Water Sampling
Water Sampling
Early in the morning a small but hearty group of Bristol residents will get up and get out to their local waters. Their goal? To monitor, measure and track the health of Bristol Harbor.
Annually since 2009 Save Bristol Harbor, in partnership with the URI Watershed Watch and the Town of Bristol, deploy a group of volunteers to sample the waters in and around the community.
The purpose of this program is to gather data on the health and condition of the harbor over a long period of time. This information will allow SBH, the Bristol Harbor Commission and others to better understand the harbor, examine changes or trends and make more informed decisions about activities in and around Bristol Harbor.
EdUCATION OUTREACH
EdUCATION OUTREACH
The Silver Creek Field Studies program with Mt. Hope High School provides students with an opportunity to learn and give back to their community at the same time.
In the spring of 2009 Save Bristol Harbor, in partnership with Save the Bay, approached Marcia King, a Science teacher at Mt. Hope High School (since deceased), with a proposal to help take students into the field to learn through hands-on experience what was happening in the recently restored Silver Creek. Ms. King and Principal Don Rebello were excited, committed and helpful from the outset and our collaboration began.
Through the years since a program of field study, guest speakers, water monitoring and directed service activities have resulted in a rich and unique educational opportunity for MHHS students. The goal of the program is to supplement the basic curriculum with real world experiences.
Students learn to observe, measure, catalog and test in the field. They then study and analyze the data taken and finally present their observations and conclusions to a panel of non-faculty advisors. They are exposed to speakers with expertize in aquaculture, local marine creatures, environmental remediation and practical marine science. The program culminates with an excursion on a Save the Bay vessel to measure the open water environment in Narragansett Bay as well as trawl for examples of native species to study. The day includes a visit the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve on Prudence Island.
The program is staffed by educators from Mt Hope High School, Save the Bay and volunteer members of Save Bristol Harbor.