2010 Current Issue
Groundwater
Protection
Primary
Resources for 2010
• Questions
& Resources for Team Preparation
• Strategies
for Community Groundwater Research
•
2010
Current Issue Problem
• Presentation
Score Sheet 10
• Guidelines for Judging 10
What is the Massachusetts Envirothon Current Issue?
In this component
of the Envirothon program, teams research a current environmental issue
as it occurs in their own community, then prepare a presentation on
their findings and proposed solutions. Each year the Massachusetts
Envirothon Committee takes the Canon Envirothon's Current Issue and
works to ensure that the topic is relevant to ALL Massachusetts communities.
Wide-ranging community research is encouraged, including field study,
interviews of scientists, advocates, local officials, and residents,
internet and library searches, map reading, and visits to town hall.
Many teams take what they learn in their current issue research and
apply it in a community action project. Any team that demonstrates
high research standards in their current issue work, or applies their
Envirothon learning in a service project, is eligible for an Envirothon
Community Award.
At the state competition in May, the team makes a presentation of their
Current Issue findings and recommendations to a panel of judges
(including natural resource managers, local and state officials, environmental
advocates, and others) who score them and provide helpful feedback on
their knowledge, proposed solutions, and presentation skill. A
highlight of the experience is the interaction between the teams and
the judges when the scoring is completed. After the morning competition,
teams have a chance to share their current issue research and community
action projects informally at a lunchtime "roundtables"
session.
Other
Resources
Workshop Presentations
Paul Barten
(UMass Dept of Natural Resource Conservation)
UMass workshop
presentation slides
Why
forests provide the best protection for water resources (essay)
The conservation
of forests and water in New England . . . again (essay)
Overview of forest
hydrology and forest management effects overview (technical outline)
Effects
of development on groundwater (diagram)
Debbie
Shriver (Mass Watershed Coalition)
Community
Solutions for Stormwater: Protection for Surface & Groundwater
George
Zoto (Mass Dept of Environmental Protection)
Protection
of groundwater through urban, agricultural, and environmental planning
Norfolk Ram Group
- Mark S. Bartlett, P.E., President
Protecting our water resources
See
also EE notes page for articles and websites
of interest.
Mass Envirothon Community Research and Action
Awards web page
(including a checklist for community research)
Tips
for Using the Web as Information Source
Roundtables
at the Mass Envirothon
Judging Guidelines
Score Sheet
_______________________________________
Past Current Issues