Blue River Watershed Association

BLUE RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATION'S (BRWA) BOARD OF DIRECTORS OR STAFF DO NOT BELIEVE IN CHASING MONEY, REWORKING OR WRITING NEW PROGRAMS THAT MAY BE MISALIGNED WITH MISSION SIMPLY TO ATTAIN FUNDING. IN OTHER WORDS CHASING DOLLARS AND LOSING SIGHT OF THE MISSION. THE BLUE RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATION CONTINUES TO OFFER QUALITY, HANDS-ON E-STEM (ENVIRONMENTAL, SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY, AND MATH) PROGRAMS TO SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES. IN 2022, BRWA'S EDUCATION STAFF MADE OVER A 1,500 STUDENT, TEACHER, AND COMMUNITY IMPACTS WITH WATER QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE FIVE-COUNTY KANSAS CITY METROPOLITAN AREA. BRWA CONTINUED WORKING ON ITS PRESTIGIOUS EPA ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANT, KIDS IN STREAMS, KIDS INVESTIGATE, DISCOVER, AND STUDY IN STREAMSSM WITH ITS BANNER PROGRAM, T.R.U.E. BLUESM (TEACHING RIVERS IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENTSM). IN THIS FOUR-LESSON, FOUR-DAY (ONE HOUR EACH DAY) CURRICULUM, BRWA TEACHER CERTIFIED EDUCATORS TEACH ALL FOUR LESSONS. LESSON ONE IS AN INTRODUCTION TO WATERSHEDS, STORMWATER RUNOFF, POINT AND NONPOINT POLLUTION, AND NEGATIVE HUMAN IMPACTS ON LOCAL WATERWAYS. STUDENTS LEARN PROPER SAFETY AND USE PROTOCOLS WITH THE PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL HACH WATER QUALITY TEST KITS IN LESSON TWO. LESSON THREE IS A TRIP TO THE CLOSEST RIVER OR STREAM WHERE STUDENTS CONDUCT A BATTERY OF TESTS INCLUDING TURBIDITY, AIR & WATER TEMPERATURES, PH AND CONDUCTIVITY, AND NITRATES AND PHOSPHATES, DISSOLVED OXYGEN, FECAL COLIFORM BACTERIA, AND 5-DAY BOD ARE ALSO COLLECTED. BACK IN THE CLASSROOM FOR LESSON FOUR, BRWA EDUCATORS LEAD STUDENTS WITH THE RAW DATA COLLECTED AT THE RIVER USING GRAPHS, CHARTS, AND CALCULATORS DETERMINE THE WATER QUALITY INDEX NUMBER FOR THAT RIVER, ON THAT TIME AND DAY. MOST STUDENTS REPORT THAT T.R.U.E. BLUESM IS A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE, AS MANY STUDENTS HAVE NEVER BEEN TO A RIVER, OR PARTICIPATED IN SUCH HANDS-ON SCIENCE. ADDITIONALLY, ECO-KIDS CLUBSM FUNDED BY GENERAL MOTORS CONTINUED, BUT WAS BROUGHT BACK TO DOUGLASS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHERE IT ALL BEGAN NEARLY 10 YEARS PRIOR. IN THIS E-STEM AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM STUDENTS IN 3RD - 5TH GRADES ARE TAUGHT THE ELEMENTS OF WATERSHEDS, SURFACE AND CHEMICAL POLLUTION, WATER TENSION, AND MANY MORE PROPERTIES OF WATER QUALITY WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF GENERAL MOTORS MENTOR VOLUNTEERS.