Reeds Springs High School

[denjac]

Missouri Stream Team wins Presidential Environmental Award

This high school group is a model for

youth conservation programs around the nation.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Reeds Spring High School Stream Team No. 432 has seen a lot of milestones, but none has exceeded winning the President’s Environmental Youth Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

These dedicated juniors and seniors clearly didn’t need outside recognition to motivate them. In the past 15 years they have picked up litter and monitored water quality on Railey Creek and worked to increase awareness of stream conservation through media outreach and educational projects.

2007 was a particularly good year, even by ST 432’s standards. They monitored water quality in streams each month after school and on weekends. They got involved in this water stewardship project after its members studied environmental issues that affect streams in their community.

In the spring they researched and designed a project on water monitoring. In September they collected and analyzed water samples at specific sites along a local stream. Students tested the stream’s water for pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia, nitrates, phosphates, conductivity and clarity. They also sampled the variety of insects and other tiny animal life in the stream bottom for biological evidence of water quality. They analyzed these data and sent them to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to be included in a statewide water quality database.

The team also floated the James River to pick up litter, sample stream invertebrates, test water acidity, and take water samples back to the laboratory to measure fecal coliform counts. They prepared maps, graphs and spreadsheets of data to illustrate the results of water testing.

ST 432 members also gave presentations to school staff and organizations to inform the community about protecting its streams and how individuals can become involved in improving the quality of Missouri's streams. They researched environmental regulations and their effects on stream quality and traveled to Jefferson City to discuss local water quality issues with the State Legislature.

ST 432 is using partnerships with universities, state agencies and local organizations to develop sustainable solutions for environmental problems. Students have worked with staff of the University of Missouri at Columbia to organize stream teams to work on its volunteer lake testing project. The Missouri Department of Conservation provides training to the team on stream monitoring. The team also has worked on a water quality grant with Table Rock Lake Water Quality, Inc.

All this work earned representatives of ST 432 a trip to Washington, D.C. last April to accept the award from President George W. Bush.

Stream Team 432 sponsor Mike Collins said the students were extremely excited and very proud to represent the Reeds Spring R IV School District and Missouri Stream Team.

“Not only did they get to go to the White House,” Collins said. “they were also treated to a tour of Washington D.C., and there was an awards luncheon in the Ronald Reagan Building. It was a very classy black tie affair. These young people took home memories that will last a lifetime.”

Collins said members of Stream Team 432 live in an area with a wonderful variety of wildlife and habitats, including caves, sinkholes and underground streams. The local economy is based largely on nature-related tourism, and the clear water of Table Rock Lake and surrounding streams is the main attraction. “Everything else revolves around water quality,” said Collins. “The students and their parents are all stake holders in water quality.”

He said the class from which Stream Team 432 draws its members is an independent study course that takes place outside regular school hours. “They have to be responsible and step up to another level to take part in this class. It is expected. We have a tradition of excellence to maintain.”

In return for their work, Stream Team members receive both high-school and college credit at Missouri State University in Springfield.

“It is very challenging,” Collins said. “Students learn to manage their time, solve problems that make a difference in their community, as well as develop critical thinking and organizational skills. We want to produce lifelong learners.”

Collins said he thinks many people do not give teenagers enough credit for what they are capable of doing. “As my grandpa used to say, ‘Son, you cannot make a dog if it stays in the pen.’ He was right; you must be patient. You must let them out of the pen, and we have a beautiful area that is tailor-made for this wonderful program. They have never let us down and I am very proud of them.”

-Jim Low-

[Bob A]

Think that's a great award for outstanding community service. I haven't seen one thing about this in the Springfield News Leader or on any of the local TV broadcast stations. Just wish these kids had more kudos coming from the Ozarks communities.

Bob A

Springfield