Grantee Research Project Results
Sustainability of Resources in the Chadron Creek Watershed
EPA Grant Number: SU833510Title: Sustainability of Resources in the Chadron Creek Watershed
Investigators: Leite, Michael , Butterfield, Chuck , Balmat, Jennifer , Blomstrom, Sally , Swanke, Tom
Current Investigators: Leite, Michael
Institution: Chadron State College
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: August 31, 2007 through July 31, 2008
Project Amount: $9,088
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2007) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
Challenge Area: The technical challenge to sustainability of Chadron Creek watershed is degraded water quality from ash runoff, resulting from recent forest fires, and intensive grazing. We have developed a model based on the Shared Hierarchy of Experiential Learning or SHEL to sustain Chadron Creek watershed. The SHEL model will bring together participants including the students, landowners, economic organizations, federal, state, and city organizations, and non-government organizations to share their hierarchy of knowledge bases through the experience of collecting data on the environmental benefits (Planet), social benefits (People), and economic benefits (Prosperity) of Chadron Creek watershed for the region. Communications between participants and other stakeholders will provide the driving mechanism for the SHEL model. We must meet the following goals to complete this project: Goal 1. To study the extent of the challenge of degraded water quality to the sustainability of Chadron Creek; Goal 2, To create a model to address the challenge of degraded water quality to the sustainability of Chadron Creek; Goal 3, To study stakeholder perceptions of the risks to the sustainability of the social, environmental, and economic benefits of the Chadron Creek watershed; Goal 4, To clean, clear, and care for our study sites by removing litter and invasive species of plants. Data acquisition and analysis will allow us to attain our first goal, surveys of SHEL participants will allow us to assess whether we attain our second goal, risk assessment surveys of stakeholders and subsequent analyses will allow us to attain our third goal, and clean up and removal of invasive species will allow us to attain our fourth goal. Data, analyses, and results will be summarized in reports for dissemination to participants, partners, and the U. S. EPA through hard copy and electronic media via our web page. Brochures and press releases will communicate the value of our project to stakeholders. Demonstration of the project will be through oral and poster presentations given to the EPA and other stakeholders and archived on our web page. The project will be used as an educational tool through formal learning experiences in a seminar course offering, through informal learning experiences such as Service Learning projects, and will be part of on-going volunteer stream monitoring project.
Supplemental Keywords:
Grazing, stream bank destabilization, stream sediment loads, steam organic loads, fire recovery,, RFA, Air, climate change, Air Pollution Effects, AtmosphereProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.