ED43C-0740: River-Based Experiential Learning The Bear River Fellows Program Dr. David E. Rosenberg Brian Shirley, M.S., Dr. Mark F. Roark Michael Adamson, Russell Babb, Liisa Piiparinen, Sarah Stander, Erika Tillman, Ayman AlAfifi Abstract The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Outdoor Recreation, and Parks and Recreation programs at Utah State University (USU) have partnered to offer a new, unique river-based experiential learning opportunity for undergraduates called the Bear River Fellows Program. Incoming freshmen Fellows experience a river first hand during a 5-day/4-night river trip on the nearby Bear River two weeks before the start of their first Fall semester. Fellows navigate the Bear River in canoes, camp along the banks, interact with local water and environmental managers, collect channel cross section, stream flow, vegetation cover, and topological complexity data, meet other incoming freshmen, interact with faculty and graduate students, develop boating and leadership skills, problem solve, and participate as full members of the research team. Subsequently, we pay Fellows as undergraduate researchers during their Fall and Spring Freshman semesters to analyze, synthesize, and present the field data collected. The program supports a larger National Science Foundation environmental modeling and management project for the lower Bear River, Utah. 1. Program Goals Undertake environmental and water research on a nearby river Experience the river first hand on a multi-day trip Meet other incoming freshmen Interact with faculty & grad students Develop data collection, analysis, boating, and leadership skills Get paid to work with collected field data through the subsequent Fall and Spring semesters 2. Program Timeline 3. Lower Bear River Study Site Bear River basin spans three states Headwaters in Utah and Wyoming; river outlet is the Great Salt Lake Study area for 5-day August, 2012 trip shown in thick blue. Pink box and map show three monitoring sites established near the Bear-Cub River confluence 4. Preliminary Outcomes Data Collected Research Questions Fellows want to Answer River flow, stage, cross section topology, and bank vegetation at 3 sites Water withdrawals, return flows, beaver activity, and temperature along the study reach 1.How does vegetation differ from cross-section to cross-section?* 2.How does water stage relate to water flow at our study sites? 3.What causes reverse flows at the Cub River outlet?* 4.How do people divert water from/discharge to the river? 5.What are beavers doing on the lower Bear River?* 6.How can we take this information to other people?* * new questions beyond original proposal New Skills Learned How to use an acoustic Doppler current profiler, level, and rod How to set up transects, benchmarks How to look at vegetation Paddling canoe Measuring flow and moving around in the water New knots, canoeing things, and many outdoor things How to be a canoe rudder (sit in the back) Feathering = new term for ferrying [the canoe across the river] The Trip in One Word Nutella (means Awesome), Party-barge, Excellent, Learning, SHOWER!!, Strength, Paddling, Teamwork, Bonding, Oreos, Teaching, Endurance, … 5. Work Plan for 2013 Continue to process, analyze, and synthesize collected data Repeat flow and stage measurements at sites in Spring Present results at undergraduate research forums in March and April Undertake another river trip in August 2013 with a new cohort of Fellows 6. Contact Information Dr. David E. Rosenberg Program Director Utah State University DateActivity 2012May 15Program announced June 11Applications due June 22Fellows notified Aug 14–18River trip Sep – DecData analysis, day trips 2013Jan – MayData analysis, day trips Apr – MayPresent results A. B. F. D.C. A. Surveying channel topology B. Measuring river flow and C. Stage D. Visit to camp by land managers E. Paddling to a site; F. Party barge break! B. E. CAREER #