Curriculum Development For Experiential Learning Opportunities At Waterdale Environmental Education Center

Elaine Langone Center, Terrace Room

The best means to protect and conserve a watershed is through exposure and education. The purpose of my research was to update and create new curricular materials for implementation of experimental learning activities at the Waterdale Environmental Education Center. Located within the Mosquito Creek Watershed in Duboistown, PA, the Waterdale Lodge is the center for a cooperative collaboration of public water supply utilities, academic institutions, and local and state conservation organizations. The catchment in for the Mosquito Creek Valley feeds into the West Branch Susquehanna River. The Waterdale Environmental Education Center is a community partnership between the Lycoming College Education and Biology Departments and Clean Water Institute, along with the Williamsport Municipal Water Authority (WMWA). Waterdale is a resource for K-12 education outreach and for college research projects. Educational efforts at Waterdale include scavenger hunts, aquatic macro invertebrate sampling and identification, tour of water filtration plant, water monitoring and testing, and demonstrations utilizing stream model, groundwater model and Enviroscape model. Curricular development refers to the educational process by which instructors create and correct their content delivery and design. Experiential learning allows students opportunities to learn through hands-on activities that occur outside the traditional classroom walls. The curriculum developed for the Waterdale Environmental Educational Center incorporates experiential learning opportunities that promote watershed sustainability education, water quality testing, and effects of pollution on surrounding watersheds, storm water management, small stream habitats, and spatial and temporal variability within and across watersheds. The objective of the Waterdale curriculum guide is to provide the content necessary for scientific fieldwork and teaching experiences in a real-world environmental setting, utilizing local resources and academic professionals.