In response to teacher feedback, we have modified the fish monitoring kit format to enhance classroom participation and speed up the collection process. Documentation on the website has also been modified to reflect the changes, so please read accompanying materials carefully.
Teachers may request materials for sampling up to 3 DIFFERENT SITES at one time. We will now provide 3 separate filtration set-ups per site (including a separate pump, flask, and funnel for each location) to allow the three locations within a site to be processed by different students at the same time. Since there are 3 sets of equipment, we will include materials for 3 controls and 3 samples (one control and one sample for each location). There will now be 6 filters per site, 3 of which will be controls which pass through the filter relatively easily, so filtration should proceed more quickly.
Please note that it is possible to collect water and process it within 18 – 24 hours in the classroom, if the water is kept on ice or in the refrigerator (NOT the freezer) until processing, and if care is taken to insure no cross-contamination in the classroom. Each site should be processed on a separate table or desk to minimize cross-contamination.
Please do not request multiple kits for use at the same site. Our resources are limited and we need to cover as many different sites across the state as possible. If you want to engage multiple classes in the activity but have access to only 1 waterway, we can supply extra filters and collection tubes so that multiple classes can resample the same site using one set of equipment. It is important to return the FIRST set of filters to Cornell for processing. The other sets can be used for teaching purposes and to allow multiple classes to take part in the exercise, but will not be analyzed. The data obtained from the first collection will be representative of the site tested, and can be shared with all of the participating students. Contact us directly for more details.
You can check out the maps of schools and teachers who have contributed to our project so far. Clicking on the brown teardrop shape on the map will bring up information about the school and teacher involved in that site. You can also display all of the schools involved by clicking on the “all items” icon under schools. Clicking on the round symbols (color coded for positive or negative results) will bring up individual schools, date of collection, and GPS coordinates.