Watershed Education Project

[Carol Ratza <cratza@glc.org>]

INTRODUCING A PROSPECTIVE WATERSHED RESEARCH AND EDUCATION  
COLLABORATIVE - Are You Interested?

	The French Creek Environmental Education Project (FCEEP) is  
a collaboration between Allegheny College and regional schools  
using the French Creek watershed as an outdoor laboratory to  
investigate water quality and aquatic biological diversity.   
Allegheny provides equipment,  teacher-student training,  
internet-based data repository, and hosts a year-end Student  
Research Symposium.  We are now "testing the waters" to see if there  
might be interest among teachers located throughout the Allegheny  
and Ohio River watersheds to join a geographically expanded version  
of the project.

	Many school groups at all grade levels are already  
investigating some aspect of water quality in the Allegheny and Ohio  
River watersheds.  Using the FCEEP model, an expanded project would  
provide an opportunity for classes across the basin to collect a  
regionally significant database and share results electronically and  
at a major watershed congress.  This expanded project might  
provide:
equipment; summer training workshops; speakers bureau; student  
research congress; interactive web-site; informational videos;  
regional teachers workshops

	The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the Pennsylvania  
Environmental Council, the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania,   
the Carnegie Science Center and a variety of possible corporate  
sponsors have indicated they might be interested in working with  
Allegheny College to build such a project.  We'd like to know if you  
might be interested in joining us.  We envision several levels of  
teacher participation ranging from involvement in all activities to  
only a subset as determined by individual interest and need.

	A more detailed description of current and proposed  
activities can be found at the FCEEP internet site  
(http://merlin.alleg.edu/FCEEP/FCEEP/).  If you think you might be  
interested in participating at any level, should such a project be  
funded,  please complete the electronic response form at the  
internet site or contact:

Jim Palmer, Department of Environmental Science,
Box 10, Allegheny College, Meadville, PA 16335
phone: 814-332-5336;  email: jpalmer@alleg.edu

Thanks for your time!