Wisconsin Center for Academically Talented Youth (WCATY)

STEP 2003 Program
Watershed Ecology Course Projects

We all live in a watershed, an area that drains to a particular body of water. But the conversion of natural land into farmland, buildings, streets & highways, and parking lots results in major changes in our watersheds. What does this mean for the health of our lakes, streams, and watersheds, and how is this tied in with our own health? How can we think about and measure the "health" of the land? How healthy are our watersheds, and what might we do to protect their health or make them healthier?

In this WCATY course, we explored the local Wingra and Yahara watersheds by foot, by bike, and by boat. We conducted field research on water quality, aquatic organisms, wetlands, and terrestrial ecosystems; and studied watershed management efforts such as rain garden construction, composting, and the control of aggressive and non-native species. Below are the web pages we developed that show the results of our projects.

Water Quality and Road Salt (Marla Brown, Kiara Davis, Hannah Eisen, Nicole Gilbertson)

Composting Study (Colm Dillane, Lamonte Singletary)

Tree Study (Eric Krause, Ruffin White-Magner)

Soil and Plant Study (Paul Olson, Anthony Sims)