Kentucky 4-H Stream Team
Overview
The 4-H Stream Program is designed to train youth as citizen scientists who are able to conduct scientific investigations about streams across the Commonwealth, determining if these waters are healthy. This program is a collaboration between Watershed Watch in Kentucky, Kentucky Division of Water, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, Jackson Purchase Foundation, Inc., and University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment departments of 4-H Youth Development and Entomology. Initial funding for the 4-H Stream Team Program was provided by the Kentucky Colonels Good Works Program.
Kentucky 4-H believes that all youth should have opportunities for positive youth development in our four guiding concepts: mastery, belonging, independence, and generosity. This program fosters mastery by increasing environmental literacy, belonging by interacting and connecting with adults and youth with similar interests, independence by practicing leadership skills and independent thinking, and generosity by designing and completing a community service project. Contact your county extension office for more information (link).
Curriculum
Leader's Guide (currently being piloted)
Additional Resources
PowerPoint slides* to accompany Stream Team Leader's Guide:
- Safety and Site Selection
- Watersheds
- Adopt-a-Stream
- Dissolved Oxygen
- pH
- Temperature
- Turbidity
- Aquatic Macroinvertebrates
- Habitat
- Community Service
- Bacteria
*The PowerPoint slides provide additional information for leaders and/or can be used with youth to help them better understand the content.
Curriculum:
- Healthy Water, Healthy People: Field Monitoring Guide Middle and High School
- Healthy Water, Healthy People: Water Quality Educator’s Guide Upper Elementary through High School
- Project Water Education for Teachers Curriculum and Activity Guide (WET) Grades K-12*
*To receive a Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide, you must attend a 6-hour educator workshop. Contact the Kentucky Association for Environmental Education for information on upcoming WET educator workshops available in your area.
Marketing:
- Collect and Identify Aquatic Organisms
- Conduct Chemical Water Testing
- Creek Scavenger Hunt
- Habitat Assessment
- Odor Indicators in Stream
- Plan and Conduct Community Service Projects
- Protect and Improve Water Quality
- Study Streams and Collect Data
- What Creek is Near Your Home
- Visual Indicators in Stream - Color
- Visual Indicators in Stream - Floatables
Publications and Informational Handouts:
- Aquatic Macroinvertebrates: Biological Indicators of Stream Health
- Central Kentucky Backyard Stream Guide
- Keeping Trash Out of Streams
- Kentucky Water Watch Benthic Macroinvertebrate Identification Key
- Kentucky's Water Health Guide
- Living Along a Kentucky Stream
- Planting a Riparian Buffer
- Planting Along Your Stream, Lake, or Pond
- Reducing Stormwater Pollution
- Restoring Streams
- Stormwater
- Understanding and Protecting Kentucky's Watersheds
- Watershed Planning Guidebook for Kentucky Community
- What is a watershed?
Videos:
- Edible Watershed Activity (State 4-H Office)
- Habitat Assessment (KWRRI)
- Macroinvertrebrates (Entomology Dept)
- pH (State 4-H Office)
- Watershed Activity (KWRRI)
- Watershed Watch in Kentucky Training Videos (WWKY)
Websites:
- Kentucky Water Health Portal
- KY4H2O Podcast Series
- Macroinvertebrates.org
- Science Take Out Activities (available for purchase)
- STO-155: Treating Dirty Water
- STO-107 Acid Rain and Buffers
- STO-152 Safe Water?
- STO-115 Pollution Investigation
- STO-CEH2 Safe Well Water? Community Environmental Health Kit
- Watershed Watch in Kentucky Data Portal
State Contact: Ashley Osborne | ashley.osborne@uky.edu| 859-218-0986