Kids doing research on the watershed is the idea behind this new program housed at Campbell Park Elementary Marine Science Center located at 1051 Seventh Ave. S in St. Petersburg. Their monitoring and research of the watershed and the local weather will be shared with fellow students, city officials, researchers at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science and users of Pinellas County’s Environmental Distance Learning (EDL) website.

The school integrates an estuarine theme throughout its entire curriculum and is strategically located in an active urban watershed adjacent to Booker Creek, which empties directly into Tampa Bay. The creek has shown years of neglect. The fifth graders and teachers will do their research via a monitoring station with a variety of live sensors extending into Booker Creek and a meteorological tower built behind the school. They'll study water temperature, water level, pH, dissolved oxygen, wind speed, air temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, precipitation and conductivity. They will track small and large scale events in their backyard that affect water quality, ecology and water flow in the creek on the EDL website and participate in “hands-on” experiential programs in the field facilitated by The Pier Aquarium’s Master Naturalist.

And, they will provide the data collected in the form of a report card to St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker on a regular basis. They’ll also report the weather information every day at school during the morning television program. Watershed Watchers is sponsored by grants from the Pinellas County Environmental Fund, the Pinellas County Education Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Services Center. Collaborative agencies include the University of South Florida College of Marine Science Ocean Modeling and Prediction Lab and Pinellas County Environmental Distance Learning.

from The Pier Aquarium - About the Aquarium