Effects of outdoor education stream classes on substrate movement and macroinvertebrate colonization

Abstract

Many outdoor education centers, camps, nature centers, and parks nationwide bring thousands of students to designated stream sites each year. Organizations that repeatedly use the same site for stream ecology classes have the potential to negatively impact the aquatic macroinvertebrate community via frequent rearrangement of stream substrate by students. We placed 15 rocks of three size classes within a riffle subjected to outdoor education stream classes and another set of 15 rocks within an unused riffle and measured rock movement weekly from April 2014 to May 2014 within an agricultural stream in central Ohio. We also documented the number and type of aquatic macroinvertebrates colonizing each rock at the end of the six week study. Upstream rock movement was greater in the class site than the unused site. Total rock movement, vertical movement, and lateral movement were greater in the class site than the unused site only during baseflow conditions. Macroinvertebrate abundance, taxa richness, EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera) abundance, and clinger abundance were greater in the unused site than the class site. Our results indicate that outdoor education centers can avoid negatively impacting the aquatic macroinvertebrate community and improve student educational experiences by alternating the stream sites at which stream classes are conducted.

Effects of Student-Induced Trampling on Aquatic Macroinvertebrates in Agricultural Headwater Streams

“…The effect of repeatedly using riffles within agricultural headwater streams for stream classes has not been evaluated and needs to be addressed in future research studies. The majority of the research evaluating the effects of repeated trampling on stream macroinvertebrates in larger streams indicates that trampling can negatively impact aquatic macroinvertebrates but post-trampling recovery can occur quickly [13][14][15][16][17][18]25,26]. In light of these findings we recommend that educational organizations that repeatedly use agricultural headwater streams for stream classes adopt precautionary measures such as rotating their usage of class sites to enable the macroinvertebrates to recover from trampling by students.…”

“…In contrast, day-use nature centers, parks and camps that host multi-day OE programs often serve large numbers of students each year and may conduct stream classes regularly throughout the year within the same site. Such high use programs conducted at the same site have been shown to negatively impact macroinvertebrate abundance, taxa richness, EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera) abundance and clinger abundance and cause greater movement of streambed substrate in a fourth order stream in central Ohio [25,26]. During conditions of elevated discharge OE stream classes may be cancelled or relocated to small headwater streams to avoid unsafe conditions [26].…”

“…Such high use programs conducted at the same site have been shown to negatively impact macroinvertebrate abundance, taxa richness, EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera) abundance and clinger abundance and cause greater movement of streambed substrate in a fourth order stream in central Ohio [25,26]. During conditions of elevated discharge OE stream classes may be cancelled or relocated to small headwater streams to avoid unsafe conditions [26]. However, no previous studies have examined the impact of student-induced trampling resulting from stream classes on aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in small headwater streams.…”

“…Our aim was to document the short-term responses of macroinvertebrates to an experimental simulation of trampling by students that results from conducting OE stream classes within small headwater streams. This study was one of four studies conducted at multiple spatial and temporal scales from 2013 to 2015 to quantify the influence of OE stream classes on aquatic macroinvertebrates [25][26][27]. We hypothesized that within headwater streams in central Ohio a pulse disturbance simulating the impacts of student-induced trampling will cause an immediate negative impact on the macroinvertebrate community in experimentally disturbed riffles followed by a rapid recovery trend, while no disturbance-related changes in community structure will occur in control riffles.…”

Impact of student-induced disturbance on stream macroinvertebrates differs among habitat types

“…In contrast, environmental education activities are generally more structured and conducted as a regular component of the school curriculum via in-class lab activities, day-long field trips to nature centers and parks, and multi-day stays at resident outdoor education (ROE) centers. Such parks, nature centers, and ROE centers may host thousands of students over the course of an academic year 21,22 . Classes that focus on stream biomonitoring and/or involve stream exploration have become a popular component in many of these educational programs 23 .…”