Useful Professional Development?

This past week, I had the opportunity to participate in a professional development session that was put on by my district. It was supposed to be yet another MWEE (meaningful watershed educational experience) training session, and because of previous (and required) MWEE trainings plus the fact that most of the district sponsored sessions suck, I wasn't holding out hope that this session would be any better. 

The training was originally going to be at the district's main hub for outdoor education, the Smith Center, but quickly changed to an up-county facility I hadn't heard of before. No biggie to me; with a 9:30AM start time, I knew I had plenty of time to get there. I did find it interesting that the Kingsley Environmental Center is right next to a correctional facility, and wondered if that was part of the reason it is, in the trainer's words, "underutilized." 

Anyway, one of the things the trainers reminded us of was that incorporating a MWEE wasn't just a suggestion in the high school science curricula, it is actually a requirement per the Maryland State Department of Education. It falls under the environmental literacy requirement, and the MWEE itself is part of the Chesapeake Agreement that was signed by governors of all Chesapeake Bay watershed states and the District of Columbia. Environmental literacy is required in science courses, and because it isn't part of some end-of-year test, it is often scoffed at by teachers. Even though it's embedded in the district's curriculum guide, teachers skip over it when they can. 

After STEAM in the Park, and thinking of ways to incorporate my experiences there into next school year, I walked into this training hoping to come out with ways to link the MWEE and a National Park experience with my students. The training was definitely helpful and more importantly, fun and interesting! We spent most of the time by Ten Mile Creek actually doing the stream study instead of sitting in front of a screen talking about a stream study. 

part of the area we surveyed

our quantabs showed very high chloride levels in the water

I found a caddisfly larva

someone else's hellgrammite

one participant was more interested in collecting vertebrates like this salamander

We did some chemical testing as well as looking for macroinvertebrates to assess the biological health of the stream. Overall, the stream seemed pretty good at the area we surveyed, despite a near-toxic chloride level reading (mine was 215ppm, and another group's was in the 230ppm range). We saw larvae of two different species of caddisfly, larvae of damselflies and mayflies, crayfish, rifflebugs (and their larvae), hellgrammites, salamanders, frogs, small fish, lungsnails and more. 

The last time I did a real stream study with students was with my forensics students at Northwood. We partnered with the AP Environmental Science class to participate in the One Montgomery Green Clean Headwaters program, and did a stream study on a little stream that feeds into Sligo Creek. Before that, it was at Watkins Mill, when Lauren Wilkinson set up a trip to the Great Falls area on the C&O Canal to do a stream study there. 

Northwood Forensics and APES students participating in the Clean Headwaters program

I really want to do something with my Wheaton students next year that incorporates things I learned at STEAM in the Park plus the MWEE. I have ideas, I just need them to coalesce into something actionable. 

After the training, I took the time to go over to the Edwards Ferry area of the C&O Canal, and wandered from there up to MM32 and back. There were a ton of turtles out, including a snapping turtle with a smaller turtle sitting on its head at the Broad Run double culvert. 

This was right after the smaller turtle swam away from the snapping turtle and I realized there were two turtles

The double culvert is an interesting structure. It's not quite an aqueduct as there are no arches, not even a single arch like at Fifteenmile Creek. But it's more involved than the usual culverts that appear regularly along the towpath. 

View of the Broad Run double culvert approaching from the east

Looking down on Broad Run from the west side of the structure

While the day had started off nice, by this time, it had become pretty hot and muggy, and with limited water supplies with me, I turned around just past Broad Run when I saw MM32. There weren't many other things to see along the towpath (likely due to the oppressive humidity), though I found it interesting that the dilapidated wire fence I saw had evidently been around for so long it had become incorporated into several trees' trunks. 

barbed wire emerging from a tree trunk

There is a lockhouse at Edwards Ferry (and the remains of a community), and it's one of those restored by the Canal Trust as a place to stay. One of these days, I do want to stay at one of the lockhouses; it seems like a neat way to experience the towpath. 

Lockhouse for Lock 25

Overall, it was a good day. Now, we plan for the road trip. I just got my folding shovel so I can do some dispersed and/or backcountry camping as needed or desired. I still need to get some replacement "sleeping pads" for the leaky ones in the tents. I also need to replace my trail shoes (and/or get new hiking boots)!

road trip planning; yes, we're also using Atlas Obscura in the planning!

There's never enough time for getting ready for the road trip, just like there's never enough time to do all the things we want to do on the road trip!

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