1. Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?
Slide 1
Notes:
Opening slide. Introduce lesson.
Suggested Script (SS): We are going to be talking about watersheds and watershed health, starting today and for the next few days. And then we are going to go on a fieldtrip to study our watershed.
Start watershed activity.
Refer Appendix 1 for Activity 1 - What is a watershed.
At end of activity, go to next slide.
What is a Watershed?
Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?

2. Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?
Slide 2
ANIMATION
Question:
Can you describe what a watershed is?
Notes:
(click) Watershed is a term from the science of geography. It is an area of land that drains all its water through a network of waterways (streams & rivers) into larger bodies of water, such as lakes and oceans.
A watershed includes all the land that sheds water into a particular body of water and the water within the watershed.
Everybody lives in a watershed because every part of the earth catches some form of water.
Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?

3. What is a Watershed?

4. What’s in a Watershed?

5. What separates one watershed from another watershed?
Slide 5
ANIMATION
Question:
What separates one watershed from another watershed?
Notes:
(click) Watersheds are separated by ridges of high ground called divides.
Divides are the boundaries between watersheds; they represent lines along the highest points in an area. When rain falls or snow melts, a divide determines the direction of water flow.
In other words, the boundaries of a watershed are the mountains, hills, and other high points where land slopes toward a body of water.
It is important to know that … (click)
Divides are part of Earth’s topography.
Every watershed is bounded by divides.
Different streams or rivers empty each watershed.
Where else have you heard the word divide?
In the upper Clark Fork, we are very close to the Continental Divide. That is the high point along the entire continent of North America that forces water to flow east into the Atlantic Ocean or west into the Pacific Ocean.
Every watershed is bounded by divides.
Different streams or rivers empty each watershed.
Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?

6. The WolfcreekWatershed
Slide 6
ANIMATION
Question:
Can you find familiar landmarks in the upper Clark Fork Drainage (Flathead Lake, Pend Oreille Lake, state borders, Pacific Ocean)? (This should help students orient themselves within their watershed.)
Notes:
(click) Here is Flathead Lake in Montana, (click ) and Pend Oreille Lake in Idaho.
(click) Here is the Clark Fork River. When the water leaves Pend Oreille Lake, the river is called Pend Oreille River, but some people still refer to it as Clark Fork River.
(click) The Clark Fork River/Pend Oreille River empties into the Columbia River in Washington state.
The Columbia River then empties into (click) the Pacific Ocean.
Now let’s look all the watersheds in the state of Montana.
Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?

7. The Lower Great Miami River Watershed
Slide 7
ANIMATION
Question:
Can you find familiar landmarks in the upper Clark Fork Drainage (Flathead Lake, Pend Oreille Lake, state borders, Pacific Ocean)? (This should help students orient themselves within their watershed.)
Notes:
(click) Here is Flathead Lake in Montana, (click ) and Pend Oreille Lake in Idaho.
(click) Here is the Clark Fork River. When the water leaves Pend Oreille Lake, the river is called Pend Oreille River, but some people still refer to it as Clark Fork River.
(click) The Clark Fork River/Pend Oreille River empties into the Columbia River in Washington state.
The Columbia River then empties into (click) the Pacific Ocean.
Now let’s look all the watersheds in the state of Montana.
Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?

8. Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?
Ohio Watersheds
Slide 8
ANIMATION
Questions:
Find the Upper Clark Fork watershed. Does the shape look familiar?
Can you trace the Continental Divide on this map? (Have a student attempt to trace the Continental Divide with their finger.)
Notes:
Ask class to decide if the tracing is in the correct place and if not, have the next student alter the line. Discuss using the names of the watersheds as clues (Missouri flows east, Clark Fork flows west).
The lines are the divides (boundaries )of the watersheds. Therefore, the Continental Divide also needs to be on a line since it is a large watershed/divide itself. (click)
Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?

9. Why is it important to know about watersheds?
ANIMATION
Question:
Why is it important to know about watersheds?
Notes:
(click) Water is critical for life.
(click) One of the main ways we know this is how much and how many different kinds of life we see in and around water.
Without water, life on Earth as we know it, would not exist.
Watersheds include the water and all the land that empties into the water. So we need to know about the water and the land in order to understand watersheds.
We know this because of how much life we see around water.
Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?

10. Where is the water in this picture?
Question:
Where is the water in this picture?
Notes:
More proof that water is critical for life.
Students should easily identify where the stream in the photo is located – green area is the riparian zone (we will talk more about riparian zones in Lesson 3).
Reinforce the basic concept that there are many more living things near water sources.
Photo: This picture is actually a picture from Australia
Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?

11. Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?
Every drop of water that touches the surface of the ground does one of three things …
Slide 11
Question:
Can you recall learning about the water cycle and what happens to water when it touches the ground?
Notes:
Remember, water is neither created nor destroyed in the water cycle. It only changes form.
(Go to next slide for answers.)
Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?

12. Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?
Every drop of water that touches the surface of the ground does one of three things … (cont’d)
Slide 12
ANIMATION
It evaporates.
Notes/Questions:
What happens to water when it touches the ground?
Hint: After a rain, pavement appears wet, but then quickly dries. Where does the water go? (click)
It evaporates. Evaporation puts water back into the atmosphere to again become rain or snow (precipitation).
What else can happen to water?
Hint: Does anyone use a well for their drinking water at home? (click)
Water also soaks into the ground. Once water soaks into the ground, it becomes groundwater, also known as an aquifer.
Click Groundwater Website for groundwater animation (play time: 3m 43s). Must have internet connection for link to work.
What is the third thing that can happen to water when it touches the ground?
Hint: Does anyone go swimming – where? (click)
Water can become part of surface water; for example, it becomes part of ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, puddles, wetlands, etc.
It soaks into the ground.
It runs downhill along the ground.
Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?

13. Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?
Watershed Science is …
ANIMATION
Notes:
Noting what was already discussed, let students know that those things and more are done in the discipline of Watershed Science.
(click) Watershed science is the study of all physical and ecological processes within watersheds.
Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?

14. Sciences of Watershed Science
ANIMATION
Notes:
(click) There are many scientific disciplines involved in Watershed Science.
Chemistry, geology, biology, physics, engineering …
And all these disciplines have subdisciplines – like Biology includes Botany, Wildlife biology, and Fisheries, to name a few.
(click) There are many other disciplines that help or are involved in Watershed Science.
Art, geography, history, economics, mathematics, journalism, social studies, legal studies, literature …
Almost everyone can find something interesting to do that is related to watershed science.
Also Involved in Watershed Science
Art
Geography
History
Economics
Mathematics
Journalism
Social Studies
Legal Studies
Literature
Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?

15. We all live in a watershed.
Starting Review next slide
One of the most important things to remember is that we all live in a watershed, and whatever someone does upstream will eventually go downstream.
Point out the mountains and hillsides in this picture – and have the students note the drainages that lead to the stream in the picture.
SS = Okay, now let’s do a quick review of what we learned about today.
Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?

16. Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?
Remember. . .
Everybody Lives Downstream !
Closure:
SS: In the next lecture, Lesson 2: What Happened to Our Watershed, we will see how this concept, “everybody lives downstream,” was important in Montana’s history and is still important today.
QUESTIONS?
Lesson 1: What is a Watershed?