Celebrating our Watershed with Montgomery Elementary

Last month, Franklin County NRCD hosted an all-day field trip with Montgomery Elementary School middle school students at the Town of Montgomery’s restoration site by the Trout River. The purpose of the event was to introduce students to concepts including stream health, water quality, flood resilience, and how we can steward our watersheds. To achieve these goals, students participated in a variety of educational stations throughout the wetlands, floodplain, streamside, and upland zones of the site.

Students carefully handle macroinvertebrates collected from Black Falls Brook.

Near the confluence of Black Falls Brook and the Trout River, FCRNCD Senior Natural Resources Planner Mel Auffredou led a macroinvertebrate ID with students. Mel, who has previously conducted biomonitoring with Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation, introduced students to some of the macroinvertebrates found in Vermont's coldwater streams. Students practiced using identification keys to narrow down specimens to the species level, and were introduced to how the composition of the macroinvertebrate community found in the stream may be impacted by factors such as water temperature, turbidity, and other water quality factors.

Further downstream and along the Trout River, students were introduced to wetlands by Karina Daily, a Restoration Ecologist with Vermont Natural Resources Council. Situated near the remnants of a beaver complex, Karina led students through a wetland delineation. Students learned about vegetation that likes to grow in wet areas, such as willows and rushes, observed (and smelled!) soil found in wetlands, and learned about hyrdology.

Students plant a bare-root tree in the floodplain of the Trout River.

Karina Daily and students observe wetland soil and hydrology.

A short walk away from the wetland, in a floodplain of the Trout River, students joined Morgan Pratt from Franklin County NRCD to plant trees. The floodplain that students planted was formerly an agricultural field. In recent years, this field has come out of agricultural production, in part due to its risk of flooding. A portion of the field has recently been planted as a fruit and nut orchard by the Montgomery Conservation Commission. Montgomery Elementary students added to this orchard, planting additional fruit and nut-producing trees, along with trees and shrubs native to Vermont, which will support local wildlife, flood resilience, and water quality.

Students create their own mini watershed.

In the shade of the upland forest, students gathered for a station led by FCNRCD's Kerry Brosnan. Kerry introduced students to the broader concepts of watersheds, and how watersheds include a wide array of landscapes, including forestland, wetlands, developed land like our downtowns, homes, and highways, and agricultural landscapes. To visualize how different landscapes can impact water quality and flooding, students built mini watersheds. Using a variety of materials to create the topography, land cover types, and inputs such as road salts or manure, students created unique watersheds, which then experienced a 30-second rainstorm. After the 'storm', students observed where water pooled in their watersheds, what was in the water and how the color may have changed, and where water was absorbed, and made comparisons to the 'real world'.

The final station was led by Melissa Haberman, art teacher at Montgomery Elementary School and Director of the Montgomery Center for the Arts. Melissa led a botanical cyanotype printing activity, during which students collected leaves and plant matter from their surroundings. Students were encouraged to practice identifying plants they found, and compare the species found in the upland forest with the lower floodplain and wetlands. Students developed prints, which they were able to bring home at the end of the day. Perhaps when they look at those prints in future days, weeks, months, and even years, they will recall some of what they learned about watersheds, wetlands, water quality, macroinvertebrates, tree planting, and more!

Cyanotype prints hanging to dry.