Bucket Buddies

Blue Ridge Intermediate School

Mrs. Miller's 4th Grade Class and Mr. Galbreath's 4th Grade Class

Class Note: Classes registered seperately. However, our classes worked together collecting and identifying the macroinvertebrates. The classes met to discuss the project and develop a hypothesis.

Location: Lakeside, Arizona

Geography: Lakeside in located at an elevation of 7,000 feet in the White Mountains of Arizona. Vegetation includes Ponderosa Pines and Aspens. It is an area that enjoys all four seasons.

Hypothesis: The water at the spring will have more polllutant-intolerant macroinvertebrates that at the creek. The spring will be cleaner than the creek. The macroinvertebrates found at different sites around the world will not be the same due to different environments.

Collection Site: Our class walked to Big Springs Environmental Study Area to collect our water samples. Big Springs is a 40 acre site within walking distance from our school. It includes a pond and two steams. We collected samples from the point where the spring enters the pond and also at one of the streams. Students took temperature readings of the water and checked the oxygen level in the water at each site.

Site One: Our first site was one of the streams. The water temperature was 52 degrees Fahrenheit and there was 1 p.p.m. of oxygen.

Site Two: Our second site was at the point where the spring enters the pond. The water temperature was 48 degrees Fahrenheit and there was 2 p.p.m. of oxygen.

Total Number of Organisms Collected:

Mayfly Larva: 10

Copepod: 80

Leech: 15

Blood Worm: 115

Back Swimmer: 13

Scuds: 1,548

Snails: 99

Boatman: 36

Dobsonfly Larva: 9

Damselfly Larva: 1

Waterfly: 4

Cranefly Larva: 3

Dragonfly Larva: 4

Flat Worm: 1

Other Worms: 8

PLEASE CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINKS TO VIEW PHOTOS:

Photos Page One

Photos Page Two