(802) 763-7733 info@whiteriverpartnership.org PO Box 705, South Royalton, VT 05068

Monitoring the White River

News

During 2022 the WRP staff and partners engaged over 1,250 students and teachers at 25 schools in our watershed education program: Monitoring the White River (MWR). MWR program funding is provided by the Byrne Foundation, Couch Family Foundation, Greater Upper Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Green Mountain National Forest, Wellborn Ecology Fund, Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, and individual and business sponsors.

Learn more in our MWR Summer 2022 Newsletter.

About MWR

Since 2010 the White River Partnership’s Monitoring the White River (MWR) Program has been engaging White River watershed teachers and students in classroom and field work activities that raise awareness about watershed issues and create opportunities for hands-on, place-based ecology education.

MWR offers eight seasonal watershed education units that may be adapted to meet teachers’ curriculum goals:

  • Buffers – assessing and monitoring river-side vegetation
  • Crayfish – sampling these key members of river and riparian food webs
  • Culverts – conducting assessments to determine if stream-crossing structures are fish-friendly and/or flood-resilient
  • Freshwater Snorkeling – finding evidence of aquatic biodiversity in a habitat restoration project area along the West Branch of the White River in partnership with the Green Mountain National Forest
  • Riparian Track and Sign – finding evidence of wildlife activities along river corridors
  • Trout in the Classroom – raising and releasing native brook trout in the White River in partnership with the Greater Upper Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited
  • Waterbugs – sampling these biological indicators of river health and water quality
  • Watershed Restoration – helping develop, implement, and/or monitor on-the-ground restoration projects to improve water quality, habitat, and flood resilience

MWR Program elements include:

  • Content specialist support for tailored curriculum development, classroom presentations, and student field work;
  • A Lending Library of monitoring equipment and other informational resources; and
  • Networking opportunities with participating teachers, state and federal aquatic biologists, and other resource people.

For more information

For more information about participating in MWR, please see our Teacher Resources page or contact us.