Once the design is complete, students create a before sketch, showing the river channel and bank structure, and locations of development. Then the circulation pump is switched on, and the miniature river begins to flow. This is the moment of truth. Students watch as the river cuts into unprotected banks, removing soil to deposit further downstream. Banks with vegetation stabilize, while those armored with rocks and boulders collapse during flood events.
Ground water flows silently beneath the community, to appear in spring-fed ponds.
At the mouth of the river, sediment is deposited to form braided streams and a delta. All human development is subject to the rules of nature, as riverfront houses slip downstream when the river shifts in its channel, and ill-planned bridges collapse when the floodplain widens. To complete the class, students create an after sketch, illustrating changes in channel width, and impacts to surrounding human development. This hands-on program provides students with a basic understanding of how river systems are impacted by riparian degradation and enables students to make informed decisions about watershed stewardship. In 1999-2000, nearly 500 students participated in Conservancy Stream Dynamics programs.