On a beautiful fall day with 70 degree temperatures, Maine Audubon educators took our conservation program, Stream Explorers, to Sanford Middle School. The week before our visit, we went into the classroom and practiced using the nets and identifying macroinvertebrates. By sampling the stream and identifying the macroinvertebrates, the students would be able to tell if the stream near their school is polluted, moderately polluted, or not polluted.
On the sampling day, more than 100 students dipped nets into the stream and collected macroinvertebrates in the water. They identified them using magnifying glasses and special identification sheets. The news was pretty good: they discovered that their stream was between “moderately polluted” and “not polluted.”
Thanks to the teachers and all the people at Sanford Middle School who made this day of outdoor learning so successful! If you are a teacher interested in having your students participate in this program, contact conserve@maineaudubon.org!
