Thanks to our District 7930 grant to Ipswich-Rowley Rotary, two 5th grade classes at Pine Grove Elementary School, Rowley each spent a day at a local wetland pond that forms the headwaters of the Mill River watershed. CLICK HERE to view the Interactive Story.
Using the lens of three keystone species - beavers, cattails, and dragonflies, students built a greater understanding of this ecosystem and how it benefited both wildlife and humans throughout the town’s long history.
Rotarians then assisted in a water quality study of the Mill River watershed, helping students answer the question, "How do scientists measure the water quality of our local wetlands and rivers?"
Ipswich-Rowley Rotarian Ann Witzig then created a classroom inquiry to answer this questions, using both the collected data, GIS maps, water samples, and the professional water quality meters shared by the Parker River Clean Water Association.