WORKSHOP ON DEVELOPING ON-CAMPUS OR NEAR-CAMPUS WATERSHED LABORATORIES FOR EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
Offered by
Departments of Biology and Earth and Environmental Sciences
Furman University
Greenville, South Carolina

Dates: Thursday June 25-Saturday June 27

I. Introduction

Watersheds are attracting a great deal of scrutiny as well as funding by several governmental agencies, notably the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Science Foundation. Several environmentally focused private foundations have also expressed an enhanced interest in watershed research and education. This interest is due to an increased awareness of both the importance and vulnerability of watersheds to human activities.

In 1996, the Departments of Biology and Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) formed a loose association with the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, the Roper Mountain Science Center (a part of the Greenville County School System), the City of Greenville Water System (owner of one watershed on Paris Mountain), the subdivision developers, and the Paris Mountain Watershed Association (a private citizens group) for the study of the effects of the proposed development of one small watershed. Funding for this research was provided by Furman University and by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This provided $33,200 for the initial work on this project and supported four faculty and four students during the 1996-97 academic year and the summer of 1997. The EES and Biology Departments have been actively collecting data within this watershed for the past year. This is a long-term research project and the watershed is being used as a field laboratory in geochemistry (EES), ecology (BGY), and environmental systems (EES/BGY) for field demonstration and class projects.

Over the past two years the Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) Department has developed an on-campus ground water field laboratory for research and teaching. This facility is utilized in a senior-level major course in hydrogeology and lower division service courses in environmental geology. The facility, which consists of 13 installed wells, was constructed at no cost to Furman by the generosity of alumni and local consulting firms.

II. Workshop Goals

This three-day workshop will introduce the principles of surface and ground water hydrology, surface and ground water chemistry, and watershed ecology along with measurement techniques and instrumentation, costs of instrumentation, sampling protocols, analytical practices, and laboratory exercises for classroom instruction. Faculty and students from other schools wishing to develop their own watershed projects or who would like to explore collaborative research projects should plan to attend.

The main goal of this workshop will be to introduce the participants to the possibilities of watershed and ground water investigations and to supply the information necessary for initiating such efforts on or near their own campuses. Both of the projects described above are easily exportable to other schools. Included in the workshop activities will be a discussion of funding possibilities.

A secondary goal will be to introduce the participants to the kinds of research we are attempting in this watershed in hopes that some may become interested in collaborating in our research. Also planned is time for discussion of our interdisciplinary (Biology/EES) environmental systems course that utilizes our ground water and watershed facilities.

III. Presentations

Participants who are currently working on watershed studies are urged to make a presentation of their research results, research plans, and laboratory exercises during the workshop. Participants who are planning to start watershed studies in the future are also urged to present their plans regardless of the stage of planning.

IV. Logistics

Travel: The closest airport is Greenville-Spartanburg and we will run a shuttle service to meet arriving and departing schedules. It is also possible to fly into the Asheville, NC airport and we could also manage transportation for those flying in there.

Participants wishing to also attend the Environmental Studies Curriculum Workshop at University of Richmond should plan to fly into and out of the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport and travel to Richmond with the Furman contingent. The Furman participants will be driving to Richmond on Monday the 22nd and returning on Wednesday night the 24th.

Lodging will be provided in a motel near the Furman Campus. Airfare or mileage, lodging, and meals during the workshop will be covered by the ACS Environmental Initiative funded by a major foundation. Current funding should be adequate for the anticipated audience. However, if several faculty and students from your school wish to attend, the budget may not be able to cover all expenses for the entire group.

Participants should plan to arrive Wednesday night, June 25. The workshop will begin at 9:00 AM Thursday and conclude by 3:00 PM on Saturday.

V. Workshop Description

Mornings will consist of a combination of lectures and discussions with the afternoons devoted to activities in the field. A tentative schedule of topics and activities appears below:

Day 1: Morning Surface and Ground Water Hydrology

Day 2: Morning Surface and Ground Water Chemistry

Day 3: Morning Biological Considerations

End of Workshop