WATERSHED
Cliffs Notes
Min. ELEMENT:
Q & A:
5
Watershed
Managers
EXPLORATION:
Natural
Watershed
Features
10
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
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10
A watershed is a land area that drains to a low
point (with hand motions).
Watershed
Boundaries
Runoff & Surface
Water
Erosion
EXPLORATION: We all live in a watershed and we manage the
Human Activity in land (neighborhoods, farms forests, etc.) for
the Watershed
the water quality and health of the
 Water Storage &
ecosystem.
Transportation

Non-point
Source Pollution
Q & A:
5
Big Ideas
What you ask:
A watershed is a land area that drains to a low What is a manager? Does your classroom have a manager? Do
your parents manage anything for you? What do they manage
point.
for you? We have a chance to be watershed managers today.
So we know what a manager is, but what is a watershed? What
The boundaries of a watershed are the high
is a tool shed? What does your dog shed? What is a watershed?
points or mountains.
Where are the edges of the watershed? Where are we on this
Significance of a
Watershed
A watershed is a land area that drains to a low point.
The boundaries of a watershed are the high points or
mountains.
We all live in a watershed and we manage the land
(neighborhoods, farms forests, etc.) for the water
quality and health of the ecosystem.
map? What watershed are we in? What would we find at the
edges of the colored areas? Where do all of the rivers lead to?
Can you point to the watershed boundary or edge on our model?
If it snowed up in the mountains what do you think would
happen to that snow? (snowpack/snowmelt)
Where does the water from the mountain sides go? What do you
think we call this water? (runoff)
Why does the water run downhill in a watershed? (gravity)
What is surface water?
Can water move particles of dirt? Sand? Even pieces of rock?
(erosion)
What do we call this when water moves particles?
What are some good effects of erosion? What do we have in our
state that was formed by the power of water eroding the land?
What are some bad effects of erosion?
Do you live in a watershed? How do we get water to where
people need it?
How do farmers get water that is flowing nearby into their fields?
What if we want to make a lake in the widest part of the river?
How would you do that?
Could storm water pick up potential pollutants (like detergent,
paint thinners, and pesticides) that we leave on the land? Where
does storm water take them?
What is a watershed?
Do you think your house is in this watershed that we talked about
today?
How are snow melt and runoff connected?
How many kinds of watershed managers they can think of?
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