Environmental Statistics
Saint Anne's-Belfield School
About Our Class
Course History
St. Anne’s Belfield School created a program in 2011 known as Environmental Statistics, a class with the goal being for senior high schoolers to study the health of local rivers. The students began by sampling the James River watershed, including Bull Pasture, Jackson, Rivanna, Maury, and Moormans Rivers. However, for such a large watershed, there was no conclusion found.
Class Timeline and Data
August and September:
These months were spent preparing the class for recording data through the use of Vernier probes. We also learned the technique for netting benthic organisms. We also were trained in the identification of these organisms. This was done at Riverview Park on the Rivanna River.The first sampling of mussels was done in Rocky Creek with the class. We did the first chemical and benthic set of data at Rocky creek and Buck Mountain creek.
West Virginia Trip
The West Virginia Trip was a three day excursion to monitor the health of certain West Virginian rivers. Unlike last year, West Virginia was experiencing a drought rather than a rainy season. The water level was at a more manageable level than last year, and we were able to collect data compatible with the recordings of past years. The reason why a high water level was an issue was that it made certain areas of the river inaccessible, restricting the previous year’s class to only take a convenience sample, rather than a random stratified sample that is standard practice. The same testing that is applied to local rivers was applied to the West Greenbrier, Deercreek, Shaver’s Fork, and the Bullpasture rivers. Our goal was to test the protocol that we practiced on the Rivanna. The ultimate aim was to make sure when we took reportable data at Rocky and Buck Mtn, the techniques used were standardized enabling us to compare data taken at different sites at different times.
Before we went to W.Va. each student researched the effect of land use on water chemistry, and proposed an hypothesis (example: the nitrates in Shaver’s Creek will be higher than on the Greenbriar). When we returned from the trip, we used the collected data to test the individual hypotheses. Two-tailed t tests were used to calculate p values which were then used to accept or reject the null hypothesis.
In between all of the testing and investigating, we took some time for ourselves, to contemplate, to meditate, or simply to relax. We did this in the form of a Solo. For an extended period of time one evening, we all went to a particular spot in the mountains and sat. Everyone then wrote a bit as they sat alone in the light of the setting sun and rising moon. It was a chance to reflect on the trip and anything else on the students’ minds. After writing, some drew, others slept, and still others watched the world go by around them. Impassive or perhaps pondering. In the end it was the favorite experience some of us had on the trip.
Conclusions
Conclusions
Conclusion 1: When we compare Buck Mtn. and Rocky Creek between 2019 and 2020 there were 10 significant differences and 4 insignificant. The conclusion is that there has been a dramatic change in the chemical data over the course of the year.
Reflections
VS- I really enjoyed having the opportunity to get outside during the school day. Knowing that we are making a difference and helping this endangered species.
TF- I always enjoyed going to the rivers with the class and searching for mussels and
testing the chemicals. The West Virginia trip was the highlight of my school year.
Drop/Add
Change: Buck mountain data should be taken bimonthly in 2020-21 because we found significant differences between it and Rocky but the data was limited and a drought was in effect in the fall of 2019. Effort must also go into monitoring the upper Rocky site.