PEWI Exercise – Ms. Kissell’s Science Class
Activity: PEWI – People in Ecosystems Watershed Integration
Website: http://www.nrem.iastate.edu/pewi/app
PEWI is an online game to help students learn about multiple human demands on our environment.
Humans demand agricultural products and other environmental benefits agricultural lands can provide,
including clean water, abundant wildlife, and recreational opportunities.
Part I: PEWI Introduction and Tutorial Provided by Instructor
Part II: Try Out PEWI – Three Basic Scenarios
Explore the effects of three land uses: (1) corn, (2) hay, and (3) prairie. Go to the PEWI webpage and complete
steps a) through k) for corn. Start over and repeat for hay. Start over and repeat for prairie.
Change the land use on the watershed:
a) Find the 15 circle icons on the left side of the screen.
b) Hover over each icon until you find the icon that matches your land use. Then click on it.
c) Move your mouse to hover over the watershed in the middle of the screen.
d) Find the top left rectangle. When you hover your mouse, you will see the display “1,1”.
e) Double click your mouse on this rectangle. All the rectangles in the watershed should change to the
land use you selected in step b).
Record the agricultural and environmental benefits:
f) Move your mouse to the right side of the screen, and click on the tab labeled “Results.”
g) On the Results page, go to the second table, labeled “Score Indicator/Measurement.”
h) In that table, go to the section called Score (out of 100), and the column “Y1.”
i) Record the scores for the five items listed below.
j) Refresh the webpage.
k) Move on to the next land use, and repeat steps a) through j).
Results
Score (out of 100), Y1
Score Indicator/Measurement
Corn yield
Hay yield
Nitrate pollution control/in-stream
concentration loading
Erosion Control/Gross erosion
Biodiversity
(1) corn
(2) hay
(3) prairie
Discussion: What patterns does each land use show? How are they different? How are they similar? Why?
1
Part III: Advanced Exercise – Meeting multiple human demands on the agricultural landscape
What else do humans demand from agricultural landscapes? Design your ideal watershed. Consider things like:
a)
b)
c)
d)
What benefits do I get from different land uses?
What benefits do I want agricultural watersheds to provide?
What land uses should go next to the stream?
What land uses do better when it’s a wet year? What land uses do better when it’s a dry year?
You may use whatever land uses that you desire. Please note your results below for Year 1 (Y1). Also note the
Precipitation in Year 1 (inches): ______________.
Land Use
Alfalfa
Conservation Corn
Conservation Forest
Conservation Soybeans
Conventional Forest
Corn
Grass Hay
Herbaceous Bioenergy
Mixed Fruit & Vegetables
Permanent Pasture
Prairie
Rotational Grazing
Soybeans
Wetlands
Woody Bioenergy
Percent
Y1
Score Indicator/Measurement
Alfalfa Yield
Cattle Supported
Corn Yield
Hay Yield
Herbaceous Perennial
Bioenergy Yield
Mixed fruit and vegetable yield
Short-rotation woody bioenergy
yield
Soybean yield
Timber production
Erosion control/gross erosion
Phosphorus pollution control/instream loading
Sediment control/in-stream
delivery
Nitrate pollution control/instream concentration
Biodiversity
Game wildlife
Carbon sequestration
Total Index
2
Score (out of 100)
Y1