The Prairie Waters Education and Research Center serves as a statewide resource for water education, research, and management. It focuses on four main areas: educational activities for K-12 students, workshops for teachers, professional workshops, and housing the VCSU Macroinvertebrate lab for student research. The Center brings school groups for hands-on water education and oversees the River Watch program, which gives high school students experience monitoring water quality in their local areas. It also provides workshops for teachers and professionals on topics like water quality monitoring. The Center is housed at the Kathryn School and is funded through VCSU, state agencies, and grants.

1. The Prairie Waters Education
and Research Center
Valley City State University

2. Goal
• To establish a learning center dedicated to
water education that serves a wide variety
of clientele including students, teachers,
and resource personnel.

3. Introduction
• We have started a Center that is a
statewide resource for water education,
research, and management.
• Four main areas of emphasis:
– Educational activities for K-12 students
– Workshops for teachers
– Professional workshops
– House the VCSU Macroinvertebrate lab and
involve college students in research, education,
and outreach activities related to water

4. The Site - Kathryn School

5. Educational Activities for K-12
• Bring school groups to the Center for water
education
– Displays for the commons area
– Classroom activities
– Field trips to nearby resources
• Outreach programs

8. Center Use
• In year one served approximately 900 k -12
students
• Year two – app. 1320
• Year three – app 2000

12. River Watch
• Part of our mission is to oversee the River
Watch program in ND
• Gives high school students experience in
taking water quality measurements in their
local area
• Currently working with 6 schools in North
Dakota

13. River Watch
• We provide equipment:
– YSI multiprobe sonde
– Water sampling bottle
– Hach Turbidimeter
– Turbidity tube

14. River Watch
• Training
– Calibrating equipment
• Funding
– Cover 60% of transportation and
substitute teacher costs
• Host River Watch Conference twice a year
• Website for data

15. River Watch
• Current River Watch schools:
– West Fargo High School
– Sargent Central High School
– Mayville Portland High School
– Montpellier High School
– Kensal High School
– Hatton High School

16. River Watch
• In 2012 we had four River Watch schools
present at the North Dakota Water Quality
Monitoring Conference
• We plan on several schools also presenting
this spring at the 2014 NDWQM Conference

17. Teacher Workshops
• Provide a variety of workshops for teachers
– River Watch training
• Partner with other entities to provide
workshops
– ND Great Plains STEM Workshop – Fort Yates
– North Dakota Geographical Alliance workshop
– Project Wet workshops

19. Professional workshops
• Work with state agencies to facilitate their
needs
– Workshops for Soil Conservation District
and NRCS personnel
– In 2013 held two workshops entitled
Water 101
•One at Prairie Waters
•Other in Dickenson

20. Professional workshops
Working with the North Dakota
Department of Health in developing
Certification program for water quality
monitoring
• Held a workshop in May of 2013 that
focused on water quality monitoring for
rivers and streams

21. Macroinvertebrate Lab – Student
Research
• Continue providing opportunities for
undergraduate experiences and research
– We do water quality measurements on
Lake Ashtabula for the Army Corps of
Engineers

22. Macroinvertebrate Lab – Student
Research
• Do a variety of projects with the North
Dakota Game and Fish
– We currently do the Zebra Mussel
sampling for North Dakota Game and Fish
– -Summer of 2013 we did a search for an
invasive species called the rusty crayfish
– Have done various mussels surveys to
examine water quality in the Sheyenne
River

24. Funding
• VCSU
• North Dakota Game and Fish Outreach
• North Dakota Department of Health 319
grant

25. Personnel
• Dr. Andre DeLorme - Director
• Bonita Roswick – Education Specialist
• Louis Wieland – Lab Manager

26. Questions?