After the initial baseline visit, the students and their teacher should return to the wetland each month to monitor the water levels. They should also come back once a year and repeat the baseline measurements. The students will soon be able to transmit the data they collect to the CWC via the Internet. The students are encouraged to use the data in science projects of their own. Student response to the project has been extremely positive.
Most students are completely unfamiliar with the concept of field research.
They tend to think that science is done only in controlled laboratory environments, and they're often excited to learn that some people actually get paid to tromp around in the mud. Brooks and Wardrop would love to expand the program to 48 schools around the state. Their biggest difficulty with that now is in providing enough personnel to help with the site visits. They hope to work out a way that DEP personnel could also do some teacher training and site visits. This program is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3.