroud Water Research Center — to educate the community on the principles of making an area more ecologically sustainable.
As part of a discussion on the ecological benefits of water quality and the environment as a whole, participants will learn about point- and non-point source pollutants, invasive and native plants, impervious surfaces and storm water management.
In the fourth week, participants will take a field trip to a local property for a more hands-on lesson, according to a tentative schedule.
“With streamside buffers, it’s one thing to talk about it, but it’s another to go out and see it,” Noonan explained. “They’ll discuss what they’ve learned — talk about what’s wrong and right with the property and what can be done to improve it.”
Many people don’t realize the powerful effect a streamside buffer has on water quality, said the environmental educator.
“The plants take up lots of things that pollute that water, such as excess fertilizer, road salt, oil, gasoline, etc.,” she said. “They can tolerate it and use it in their growth.”
Taking down trees and shrubs — the “cover” — leads to erosion on the stream bank, water impurities and increased risk of flooding, she added.
Removing the cover also affects the water temperature.
“The water gets hotter and there is not enough oxygen,” she said. “That is not a good thing for a lot of the living things in the creeks and streams; they need that oxygen.”
The Bucks County Conservation District’s mission is to provide for the wise use, management and development of the county’s soil, water and related natural resources, according to its Web site, www.bucksccd.org.
Funding for this and last year’s programs came from the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Noonan said.
Training sessions will be held at the Bucks County Conservation District office on Ferry Road in Doylestown.
The program can accommodate up to 15 participants. Those interested in attending should contact Noonan at the Bucks County Conservation District as soon as possible, 215-345-7577, ext. 101, or maryellennoonan@bucksccd.org.
The Citizen Scientist Training Program: Pay it Forward in Your Watershed project is a way to educate individuals about maintaining streamside properties and encourage them to spread that knowledge, according to Mary Ellen Noonan, environmental educator at BCCD.
The five-week training session, expected to begin Nov. 5, will focus on the importance of riparian areas — areas located along a natural watercourse.
This is the second year the district has run a program of this sort, said Noonan. Last year’s course, titled “Riparian Buffer Maintenance for Streamside Property Owners,” provided training to Delaware Valley College environmental design students, who then held free consultations in the community to demonstrate proper care for these areas.
“[The students] not only received the training, but also had a chance to interact with homeowners, giving them experience for the future when they enter the job market,” Noonan said.
This year’s training — open to all streamside property owners — is free, but those who participate must agree to “pay it forward” by training other property owners in streamside care.
“Last year was very successful, but the majority of the students graduated and moved outside of Bucks County,” said Noonan. “I thought, ‘I have to do something different next time.’”
Noonan will work with other educators and industry specialists — including a representative from the Stroud Water Research Center — to educate the community on the principles of making an area more ecologically sustainable.
As part of a discussion on the ecological benefits of water quality and the environment as a whole, participants will learn about point- and non-point source pollutants, invasive and native plants, impervious surfaces and storm water management.
In the fourth week, participants will take a field trip to a local property for a more hands-on lesson, according to a tentative schedule.
“With streamside buffers, it’s one thing to talk about it, but it’s another to go out and see it,” Noonan explained. “They’ll discuss what they’ve learned — talk about what’s wrong and right with the property and what can be done to improve it.”
Many people don’t realize the powerful effect a streamside buffer has on water quality, said the environmental educator.
“The plants take up lots of things that pollute that water, such as excess fertilizer, road salt, oil, gasoline, etc.,” she said. “They can tolerate it and use it in their growth.”
Taking down trees and shrubs — the “cover” — leads to erosion on the stream bank, water impurities and increased risk of flooding, she added.
Removing the cover also affects the water temperature.
“The water gets hotter and there is not enough oxygen,” she said. “That is not a good thing for a lot of the living things in the creeks and streams; they need that oxygen.”
The Bucks County Conservation District’s mission is to provide for the wise use, management and development of the county’s soil, water and related natural resources, according to its Web site, www.bucksccd.org.
Funding for this and last year’s programs came from the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Noonan said.
Training sessions will be held at the Bucks County Conservation District office on Ferry Road in Doylestown.
The program can accommodate up to 15 participants. Those interested in attending should contact Noonan at the Bucks County Conservation District as soon as possible, 215-345-7577, ext. 101, or maryellennoonan@bucksccd.org.
