Watershed
Student
Field Book
Ohio Rapid Assessment
Method for Wetlands
(ORAM)
1
ISLS 2013 Safety Contract
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
No horseplay, practical jokes, running, yelling or pranks while conducting experiments
Follow all instructions given by the teacher, ask questions if you do not understand the given instructions
Read the lab assignment before coming to class
Wear necessary protective attire (i.e. boots, pants, gloves, etc.)
Never go anywhere alone, always stay with a partner
a. If you do leave the group, let someone know
6. Do not touch any equipment, supplies, plants or animals without permission
7. Keep your hands away from your face, eyes and mouth while handling animals
8. Wear sunscreen, bug spray, pants, hat and closed toed shoes
9. Bring plenty of water to hydrate throughout the day
10. Report any accident, injury or hazardous conditions to the teacher immediately
11. Handle all animals with care and respect
a. Do not tease or handle animals roughly
b. Keep animals away from your face
c. Report any animal bite, scratch or sting to a teacher immediately
12. Clean all supplies when done and return them to where you found them
13. Leave the area the way you found it (i.e. do not add litter or take anything away)
Important questions:
● Do you wear contact lenses?
○ Y or N
● Do you have any allergies? (i.e. food, medicine, pollen, etc.)
○ Y or N
○ If so, please list _________________________________________
I, _________________________ have read and understand each of the above safety rules set forth in this contract. I
agree to follow them to ensure not only my safety but also the safety of others in the field. I also agree to follow the
general rules of appropriate behavior for a classroom at all times to avoid accidents and to provide a safe learning
environment for everyone. I understand that if I do not follow all the rules and safety precautions, I will not be allowed
to participate in the scientific activities.
________________________________
Student Signature
________________________________
Date
Parents or Guardian, please read the above list of safety rules. No student will be allowed to perform science activities
unless this contract is signed by both the parent/ guardian and student and is on file with the teacher.
_______________________________
Parent/ Guardian Signature
_______________________________
Date
2
Pre- test
1. What is a wetland?
a. Swamp
b. Marsh
c. Bog
d. All of the above
2. How many different metrics are there for ORAMs?
a. 3
b. 6
c. 10
d. 1
3. Which of the following should you consider when rating a wetland
a. Wildlife
b. Hydrological functions
c. Recreational functions
d. All of the above
4. What is one of the metrics of an ORAM?
a. How many frogs are in the wetland
b. The color of plants
c. The age of the wetland
d. Wetland size
5. What are some examples of a special wetland?
a. Mature forested wetland
b. Fen
c. A puddle in your yard after it rains
d. Both A and B
6. How many different wetland categories are there?
a. 6
b. 3
c. 4
d. 2
7. What is not a factor that hurts a wetland and is recorded as a disturbance
a. Mowing
b. Toxic pollutants
c. Dredging (excavation partly underwater)
d. Catching frogs
8. How many points does the wetland need to score on the ORAM to be considered category 3?
a. 45-59.9
b. 65+
c. 60-64.9
d. 0-29.9
9. What is the maximum score of an ORAM?
a. 20
3
b. 50
c. 66
d. 100
10. What does ORAM stand for?
a. Ohio Ravaging Automobile Models
b. Ohio Rapid Assessment Method
c. Ohio Rapid Allegiance Mob
d. Only Real Answer Made
4
Day 1
Objective:
● To gain an understanding of the difference between the natural water cycle and the urban water
cycle.
● To understand the characteristics of a wetland including the different categories
● To understand how your everyday actions can affect the quality of a wetland
Directions:
● Take notes on the differences between the natural water cycle vs. urban water cycle under the
section that shows two different diagrams of each cycle
● Fill in the venn diagram to show the similarities and differences between class I, class II and class
III primary headwaters
● Watch the movie and take notes in the becoming a scientist section
Watersheds
●
What is a watershed?
○
●
A watershed is an area of land that drains into a body of water. The largest watershed in
Northeast Ohio is the Lake Erie watershed.
Why is it important?
○
Protecting the Lake Erie watershed and all other watersheds is important to the
environment, public health, and economy.
Wetland
●
●
What is a wetland?
○ Any area of land that is saturated or inundated by water regularly and supports life adapted
to saturated soil environments.
There are three classifications of a wetland...
○ Category 1 Wetland - isolated emergent marshes with almost no upland buffers found in
agricultural fields.
○ Category 2 Wetland - is a broad category containing wetlands that are ‘fair’ to wetlands that
are considered ‘good’. Support wildlife but rarely contain threatened species and have little
human disturbance.
○ Category 3 Wetland - provide habitat for endangered species, are high quality mature
forested wetlands or are scarce regionally and statewide.
How can humans affect the health of wetlands? List 3.
1. _________________________________
2. _________________________________
3. _________________________________
5
Wetland Categories
Use the given background information of the wetlands to complete the activity below.
6
Urban vs Natural Water Cycle
Review the two water cycles below.
Urban Water Cycle
Natural Water Cycle
Describe the water cycle in your own words. How does the urban water cycle differ from the natural water
cycle?
7
Your Urban Water Cycle
Fill out the picture below with the terminology you have learned to show how your own home influences the
urban water cycle.
8
Free Write:
This section is used to write down notes from the day’s activities including reviewing the water cycle,
wetland characteristics and the relationship between you and watersheds
9
Reflection:
Based on what you discovered today what are your thoughts on wetlands? Can you think of a wetland near
you? If so what kind of category do you think it is? If not, look it up and talk about it here. How important is
the water cycle to the wetland?
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Day 2
Objective:
● To understand what a wetland is and to define it in your own words
● To create a wetland biome using different materials that will be provided
● To understand how contaminants from everyday activities affect wetlands and how that will
ultimately affect rivers, lakes, and oceans
Directions for biome activity:
● Use the materials that are provided to create your very own wetland biome
Contamination Observations
What is in YOUR water?
Hypothesis: How does daily pollution and rain affect the soil and natural habitats? How are you
directly affecting and adding to the levels of pollution?
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What is it?
DISCOVERING BIOMES
Refer to your model biome of a wetland and draw a rough sketch and label the important attributes of the
biome. What category is your wetland? How can you tell?
12
Free Write:
This section is used to write down notes from the day’s activities including your definition of a wetland, a
drawing of your wetland and any labels that will help you remember what you drew.
13
Reflection:
How was designing a wetland? What were some of the easier things to make? Harder? If you could go
back and work on your model again what would you do differently? The same?
14
Day 3
Objective:
● To understand how to fill out an ORAM evaluation form
● To carry out the ORAM protocol
● To understand how to grade the scores from the ORAM
Directions:
● Follow directions laid out in the protocol or use QR codes for each metric
Free Write:
Write down the observations that you gather while assessing the wetland, this would include date, time of
day, temperature, plants and animals observed and the score from your assessment. You may also include
anything else that you think may be helpful to help better your understanding of wetlands and ORAMs.
15
Reflection:
Congratulations on completing your first ORAM! How was working through it? Were there any parts of the
ORAM you didn’t understand? Were you surprised by how much you knew? Based on the data you have
so far can you categorize your wetland? Do you have any questions about what you did today? What did
you write about in your free write anything interesting? Write about it here!
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Day 3
(supplement)
Objective:
To complete a mock ORAM by completing a series of stations that will be set up by your teacher.
Directions:
Your teacher will set up a series of stations to be completed that will allow you to score a “wetland” using
the ORAM scoring sheet.
If time permits:
You will also complete the virtual exploration of a wetlands which can be found at the address below:
http://kurrawa.gbrmpa.gov.au/reefed/exploring_wetlands/exploring_wetlands.html
Access the website and follow the instructions and complete at least 2 of the 5 sites. Make notes and
observations including data, and any questions you may have in the space below be sure to use the
provided table for more specific information.
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Reflection:
So how was your adventure with the mock? Anything interesting come out of it? Was there anything you
didn’t understand? Did you discover you knew more than you thought you would? Think back to the biomes
you made. Was the virtual website what you imagined it would be? Did your biome accurately depict the
wetland?
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Day 4
Objective:
● Analyze soil samples
● Understand the importance of pH and soil types for organisms
Soil pH Lab
1. Pose a Scientific question
a. _________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
2. Hypothesis
a. If ________________________________________________________________
b. then _____________________________________________________________
3. Predict which sample you think will have the best pH for organisms and why
a. _________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
4. Procedure
a. Place a small sample of each soil sample (pinky tip size) into it’s own ChemPlate divot ( be
sure to label the sample that is inside the cup).
b. Record your soil observations in the chart below.
c. Add soil pH indicator to saturate the soil plus a drop to ensure you can see the indicator
color.
d. Mix the soil solution with a toothpick.
e. Place the Chem Plate on the white paper.
f. Compare the color of the liquid with the pH indicator Chart.
g. Record the results in the table below.
Soil Observation Chart
Soil Sample (location at
Wetland )
Description ( texture, particle
size, color, etc...)
pH Level
Sample #1 _____________
Sample #2 _____________
Sample #3 _____________
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Free Write:
This section can be used to write down any other observations you may have or any questions that have
come up.
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Reflection:
How did the soil analysis go? I bet you won’t look at soil the same again. So then what about your ORAM
total score? What was it? The classification? Was it close to what you guessed? Compare your score to
the others in the class. How close were you in proximity to each other? What could you have done
differently to become more accurate?
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Day 5
Objective:
● To be able to discuss all of the observations that were made in the past week with your peers
● To come up with solutions that will keep the wetlands healthy
● To implement your ideas and to promote your ideas among your family and friends
Directions:
● Your teacher will break your class up into different groups where you will discuss observations
made throughout the week
● Brainstorm different ideas of what you can do as a person to keep wetlands healthy and ways to
promote those ideas
Free Write:
Write down the different observations that were made throughout the week and mark down what your
favorite observation was and why. Write down some different ideas that you and your group members
come up with to help promote healthy wetlands.
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Reflection:
You are now finished with the wetland curricula. Looking back on the past few days, what information do
you feel is the most important you learned? What can you do to ensure your friends and family learn the
same information? How much has your knowledge of wetlands and their importance to the environment
increased?
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Glossary
A
●
Aquatic bed- includes areas of wetlands dominated by plants that grow principally on or below the
surface of the water for most of the growing season.
●
Bog - wet, spongy ground with soil composed of decayed vegetable matter.
●
Buffer - non-human landscape features that have the ability to protect the wetland from human
impact.
●
Category 1 Wetland - isolated emergent marshes with almost no upland buffers found in agricultural
fields.
●
Category 2 Wetland - is a broad category containing wetlands that are ‘fair’ to wetlands that are
considered ‘good’. Support wildlife but rarely contain threatened species and have little human
disturbance.
●
Category 3 Wetland - provide habitat for endangered species, are high quality mature forested
wetlands or are scarce regionally and statewide.
●
Clearcutting - to cut down all the trees in a section of the forest for harvesting.
●
Combined Sewer Overflow - Discharge of a mixture of storm water and domestic waste when the
flow capacity of a sewer system is exceeded during rainstorms.
●
Condensation - the conversion of a gas to a liquid.
●
Conservation ○ Protection of valued resources the prevention, management and care of natural resources.
B
C
○
Protection from change, the keeping or protecting of something from change, loss, or
damage.
D
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Dike - a bank that holds back the water from a larger water body (a river or lake).
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Dredging- the removal of material from the bottom of lakes, rivers, ponds, etc.
E
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Emergent- includes areas of wetlands dominated by erect, rooted, herbaceous hydrophytes,
excluding mosses and lichens.
●
Ecology - dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment,
including other organisms.
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Erosion - the process by which the surface of the earth is worn away by the action of water,
glaciers, winds, waves, etc.
●
Evaporation - the process by which water is changed to gas or vapor; occurs directly from water
surfaces and from the soil.
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Fen - a peatland fed by groundwater. They are less acidic than bogs and often contain woody or
herbaceous vegetation.
●
Filtration - process by which water seeps into the ground.
●
Floodplain - level land by rivers and streams that can be submerged by flood water.
●
Gas - Matter that is neither liquid nor solid and expands or contracts rapidly and uniformly with
temperature changes.
●
Groundwater - the water beneath the surface of the ground, consisting largely of surface water that
has seeped down; the source of water in springs and wells.
●
Herbaceous - plants without woody stems.
●
Hummocks - a wooded area lying above the level of an adjacent marsh.
●
Hydrology - looks at the properties, movement and effects of water found on the earth.
●
Hydrologic Regime -the distribution over time of water in a watershed, among precipitation,
evaporation, soil moisture, groundwater storage, surface storage, and runoff.
●
Hydrophytes- a plant that grows wholly or partly submerged in water.
●
Impervious - not permitting penetration or passage, impenetrable.
●
Infiltration -
F
G
H
I
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○
The penetration of water through the ground surface into subsurface soil or the penetration
of water from the soil into sewer or other pipelines through defective joints, connections, or
manhole walls.
○
The technique of applying large volumes of waste water to land to penetrate the surface and
percolate through the underlying.
●
Intermittent- occurring at irregular intervals.
●
Interspersion- the level or degree of intermingling of one kind of organism with others in the
community.
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Inundated- to flood or overflow.
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Invasive species- non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem, whose introduction causes environmental
harm.
●
Lake Erie coastal/tributary wetland-unrestricted hydrology- wetland is located at an elevation less
than 575 feet on the USGS map and along a tributary to Lake Erie. Hydrology is unrestricted
meaning there are no lakeward or upland border alterations.
●
Lake Erie coastal/tributary wetland-restricted hydrology- wetland is located at an elevation less than
575 feet on the USGS map and along a tributary to Lake Erie. The wetland’s hydrology is partially
restricted due to lakeward dikes or other hydrological controls.
●
Lake Plain Sand Prairies - has sandy substrate with interspersed organic matter, a water table
within a few inches of the surface, and has mainly grassy vegetation with some woody species.
●
Mature forested wetland - a forested wetland with 50% or more of the canopy made up of
deciduous trees with a diameter of more than 45 cm at chest height.
●
Microtopography- small scale variations in the height and roughness of the ground surface.
●
Mudflats- includes wetlands characterized by exposed or shallowly inundated substrates with
vegetative cover less than 30%.
●
Natural Environment - Encompasses all living and nonliving things occurring naturally on earth.
●
Natural Resource - a naturally occurring material, e.g. coral or wood that can be exploited by
people.
L
M
N
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O
●
Old growth forest- forested wetland characterized by overstory canopy trees of great age, little or no
evidence of human-caused understory disturbance during the past 80 to 100 years, multilayered
canopies, aggregations of canopy trees interspersed with canopy gaps, and standing dead snags
and downed logs.
●
Peatland- a wetland that is made up of dead, decaying plant material that is mixed in with a
waterlogged organic soil (peat)
●
Perennial - a stream that flows year round.
●
pH - measures the acidity of a solution. It is the negative log of the concentration of the hydrogen
ions in a substance.
●
Point source - a source of pollution that comes from a specific physical location.
●
Pollutants - generally, any substance introduced into the environment that adversely affects the
usefulness of a resource or the health of humans, animal, or ecosystems.
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Precipitation - liquid or solid water that falls to earth.
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Recovered- the wetland appears to have recovered from past alterations.
●
Recovering- the wetland appears to be in the process of recovering from past alterations.
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Relict wet prairie- dominated by emergent plants, including grasses and other low growing plants.
Relict wet prairies support a greater diversity of species than other types of marshes.
●
Reservoir - a place where water is stored.
●
Riparian - an area of land next to a body of water.
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Runoff - the part of precipitation or snowmelt that appears in streams or surface-water bodies.
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Sapling - a young tree.
●
Sanitary Sewer - relating to public health, especially general hygiene and the removal of human
waste through the sewage system.
●
Saturated- the surface is wet due to capillary action.
P
R
S
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Sedimentation - depositing sediment or other materials that have been waterborne or windborne.
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Shrub- includes areas of wetlands dominated by woody vegetation less than 6m (20 ft) tall.
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Stormwater input- an abnormal amount of surface water due to a heavy rain or snow storm.
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Surface Water - all water naturally open to the atmosphere(rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds,
streams, impoundments, seas, estuaries, etc.).
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Tillage - a way of nurturing crops by mechanically manipulating the soil.
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Transpiration - to give off wastes from the surface in the form of vapor, as plants.
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Turbidity - the cloudiness of water due to stirred up sediment.
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Tussock - a tuft or clump of growing grass.
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Upland - an environment that does not have direct contact with surface water.
●
Water Pollution - the addition of harmful chemicals to natural water sources of water pollution in the
United States include industrial waste , runoff from fields treated with chemical fertilizers, and runoff
from areas that have been minded.
●
Weir -A low dam built across a river to raise the level of water upstream or regulate its flow.
●
Wetland - an area of land that is saturated or inundated by water regularly and supports life adapted
to saturated soil environments.
T
U
W
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