How does planting trees along rivers affect water quality and biodiversity? That's the question students tried to answer last week at the District's first-ever Restoration BioBlitz, held last week at the Magnan Brothers Dairy in Fairfield, where FCNRCD had previously coordinated a tree planting in a former pasture alongside Black Creek.
In this hands-on field trip, thirty BFA high school students learned how waters in our rivers and streams eventually connect to Lake Champlain and how farmers in Franklin County are helping to improve water quality throughout the watershed, and investigated how tree planting affects the health of the land and the river. Students surveyed tree biodiversity and health, measured water chemistry, and determined aquatic organism biodiversity in the stream. Putting on waders and walking into the water to catch aquatic bugs and other critters was a highlight for many!
A second field trip is planned for the spring so that students can build their understanding of how ecosystems change throughout seasons and over time.
A huge thank you to Molly Magnan, FCNRCD Supervisor and BFA Science Teacher, and Paul Brown, BFA Science Teacher, for their collaboration in bringing this event to life.
This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement (LC 00A00707-0) to NEIWPCC in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program.
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