BMS Students Study Nature's Most Precious Resource

It is very pleasant to take a refreshing dip in the cool water on a hot summer day.  We assume this water is clean,  yet rarely do we pause to consider the fact that the water may be contaminated by a variety of seen and unseen causes.  The students in the Grade 8 Science classes at Belleville Middle School  have been exploring a variety of these water issues through a visiting lecture series provided by Americorps and their staff of Watershed Ambassadors.   Americorps is a federally funded national service program.
 
Patricia Michelotti and Ursula Surgal, Watershed Ambassadors, recently showed the students a slide show about diatoms.  These one-celled organisms can be used as biological indicators to assess the cleanliness of a body of water.  Next, the students completed a hands-on group activity where they used a dichotomous key to identify the species of diatoms living in their particular body of water.  Finally, they shared with the class the exact location of their body of water.
 
The students will be exploring more water issues, such as macroinvertebrates as biological indicators and why watershed protection is important.