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  • Green Means Clean! Assessing the Condition of U.S. Drinking Water Watersheds
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Green Means Clean! Assessing the Condition of U.S. Drinking Water Watersheds

  • Article
  • Middle School
  • 1 Classroom Period
  • Water
  • Conservation
  • Lakes
  • Land Cover
  • Rivers
  • Sedimentation
  • Water Quality
  • Watersheds
The cover for the Green Means Clean article. The main image is a photo of a lake with trees on the coast.
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With two-thirds of the U.S. population drinking water from surface sources such as streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, it is very important that these water sources are protected. Part of protecting the water sources and providing cleaner water is protecting the natural land within the watershed. Watershed boundaries often cross State lines. The scientists in this study were interested in conducting a national assessment of drinking water watersheds that crossed State boundaries.

Green Means Clean! Assessing the Condition of U.S. Drinking Water Watersheds

Part Of

Freshwater - Vol. 18 No. 1

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  • The questions you will answer in this FACTivity are: Which land cover surface best protects water quality and why? Materials: 3 paint roller pans 1 shovel 3/4 cup liquid kitchen...

    FACTivity – Green Means Clean

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Water
    • Experiment
    • Graphic Organizer
    • Land Cover
    • Outdoor Activity
    • Water Quality
    The questions you will answer in this FACTivity are: Which land cover surface best protects water quality and why? Materials: 3 paint roller pans 1 shovel 3/4 cup liquid kitchen...
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Green Means Clean! Assessing the Condition of U.S. Drinking Water Watersheds

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Glossary

View All Glossary
  • amendment

    (ə men(d) mənt): A change in wording or meaning especially in a law, bill, or motion.

  • conservation

    (kän(t) sər vā shən): A careful preservation and protection of something, especially planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect.

  • database

    (dā tə bās): A usually large collection of data organized especially for rapid search and retrieval (as by a computer).

  • degrade

    (di grād): To make the quality of something worse.

  • efficient

    (i fi shǝnt): Capable of producing desired results with little or no waste (as of time or materials).

  • groundwater

    (grau̇nd wȯ tǝr): Water within the earth, especially that which supplies wells and springs.

  • hydrologic

    (hī drä lə jik): Relating to the properties, distribution, and circulation of water on and below Earth’s surface and in the atmosphere.

  • indirect

    (in də rekt): (1) Not straight or direct; (2) not having a plainly seen connection.

  • median

    (mē dē ən): A value in a series arranged from smallest to largest below and above which there are an equal number of values or which is the average of the two middle values if there is no one middle value.

  • pesticide

    (pes tə sīd): A substance that is used to kill animals or insects that are harmful to humans or human activities (like agriculture).

  • regulate

    (re gyə lāt): (1) To control according to a system; (2) To bring under control of law or some authority.

  • wastewater

    (wāst wä tər): (1) Water that has been used; (2) sewage.

  • Photo of Dr. James Wickham kneeling next to a small creek while typing into a laptop.

    James Wickham

    Biologist

    My favorite science experience is studying Earth’s environment from space.
    View Profile
  • Photo of Mr. Timothy Wade standing on the side of a mountain.

    Timothy Wade

    Geographer

    My favorite science experience is using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to uncover environmental patterns that were not previously known.
    View Profile
  • Dr. Kurt Riiters looking up at a tree trunk

    Kurt Riitters

    Ecologist

    “My favorite science experience is asking and answering questions that have not been asked before.” “[Another] favorite science experience was the discovery of a new computer method to measure forest...
    View Profile

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  • Education Standards
  • Educator Guide
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  • Project Learning Tree

Standards addressed in this Article:

Social Studies Standards

Social Studies Standards are educational guidelines outlining the essential knowledge, skills, and concepts students should learn in subjects such as history, geography, civics, and economics, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of societal structures, historical events, and global perspectives.
  • Culture
  • Global Connections
  • Individual Development and Identity
  • People, Places, and Environments
  • Power, Authority, and Governance
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Time, Continuity, and Change

Note To Educators

The Forest Service's Mission

The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.

USDA and Forest Service Logos

What Is the Natural Inquirer?

Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.

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  • Meet the Scientists

    Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.

  • What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?

    Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.

  • Thinking About Science

    Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.

  • Thinking About the Environment

    Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.

  • Introduction

    Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.

  • Method

    Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.

  • Findings & Discussion

    Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.

  • Reflection Section

    Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.

  • Number Crunches

    Presents an easy math problem related to the research.

  • Glossary

    Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.

  • Citation

    Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.

  • FACTivity

    Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.


Science Education Standards

You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.


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    Director, Natural Inquirer program

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Lessons

  • In this lesson, students will create a storyboard to graphically represent the main points from the research article they read. This can be used with any Natural Inquirer article.

    Lesson Plan – Storyboard (Freshwater)

    • Lesson Plan
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • 2-3 Classroom Periods
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    • Wilderness
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    • Guided reading
    • Story Telling
    In this lesson, students will create a storyboard to graphically represent the main points from the research article they read. This can be used with any Natural Inquirer article.
    Explore Lesson Plan Download Lesson Plan (PDF)
    Explore Lesson Plan Download Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Part Of

    Freshwater - Vol. 18 No. 1

Education Files

Project Learning Tree

If you are a trained Project Learning Tree educator, you may use “Water Wonders” as an additional resource.

Jump To

  • Additional Resources

Additional Resources

  • How's My Waterway

    How’s My Waterway was designed to provide the general public with information about the condition of their local waters based on data that states, federal, tribal, local agencies and others have provided to EPA. 

    Visit Website
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The Natural Inquirer program produces a variety of science education materials for PreK through grade 12. Natural Inquirer products are produced by the USDA Forest Service, FIND Outdoors, and other cooperators and partners.

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