Page 14 - Sept-Oct2017 Vol35 No3

HAMILTON COUNTY, CLEVELAND, BRADLEY COUNTY By Crystal Bishop
Partnership to Educate Teachers

In 2006, three Municipal Separate exponential numbers of students in Project WET partnership is an innovative
Storm Sewer System Stormwater the traditional classroom setting. and resourceful way to engage the public
Programs started a partnership that Teaching environmental responsibility in watershed education and meet MS4
has spread water education to teachers and stewardship to future watershed permit requirements for public education
in multiple school systems throughout stakeholders is paramount, and this and outreach.
southeast Tennessee. Hamilton County
Water Quality Program, a co-permitted Above: Snorkeling in the Conasauga River.
MS4 program between Hamilton County Left: Chad Wheeler, Hamilton County Staff Member
and the cities/towns of Collegedale, East (L) and George Bartnik, Project WET facilitator (R),
Ridge, Lakesite, Lookout Mountain, train a group of educators on how to find bugs in a
Red Bank, Ridgeside, Soddy Daisy and creek.
Walden, has teamed up with City of Below: Participants develop strategies to remove
Cleveland Stormwater Program and pollution from water.
Bradley County Stormwater Program to
offer a Project WET (Water Education for L to R: Chris Broom (City of Cleveland Stormwater), Ryan Stephens (City of Cleveland Stormwater), Crystal
Teachers) Workshop for 11 consecutive Bishop (Hamilton County Water Quality), Barrett Fisher (Hamilton County Water Quality) and Adam Reynolds
years. (Hamilton County Water Quality)

This year on June 1, as in many years
prior, the Project WET Workshop was
held at the Ocoee Whitewater Center
with George Bartnik facilitating the
workshop. Each participant received a
Project WET Curriculum and Activity
Guide packed full of nearly 100 planned
lessons and activities. While the
Project WET curriculum is focused on
many aspects of water education, the
Project WET workshop provided by
Hamilton County, City of Cleveland
and Bradley County emphasizes Water
Quality Education. Activities featured
for instruction during the workshop
are selected because of their particular
emphasis on watershed education. From
Sparkling Water to Macroinvertebrate
Mayhem, participants were trained on
various aspects of watershed-focused
activities that highlight the impact of
how we, as watershed stakeholders, have
impacted and will continue to impact our
watershed. The goal was not only to train
the teachers in lessons that can be used
in the classroom, but to give educators a
real watershed experience and get their
feet wet. After lunch, the participants
were bussed to the Conasauga River for
an afternoon of stream discovery that
included snorkeling and stream wading.

Over the course of the past 11 years,
the Project WET partnership between
Hamilton County, City of Cleveland
and Bradley County has provided
training to over 485 educators. With the
training of one teacher, Project WET
curriculum has the capability of reaching

14 TPW September/October 2017