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Land Use Unit Plan

In this module students will learn what the past held for the Hudson River. This module contains lessons that can be used to recap lessons they have learned in earlier modules. Students will learn about change to the Hudson River over geological time as well as change due to the presence of humans. The lessons and resources in this module can easily be added to or joined with lessons from the Pollution or Invasive Species modules.

Land Use Change

Day 1:

Introduction:

Objective: Students will know the major changes that have taken place in the Hudson Valley over the last 400 years and be able to use aerial photos to describe major trends.

Students will know the effects of higher carbon dioxide levels on temperature, and be able to graph data explaining this relationship.

Activities:
1. Students brainstorm major changes in the Hudson Valley since the arrival of European settlers 2. Students look at aerial photos and discuss them to determine major trends in Dutchess County 3. Students view powerpoint presentation

Assignment: Read “Change and the Hudson River”

Materials: aerial photos, powerpoint, grid overlay

Day 2-3:

Paleoclimate of the Hudson Valley:

Objective: Students will know how the climate of the Hudson Valley has changed since the last glaciation and be able to explain these changes.

Activities:
1. Students brainstorm about ecosystems in the past 2. Using prepared soil ‘samples’ with fossilized ‘pollen’, students determine the climate history of the region 3. As a class, students reconstruct the history of the last 16,000 years

Assignment: Complete reading and answer questions

Materials: prepared 8 bags of soil, 14 different types of confetti, worksheets, tweezers, paper plates, sample sediment ‘core’

Day 4:

Change since 1609:

Objective: Students will know how the climate of the Hudson Valley has changed since the last 400 years and be able to explain these changes.

Activities:
1. Students brainstorm about ecosystems in the past 2. Using prepared soil ‘samples’ with fossilized ‘pollen’, students determine the changes in vegetation since European arrival 3. As a class, students reconstruct the history of the Hudson Valley since the arrival of Henry Hudson

Assignment: Complete reading and answer questions

Materials: 6 bags of soil with 14 different types of confetti , worksheets , tweezers , paper plates , sample sediment ‘core’

Day 5-6:

Importance of Soil:

Objective: Students will know the importance of soil as a water filter, and be able to construct a filter from different materials.

Activities:
1. Students discuss the importance of soil 2. Students receive materials and design a water filter 3. Students conduct experiment and discuss results

Assignment: Complete lab worksheet

Materials: For each group: plastic funnel, water, 500 mL beaker, graduated cylinder (250 mL), coffee filters (5 for each group), potting soil, gravel, sand, clay, plastic wrap, collection tubs (beakers, jars, other containers), food coloring (optional)

Day 7-8:

Permeability of Soils:

Objective: Students will know the connection between land use and water quality, and be able to use data from a classroom activity to explain this connection

Activities:
1. Students will look at aerial photos of their schoolyard and/or community and discuss the different types of land use in the area. 2. Students will use a model to determine the difference in runoff vs. infiltration of different surfaces. 3. Students will discuss how permeability affects runoff

Assignment: Complete lab worksheet

Materials: For each group: plastic funnel, water, 500 mL beaker, graduated cylinder (250 mL), coffee filters (5 for each group), potting soil, gravel, sand, clay, plastic wrap, collection tubs (beakers, jars, other containers), food coloring (optional)

Day 9-11:

Land Use & Water Quality:

Objective: Students will know how land use affects water quality, and be able to compare results from two different types of aquatic ecosystems.

Activities:
1. Students determine which aquatic ecosystems to study (one with 0-10% impervious surfaces, and one with more than 30% impervious surface), and create hypotheses for their water quality based on observed land use. 2. Students obtain aerial photos of the study site, and/or conduct a land use survey on foot. 3. Students complete water quality study at two different sites, compile and discuss results. 4. Students use data to compare nitrogen retention in urban, suburban, and agricultural settings

Assignment: Complete lab worksheet

Materials: metersticks, measuring tape, thermometers (air and water), ping pong or tennis ball, stopwatch, waders or appropriate shoes, dissecting trays, tweezers, nets to observe benthic material (optional), test kits for DO, phosphates, nitrates, pH, chloride and other appropriate tests, goggles, gloves, data sheets-separate sheets for ponds/lakes, streams/rivers, macroinvertebrates and water chemistry

Day 12-13:

Human Accelerated Environmental Change:

Objective: Students will know some of the major changes that have taken place in the Hudson River watershed and be able to determine what has caused these changes.

Activities:
1. Students view a powerpoint of different human impacts on a global scale, taking notes and discussing questions when necessary. 2. Using the jigsaw technique, students examine one type of change more closely and then explain this to other classmates. 3. Students answer questions based on a short reading assignment.

Assignment: Complete group handout

Materials: powerpoint presentation, Copies of HAEC Notes-one for each student, Copies of HAEC questions-one packet for each student, Copies of HAEC group handout-one copy for the class; can be laminated and used again (color printing is best) , Copies of HAEC Summary Graphs-one per student, Copies of HAEC reading-one for each student

Day 14-15:

Macroinvertebrates & Land Use Change - Using EPT Richness:

Objective: Students will know how land use affects water quality, and be able to use macroinvertebrates to understand the impact of land use change in watersheds. 

Activities:
1. Students select watersheds for the study, and create hypotheses for macroinvertebrates based on observed land use.  2. Students obtain aerial photos of the study site, and determine amount of impervious surface in each tested watershed.  3. Students complete macroinvertebrate studies at two different sites, compile and discuss results. 4. Students compare their results with published scientific data.

Assignment: Complete lab worksheet

Materials: Historic and current aerial photos (from website), aerial photos or Google maps of watershed(s), transparency with grid, waders or appropriate shoes, leaf pack bags (plastic mesh bags for leaf litter), dissecting trays, tweezers, sorting containers to observe benthic material, test kits for DO, phosphates, nitrates, pH, chloride and other appropriate tests (optional), goggles, gloves, data sheets for macroinvertebrates

Day 14-15:

Macroinvertebrates & Land Use Change - Using Pollution Tolerance:

Objective: Students will know how land use affects water quality, and be able to use macroinvertebrates to understand the impact of land use change in watersheds. 

Activities:
1. Students select watersheds for the study, and create hypotheses for macroinvertebrates based on observed land use.  2. Students obtain aerial photos of the study site, and determine amount of impervious surface in each tested watershed.  3. Students complete macroinvertebrate studies at two different sites, compile and discuss results. 4. Students compare their results with published scientific data.

Assignment: Complete lab worksheet

Materials: Historic and current aerial photos (from website), aerial photos or Google maps of watershed(s), transparency with grid, waders or appropriate shoes, leaf pack bags (plastic mesh bags for leaf litter), dissecting trays, tweezers, sorting containers to observe benthic material, test kits for DO, phosphates, nitrates, pH, chloride and other appropriate tests (optional), goggles, gloves, data sheets for macroinvertebrates

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