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 NVSWCD
offers training to teachers, interns, youth group leaders, and
adult volunteers in the use of a 3-dimensional watershed model
called EnviroScape®.
We use the model to demonstrate how different land uses
affect water quality. Rain (from a spray bottle) carries
soil (cocoa), fertilizer (powdered drink mix), and animal waste
(chocolate sprinkles) to a lake, where the effects of the pollution
become plainly visible. Land use includes a residential neighborhood,
golf course, construction site, farm, and roads. The model is
also used to show ways individuals and communities can help
reduce pollution that ends up in our streams, lakes, and rivers.
Training takes about 1 hour and is available by appointment
at the NVSWCD office, 12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite
905, Fairfax, Virginia 22035. There is no charge for the training.
Trained volunteers may borrow the model on a short-term basis
when it is not in use.
To learn more about EnviroScape training, contact
NVSWCD's EnviroScape coordinator or call 703-324-1460, TTY
711.
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Matter
K.5 The student will investigate and understand that
water flows and has properties that can be observed
and tested. Key concepts include:
- the natural flow of water is downhill
- some materials float in water while others sink
Resources
K.10 The student will investigate and understand that
materials can be reused, recycled, and conserved. Key
concepts include:
- materials and objects can be used over and over
again
- everyday materials can be recycled
- water and energy conservation at home and in school
helps preserve resources for future use
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Resources
1.8 The student will investigate and
understand that natural resources are limited. Key concepts
include:
- identification of natural resources
(plants and animals, water, air, land,
minerals, forests, and soil)
- factors that affect air and water
quality
- recycling, reusing, and reducing
consumption of natural resources
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Resources
2.8 The student will investigate and
understand that plants produce oxygen and food, are
a source of useful products, and provide benefits in
nature. Key concepts include:
- plants provide homes and food for
many animals and prevent soil from
washing away
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Living Systems
3.6 The student will investigate and understand that
environments support a diversity of plants and animals
that share limited resources. Key concepts include:
- water-related environments (pond, marshland, swamp,
stream, and river)
- dry-land environments (desert, grassland, rain
forest, and forest
environments)
Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change
3.9 The student will investigate and understand the
water cycle and its relationship to life on Earth. Key
concepts include:
- water is essential for living things
- water supply and water conservation
Resources
3.10 The student will investigate and understand that
natural events and human influences can affect the survival
of species. Key concepts include:
- human effects on the quality of air, water, and
habitat
- the effects of fire, flood, disease, and erosion
on organisms
- conservation and resource renewal
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Living Systems
4.5 The student will investigate and understand how
plants and animals in an ecosystem interact with one
another and the nonliving environment. Key
concepts include:
- influence of human activity on ecosystems
Resources
4.8 The student will investigate and understand important
Virginia natural resources. Key concepts include:
- watershed and water resources
- forests, soil, and land
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Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change
5.7 The student will investigate and understand how
the Earth's surface is constantly changing. Key concepts
include:
- weathering and erosion
- human impact
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Matter
6.5 The student will investigate and understand the
unique properties and characteristics of water and its
roles in the natural and human-made environment. Key
concepts include:
- water as the universal solvent
- the action of water in physical and chemical weathering
- the importance of water for agriculture, power generation,
and public health
- the importance of protecting and maintaining water
resources
Living Systems
6.7 The student will investigate and understand the
natural processes and human interactions that affect
watershed systems. Key concepts include:
- the health of ecosystems and the abiotic factors
of a watershed
- the location and structure of Virginia's regional
watershed systems
- divides, tributaries, river systems, and river and
stream processes
- wetlands
- estuaries
- major conservation, health, and safety issues associated
with watersheds
Resource
6.9 The student will investigate and understand public
policy decisions relating to the environment. Key concepts
include:
- management of renewable resources (water, air, soil,
plant life, animal life)
- the mitigation of land-use and environmental hazards
through preventive measures
- cost/benefit tradeoffs in conservation policies
Life Science
LS.11 The student will investigate and understand that
ecosystems, communities, populations, and organisms
are dynamic and change over time (daily, seasonal, and
long term). Key concepts include:
- eutrophication, climate change, and catastrophic
disturbances
LS.12 The student will investigate and understand the
relationships between ecosystem dynamics and human activity.
Key concepts include:
- environmental issues (water supply, air quality,
energy production, and waste management)
Earth Science
ES.7 The student will investigate and understand the
differences between renewable and nonrenewable resources.
Key concepts include:
- fossil fuels, minerals, rocks, water, and vegetation
- resources found in Virginia
- making informed judgments related to resource use
and its effects on Earth systems
- environmental costs and benefits
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