PROGRAM GOALS
Considerations and Options

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When setting a program up, visit with all partners. Prepare a presentation for the school board and communicate with periodic updates. Involve students with presentations after they are familiar with the program.

Establish an Advisory Committee comprised of teachers, students, and local resource managers to review initial program structure and on-going review of progress. Make sure the program, experience, and resultant data are useful to all partners. Help identify needs and opportunities to improve procedures, understanding, and results.

Broaden student's perspectives of resource management issues by bringing in resource personnel such as watershed district managers, agri-business reps, farmers, engineers, city water/waste managers, SWCD, and other agency personnel, etc to interact with classes. Develop working partnerships between students and these resource people. These resource people react to program data gathered by students as management options discussed.

River Watch can be very flexible and useful for meeting grad standard requirements including science, math, social studies, English, arts, music, computer, and technology. For example, watershed personnel could do a social studies class on drainage laws and the importance of drainage to Ag and watershed operations/projects. They could also give presentations to vocational Ag classes. English classes could do papers, interviews, etc. on various aspects of river use; logging/saw mills, flour mills, fishing, and recreation. Art has options for video, performance, and other media. Providing a recognition certificate or similar acknowledgment to students participating in River Watch can be done at school assemblies where music, athletic, or other awards are given out. 

Establishing a biological monitoring program to compliment the chemical/physical measurements of the above described program is also desirable. Whereas the chemistry teacher is generally involved with the River Watch Monitoring Program, a biology teacher could be the best person to involve in a macro invertebrate monitoring program. If your local SWCD/Water Planner or watershed district personnel has some experience with this type of monitoring it will be easier to initiate this program. River Watch will be emphasizing more biological monitoring in the future.
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