Objective
A primary objective of StreamTeams
is to discover the educational value of the natural environment. By
being involved in a StreamTeam, you will get to know the water body
near your school and gain a sense of responsibility and stewardship
for the environment. In addition to your own learning, participation
in a StreamTeam can provide a valuable service to the community through
your monitoring and study of the waterway.
Background
Boulder Creek is the primary
creek in the watershed, but it is not the only creek. There are hundreds
of tributaries (creeks that feed into Boulder Creek), ponds, lakes and
wetlands to be explored and protected. Creeks are an important backbone
to a healthy environment. Healthy creeks mean healthy animals and plants,
as well as happy and healthy humans. Just as we care for ourselves,
we must also care for the waterways that we live near. 
Activity
There are a number of important
questions to explore in developing a StreamTeam. You will have questions
and concerns of your own, but here are several questions to consider:
1. Why is it important for
people to keep streams clean, to preserve and enhance them?
2. List several problems
that might exist in and around waterways near your school.
3. What are actions we can
take to help reduce these problems?
StreamTeam
Responsibilities
If your class chooses to
form a StreamTeam, you will adopt a section of stream or other body
of water near the school to keep clean, monitor and protect. Adopting
a waterway will give you a sense of satisfaction and pride for their
hard work; it will be a fun and educational outdoor experience; and
it will help you understand your connection to the natural environment.
The responsibilities of a
school StreamTeam include:
1. Identifying the waterway
near your school.
2. Signing an agreement with
the city about the work you will do on the adopted waterway.
3. Creating a watershed map.
4. Planning a creek walk
to take inventory of your adopted waterway to find out where pollution
problems are, soil erosion, urban development impacts.
5. Setting Priorities:
