Making the Most of Your Library Visit
There is an ocean’s worth of information about water out there. The Creek Freaks Library offers time-tested materials that can help make you a stream expert.
Creek Freaks Curriculum
- Holding onto the GREEN Zone: Link to the downloadable Student Action and Leader guides on the Bureau of Land Management Web site.
- Holding onto the GREEN Zone Addendum (PDF): Tips on running activities from the Holding onto the GREEN Zone Action Guide, as well as extra activities and materials.
- Materials list - A list of materials for some of the Holding onto the GREEN Zone and Holding onto the GREEN Zone addendum activities.
Creek Freaks Stream Monitoring Materials
- Biological monitoring instructions (PDF) and Biological monitoring form (PDF)
- Chemical monitoring instructions (PDF) and Chemical monitoring form (PDF)
- Phyical monitoring instructions (PDF) and Physical monitoring form (PDF)
- Multimedia report data tips - How to upload photos, videos, art, and stories about your creek to let other Creek Freaks across the country know why this creek is special.
- Get Into the Green: Riparian Zones: Not sure what a "riparian zone" is and why a healthy one matters? Get the basics here.
- Key to Stream Macroinvertebrates (PDF link): This 1-pager walks you through identifying bugs in your creek with detailed illustrations and tips like looking at the number of legs and tails.
- Sources of Pollution: Point and Nonpoint: When asked to picture pollution entering rivers, most people think of factory pipes spewing foul-smelling chemicals into the water. But the most significant threat to water quality today is pollution without an easily identifiable source. Learn more about pollution sources.
- What Is a Wetland: Healthy wetlands are essential to healthy fish and wildlife populations – and a healthy economy. Learn more about wetland functions here.
Water Words: Your Water Dictionary: From aquifers to wetlands (sorry, no "z" words in our dictionary yet), we'll walk you through the many words that describe the health of your waterways and how they function.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
IWLA Watershed Stewardship Action Kit
- Funding Watershed Conservation Projects (PDF): This brief overview of fundraising includes sources for finding grant opportunities.
- Media and Publicity (PDF): One of the keys to water quality success is publicizing your water quality monitoring work – and what you find. This 2-pager offers tips on working with the press.
- Recognizing and Reporting Water Quality Problems (PDF): This 6-page fact sheet gives a quick overview of water quality problems you might encounter or your next Creek Freaks adventure and can help you be better prepared to identify any problems you encounter.
- Safety and Fun in Your Watershed (PDF): This 3-page fact sheet offers quick tips on staying safe while working to protect your water resources, from first aid kits to snakes and ticks.
- Ten Steps to Cleaner Water (PDF): This 6-page publication empowers readers with more in-depth steps they can take to conserve water and become advocates in their communities.
- Understanding and Using the Clean Water Act (PDF): This 4-pager gives a brief overview of the federal Clean Water Act, including pollution sources, permitting, and protecting wetlands.
How-To's
- Build a Model Watershed (PDF): This step-by-step guide explains in just 2 pages how to build a model watershed and offers a few talking points on how watersheds work.
- Build Nets to Catch and Preserve Stream Insects (PDF): You can cut costs for your program by building your own bug-catching nets. This 2-pager offers step-by-step instructions on how to build two types of nets plus tips on bug preservation (although we prefer returning our bugs to the wild!).
External Web Sites
- Wasting Water Is Weird: This EPA-funded Web site takes on water wasters with Rip the Drip and offers easy tips to improve water use at home.
