On September 9, 2001, students of Chase County High School visited Camp Wood near Elmdale, KS. There they assessed the stream flowing into Lake Hall, learned about prairie edges, and listened as local speakers talked about the history of water and water use in the area. Here are a few thoughts from students.

At Camp Wood today we went to stream monitoring, prairie edge, macro-invertebrates, and local presenters. I had the most fun at the macro-invertebrates because we got to mess around in the water. The presentation that will be most beneficial to our group was the prairie edges. The presenter explained runoff and pollution which is a big factor in feedlots which is our main topic. By monitoring streams, it can show what pollutants are put into the water by feedlots. Going to Camp Wood gave our group a great start to our research.

- Shelly

Dr. Eddy taught us about the prairie edges - what a healthy one should be like. He told us the name of certain plants and their benefit to the slope. We found the density of the vegetation and what amount would slow down water flow enough to minimize pollution and erosion. Next we went hunting for macroinvertebrates, animals without a backbone that you can see with unaided eye. We found a fair amount, but he said the stream had just recently filled back up with water. The stream monitoring was an interesting way of estimating the health of the stream. Many things are considered.

- Paul