1. There is a whole universe out there, but Earth is the only planet that is just right for us.
2. Clean water is a basic need for life on earth. Water is the basis of life and the blue arteries of the earth! Everything in the non-marine environment depends on freshwater to survive. -Sandra Postel, “Sandra Postel, Global Water Policy Project,” Grist Magazine 26 Apr 04
3. If you want to study water issues, Oregon is the place to be. We have a long coastline, many rivers and a lot of rainfall.
4. In the Willamette Valley we get about 40 inches of rain a year. http://courses.missouristate.edu/shaejohnson/images/Gallery2_Willamette_ValleyApril_Waters_855_677.jpg Where does all that rain go?
5. Cement and pavement can’t absorb it, so storm water flows to the nearest river, picking up sediment along the way. http://pruned.blogspot.com/2008/02/hyperlocalizing-hydrology-in-post.html
6. By the time the water gets to the river, it has picked up harmful pollutants and sediment. Why is storm water runoff a problem?
7. What is our community doing about storm water runoff?
9. Willamette Primary is right by the Tualatin and the Willamette Rivers. We're all downstream. -Ecologist's motto adopted by Margaret & Jim Drescher, Windhorse Farm, Nova Scotia
11. What does Storm water have to do with Sustainability? Teaming helps. State, county and local governments, as well as urban planners, architects, community organizations and schools must work together . Everyone has a right to clean water. Population growth and environmental degradation often go hand in hand. Storm water management plans are required by law. Bioswales, ecoroofs, raingardens and green streets are in demand in private residences, businesses and communities.
12. Bioswale Explorers Solve the Storm water Problem Small Group Project: What can we do to help out our community? Investigation One: Why is storm water a problem? Investigation Two: How does our bioswale reduce runoff? Investigation Three: How do our local government and community organizations deal with the problem of runoff?
13. April Rain Song Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk. The rain makes running pools in the gutter. The rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night-- And I love the rain. -Langston Hughes
Notas do Editor
no other planets that have the water to support the complex network of plants and animals on Earth.
Quote: love it because shows how water is the basis for life on earth basic need for life on earth Yet water, one of the building blocks of life, is becoming more and more of a scarcity on our planet. on such a vast scale, Addressing the planetary water shortage is overwhelming.
That’s why it makes sense to study water issues in our own state and our own community. As you all know…We live in a rainy state, a state full of rivers and coastline. We have a lot of issues to study around water.
The rainfall is part of what makes the Willamette Valley such an incredible place to live. It’s beautful, lush and fertile and none of the life here can be supported without the rainfall that happens yearly. What happens to the rain once it hits the ground? Where does it go?
rain falls faster than the land can absorb it = Runoff! And why can’t the land absorb it in the first place? pavement. We can see that cities and towns across oregon and across the country are trying to deal with the problem of storm water runoff Prevalence of storm drains, downspouts, eco roofs, rain gardens, new asphalt that aborbs rainwater, and bioswales.
Once the water reaches the river the pollutants add toxins to the water – toxins that destroy the delicate balance in our marine ecosystems and oftentimes the freshwater that humans and other creatures need that live on land.
Over the last ten or fifteen years Communities around Oregon and the northwest have been finding creative ways to deal with stormwater runoff. Every community is requred to have a stormwater plan -- a set of measures put into place to help an area slow down the flow of stormwater. We will learn about the stormwater plan in the city of West Linn and how our school deals with the problem of stormwater runoff.
The bioswale at Willamette Primary gives us a chance to explore the issue of storm water in our own community. We used it to resolve our own runoff issues at school, but it can teach us a lot about how communities are learning to deal with stormwater
By study ng our local community students over time they will makes connections seeing themselves as a part of a global community..
Partnerships are part of sustainability River keepers – connect us to riverfront, end with service project City can teach us about their stormwater plan, is there a way that we can help?
Is a serious issue, but lets not forget that the water cycle is amazing.