EXPAND!: Unit 5.
Water in the Landscape:
Water Bodies
These are great sources for learning more about Pennsylvania’s water bodies:
ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers.
Journal…
Experience:
Visit your special location and look for the water cycle in action. Can you find evidence of this abstraction, for example humidity in the air, or damp soil layers? Visualize the many changes this site undergoes as each phase of the cycle comes to life here.
Reflect:
Consider the other natural cycles taking place right now at your special spot — biogeochemical cycles, seasonal cycles, phases of the moon, etc. How much happens at this site that you don’t see? How much happens that you can’t see?
Record:
Use natural objects to draw or depict something that is present but can’t be seen at your spot. Crush leaves or flower petals onto your paper, make paint out of wet soil or bark, etc.
Read…
Field Guide to Common Aquatic Plants of Pennsylvania. Dana Rizzo. 2009. Penn State University: State College, Pennsylvania. 108 pp.
Prepared by the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, this field guide helps the reader identify and manage aquatic plant species commonly found in Pennsylvania. The guide is easy to use even for those unfamiliar to plants, thanks to many colorful pictures. A digital copy of the field guide (PDF) is available on the Penn State Cooperative Extension website:
Click here to see what libraries carry this title (via Worldcat.org) .
Click here to purchase one from Penn State Extension.
Click here for online version available through the Westmoreland Conservation District’s website.
Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River. Beth Kephart. 2007. Temple University Press : Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 120 pp.
This book tells the story of the Schuylkill River’s role in the Philadelphia region, following its history from the time of the Native Americans to William Penn and more recently, with the River’s importance to the Industrial Revolution and Philadelphia’s water, power, and industry.
Click here to see what libraries carry this title (via Worldcat.org) .
Click here to see Amazon information.
Surf…
Surf Your Watershed:
https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/surf-your-watershed
This website, operated by the US EPA, helps users locate their watershed by entering geographical information (like your zip code). The site then provides a profile of the watershed including a map, citizen-based groups working in the watershed, water quality monitoring data, environmental websites for the watershed, assessments of the watershed health, and information from the USGS, including stream flow, water use data, and more.
The Field Museum Water Calculator:
https://www.fieldmuseum.org/educators/resources/water-calculator
This fun online tool allows you to calculate how much water you use in your 
daily household life. It moves from room to room to calculate your water usage. The website also provides tips for reducing your water usage and current news stories about water.
Join…
Chesapeake Bay Foundation:
http://www.cbf.org/
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is an organization committed to saving the Chesapeake Bay. Their vision is to promote the good health and productivity of the Bay and its tributary rivers. The organization advocates for strong laws and regulations that will prevent pollution and activities that degrade the health of the Bay.
Brandywine Conservancy:
http://www.brandywine.org/conservancy
The Environmental Management Center at the Brandywine Conservancy is dedicated to protecting the natural and cultural resources of the Brandywine watershed. The organization works to preserve and protect land and offer technical assistance for conservation projects and land use planning. They believe that preserving open spaces and the integrity of the land is essential in promoting the health of the Brandywine watershed.
Continue to:
Unit 6: Forest, Fields and Meadows: Upland Communities
Go Back to:
Unit 4: Creatures of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Updated: June 2018
