Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Environmental Award Given for High School Water Quality Work

The stream team of Reeds Spring High School in Missouri received the President's Youth Environmental Award for the second time. Four stream team members traveled to the White House to receive the award. This is the first time that any school has earned the award twice.

Each of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s 10 regional offices annually selects a student between kindergarten through 12th grade to represent the region at the national awards ceremony in Washington, DC. To earn this privilege, the child must complete a project that helps protect the environment and teach others about conservation.

The stream team earned the award by researching and designing a project to analyze water quality. They collected samples and tested for fecal coliforms, pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia, nitrates, phosphates, benthic macroinvertebrates, and clarity. Students prepared maps, graphs, and spreadsheets to demonstrate their results during presentations to help the community learn about protecting its streams. The results of the water testing were also sent to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

No comments: