WATER STEWARDSHIP: BLOOMS AWAY

Transcription

1 ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: This activity teaches students what an algae bloom is and the various ways they impact an ecosystem and ways to prevent or mitigate them. NO IMAGE AVAILABLE MATERIALS 2 large containers lake 2 Waste bins to discard algae 2 Sets of green/blue ping pong balls 2 Scoopers 2 Clean Tool Kits tool box with different images of tools inside Activity photos for introduction (photo of lake/close up of lake, photo of algae bloom, N/P, photo of shades lake w/algae bloom) 2 sets of activity question cards Make sure you have all items before the students arrive!

2 What will I be doing? You will be teaching the students about algae blooms, their impact on lake ecosystems and changes to this habitat (caused by nature or humans) that can affect plants and animals and their relationships by asking them a series of skill testing questions. Based on their knowledge, students will collect tools to clean a lake impacted by an algae bloom. Stage One You will lead a discussion about what an algae bloom is, how and where they occur, what causes them and their impacts on the environment. You will also discuss how to stop them from occurring and ways to catch or remove them Stage Two You will divide the students up into two teams, ask questions, discuss the concept of an algae bloom as well as explain each element of this activity along with its objective. One at a time, you will ask the teams up to 7 skill testing questions using the laminated question cards provided (the questions and corresponding answers can be found on following page). As students answer correctly they will take a tool from the clean lake tool kit and secure it to their container. Stage Three After completing the activity, you will gather the students in a large circle and talk about 2 of the actions each team took to clean up their lake depending on what tools that were used from the tool kit.

3 THIS IS NOT A SCRIPT THIS IS A GUIDELINE BEGIN THE ACTIVITY Read this to the students: For this activity, we re going to be looking at what algae blooms are and how they can occur in lake ecosystems. What are some animals that call lakes their home? Wait for answers fish, turtles, frogs, beavers, some types of birds, bugs (one sided picture with photo of lake) There are lots of big things that we can see in lakes but there are also animals we only see when there are lots of them or when using a microscope. Can you name a few? Little tiny fish, bacteria, fungi, algae. (other side of picture with close up of water) Does anyone know what algae are? Wait for answers - Little microscopic plants that live in bodies of water. Algae are a vital part of any aquatic community because they are an important food source for small fish and other organisms. They are one of the primary producers of food in a marine environment such as a lake. Now a little bit of algae is okay because they are eaten by fish and other aquatic animals but when there is a lot of algae it s called an algae bloom. Does anybody know what things effect how algae grow? How about nutrients, or having food to eat. Temperature, algae likes to be warm. Light, algae like some sun and some shade not too much direct sunlight. Stability, algae likes to grow in low flows, light wind, minimal turbulence. Low turbidity, not too much stuff making the water cloudy because this will stop the light from getting too far below the surface of the water. Does anyone know what an algae bloom looks like and when they usually occur? Wait for answers. It is the big green film that can sit on top of a body of water and can smell really bad. (Show a photo of algae blooms) Algae blooms can be green, blue, yellow or red and usually occur in the summer and fall. Let s talk about the ways that people influence algae blooms.

4 Who thinks that algae blooms happen naturally without people? Yes, they do but people can make them happen more frequently and more severely. Who knows what some farmers or people put on their lawns or crops to make the plants grow faster? Wait for answers. Fertilizers and chemicals that make farmers crops grow faster or make it easier for the plants to grow. Similar to how fertilizers make crops grow faster, chemicals also make the algae grow faster because they can have phosphorus and nitrogen in them! (Show photo of P/N) Phosphorus and nitrogen are two nutrients that can increase the growth of algae. Sometimes, if too much algae grows in a small area it can hurt other plants and animals living nearby. (a visual of shaded lake w/algae bloom) Any ideas of how these algae blooms will impact the rest of the aquatic community? Wait for answers. As the algae die they need oxygen to decompose. They use oxygen in the water which decreases the amount available to the fish. Algae also blocks sunlight from coming into the water making it hard for plants to grow and reducing food for various aquatic animals. This water can also make people and other animals sick if ingested. Decomposing algae smells very bad. Knowing all that you know now, do you think you re ready to save the lakes? Once a baseline for the students knowledge of algae has been discovered then you can decide the level of questions to ask the students during the activity. Explain the activity Start Stage Two We need to split into two teams now. I m going to number you one and two. Number students. Can I have team number one stand around one container and team number two stand around the other container? Each team is part of the Rapid Response Algae Defense (RRAD) and will be sent to 2 lakes that both contain algae blooms and need to be cleaned up. You will have a

5 corresponding lake which will be filled with blue and green ping pong balls and with the help of a tool kit, your team must clean up their lake before the damage is irreversible. One at a time, we will ask your team a question. If you answer a question correctly you will be able to help the lake by taking something from the clean lake tool kit and securing it on your container. Each of the tools in the tool kit illustrate something good that has been done for the lake and the number of scoops that can be taken out of the lake because of that action. If you do not answer the question correctly your team does not receive an item from the tool kit. Once a question has been answer correctly then your team can remove a tool from the kit. The game ends when one of the lakes is free of algae or every team member has answered a question. Start Stage Three After the game is completed Now that both teams have answered a few questions about algae blooms, let s all gather in a large circle and talk about the actions that each group took while cleaning up their corresponding lake. Review activities. Can anyone say what they think we can do to ensure that this doesn t happen to any other the lakes that we live near, like Lake Simcoe? By making people aware to the impact that fertilizer, septic tanks, chemical free detergents have on the lake then we can begin to stop all of these blooms from happening. Stage One Skill Testing Questions Using the laminated question cards provided with this activity, ask the following questions. You should not be reading the question from this sheet of paper but the question cards you have. This page is only in case you lose the answers to the questions. A) Algae Related Questions 1. What colours can algae blooms come in? a. just green b. red and yellow c. blue d. all of the above 2. When do you think algae blooms usually occur? a. In the winter b. In the spring c. In the summer and fall

6 3. Who is impacted by an algae bloom? a. The fish/animals who live around the lake b. People who swim in the lake c. Everything that is part of the ecosystem 4. What is the main contributor to creating blooms? a. Farming and putting down fertilizers b. Septic leeching (removes contaminants from the liquid that emerges from a septic tank) c. Nothing, they just happen 5. Name the nutrients that can increase the amount of algae a. Phosphorus b. Nitrogen c. Calcium d. Nitrogen and Phosphorus 6. Algae can be best described as a. Little tiny plants b. Microorganisms c. Phytoplankton d. All of the above 7. Should you go swimming in a lake that looks like pea soup? a. NO, why not? b. Because if you swim in/swallow the algae you could: get sick, get a rash 8. How could clams and other filtering organisms help the ecosystem? a. Eating the algae from the water b. By looking really cool c. Nothing, they help the algae 9. As algae blooms die they smell like? a. Great perfume b. Nothing c. Garbage and is gross 10. Algae is a. A producer of food b. A consumer of food c. A decomposer of food

7 B) Ecosystem Related Questions 11. Name 5 different animals that live in lakes? - Fish, birds, plants, beavers, frogs, bugs 12. How can people help clean up lakes? - By making sure that nothing it dumped in the lake that shouldn t be - Getting rid of invasive species that out compete the native ones 13. If someone puts fertilizer in at one end of the lake will it impact the other end? - Yes, because the whole lake is connected 14. If a water plant can t receive any sunlight because it s being blocked by algae what will happen to the plants? - The plant could die 15. As algae dies it consumes oxygen, fish need oxygen to survive. If there is little oxygen in the water what do you think will happen to the fish that need it to survive? - The fish won t be able to live 16. Would creating a natural barrier between the farms and the lakes help decrease the amount of pollution? - Yes, because it would decrease how easy it would be for stuff to get into the lake 17. If a boat carrying the algae moves from one lake to another, what do you think will happen to the algae? - It could spread to the new lake 18. Place where you think plankton falls within the food web? - Other organisms eat it so it is considered a primary producer 19. Give an example of what you think a natural barrier could look like? - A bunch of plants with sticks and logs, mounded earth, hedge row 20. How would a naturalist identify that an algae bloom is happening if you couldn t see the algea because it s at the bottom part of the lake and it didn t smell? - Investigate the oxygen levels - low oxygen = algae bloom dying C) Miscellaneous Questions 21. How do people and animals rely on lakes? a. For drinking water b. For playing c. As a habitat or a place to live d. All of the above

8 Items in the Clean Tool Kit These are for your reference, the action will also be written on the back of the laminated card with the accompanying number of scoops. The bolded words are the photo. Clam Encourage the growth of local native clams to help filter out the algae and get a tasty meal that the same time - remove 3 scoops Farm Management - You encourage farmers close to the lakes to manage their crops and land to minimize run=off into the water remove 5 scoops Phone - You spot an algae bloom before it gets really big and reported it remove 3 scoops Wrench - You tell your parents to check your septic tank and repair if leaking remove 3 scoops YCWF Logo you and your class attend the York Children s Water Festival where you learn how important water is and how to help take care of it remove 5 scoops Plant - With the help of a local environmental group you build a naturalized buffer zone around the lake or river remove 5 scoops Cleaning Products Sign - You encourage your family and friends to use household cleaners that do not contribute to algae growth remove 2 scoops Lawn and Garden - Your parents use less fertilizer on their lawn every year remove 3 scoops Farming Plans - You and farmers work together to plant specific crops that will provide water retention and filter the water with plants before it gets into the lakes and rivers remove 4 scoops T-shirt with Social Media - You and a local environmental group create an awareness campaign to help make people aware of the pros and cons of algae in the environment - remove 5 scoops WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? Water is vital and we need to maintain a balance so the whole ecosystem can survive. Updated April 22, 2016

9 Activity Setup - Reference the diagram on how to setup for this activity