MES students learn about Luta Creek
Fourth-graders from Marion Elementary School worked last Wednesday with Jeff Severin of Kansas Streamlink, Lawrence, on a water-study project.
Kansas Streamlink is an educational program designed to promote interest and concern about Kansas' water.
The students learned about the water in Luta Creek and exchanged their findings with others, while working in small groups.
They conducted research on the history of this area, exploring and mapping the creek, studying the streambed and banks, and examining insects that may be living in the creek.
Students also collected water to practice measuring levels of oxygen, nitrates, phosphates, total coliform bacteria, and pH, and checked the temperature and turbidity of the water.
Subsequently, the students will be doing creative writing and artwork specifically derived from the inspiration they gained at Luta Creek.
Streamlink participants and collaborators are part of a larger body of young people across Kansas interested in sharing their natural heritage and common threads found in their unique watersheds.
Ginger Becker, Laura Baldwin, and Linda Allison are the fourth-graders' teachers.
