Riparian Buffers Session 2

Session 2

Print version of "Riparian Buffers": PDF • Word

Conduct this session in the classroom.

Assign students to groups of 4–5. Give each group 2 aluminum roasting pans, soil, and grass seed, and provide them with the following instructions:
1. Fill 2/3 of both pans with soil.
2. In one of the pans, plant grass seed in the soil in the middle portion of the pan. Do not plant grass in the other pan.
Allow the grass to grow to the height of one inch. (You may choose to have students monitor the growth of the grass and even chart the growth on a line graph.)
When the grass has reached the height of one inch, provide each group with 2 cups of water colored with food coloring. Give students the following directions:
1. Raise the soil end of each pan by placing a book underneath the pan's edge.
2. Pour 1 cup of colored water over each pan (the water represents polluted runoff).
3. Observe the erosion and the amount of pollution that runs down into the 1/3 of the pan representing the waterway.
When the groups have finished, have each student write a paragraph reporting the results of the experiment. Instruct students also to interpret the results to explain how these models illustrate the role and benefits of a riparian buffer.