The Voinovich School Receives Grant to Bring Citizen Science to Backyard Streams in Ohio

Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service has secured a grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Ohio Environmental Education Fund to bring STEM opportunities to students in the Ohio River Basin through the “My Backyard Stream” project.  

“My Backyard Stream” is one of five projects to receive this funding from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in fiscal year 2022. Fifteen project collaborators, including various watershed groups, soil and water conservation districts, schools, and non-governmental organizations located in the Ohio River Basin, will participate in this work by receiving water quality kits and training that they can share with local students and communities.  

“My Backyard Stream” kits consist of three units that focus on water chemistry, aquatic biology and physical habitat. Each kit contains supplies to equip up to four groups. The grant funding will make the kits accessible; to families, teachers and students who will be able to borrow them from groups in the partner network.

“My Backyard Stream” kits geared for families and another for educators are currently available as prototypes at the Ohio Museum Complex located in Lin Hall on the Ridges at Ohio University. Educators are encouraged to borrow these kits for their classrooms and field trips. Kits can be on loan for up to two weeks. 

​​“The OHIO Museum Complex is happy to partner with ‘My Backyard Stream’ to extend environmental education opportunities such as this one to schools and families across the region,” said Nancy J. Stevens, the co-lead of the OHIO Museum Complex and Southeast Hub of the Ohio STEM Learning Network.

“Volunteers learn how to collect water quality data from streams in their community and submit the data online to contribute to the growing citizen science data on Ohio streams,” said Jen Bowman, director of environmental programs at the Voinovich School. 

Through a previous grant from American Electric Power Foundation, an educator lesson plan accompanies the kits available online at watersheddata.com on the “education” page, titled “My Backyard Stream.” The data collected with the kits can be uploaded to this website on the “citizen scientist data submission” button.

The kits will become available at participating collaborator locations in spring 2022. The Ohio Environmental Education Fund grant enables training and workshops, including streamside demonstrations for students and educators who are interested in using the kits and train-the-trainer events. 

“I am very excited for the opportunity to grow the ‘My Backyard Stream’ citizen science program in the Ohio River Basin,” Bowman said. “Ohio citizens are concerned about water quality in their community and will benefit from awareness and interest in restoration and protection of Ohio waterways. The Ohio Environmental Educational Fund grant funding will benefit adults and youth by providing the tools and knowledge to make water quality observations.” 

The Voinovich School is grateful to its collaborators and funding partners including the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the AEP Foundation, the Ohio STEM Learning Network, the OHIO Museum Complex, the U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office, and the PORTSfuture Program for making this project possible.

For more information about trainings, workshops or borrowing the kits available at OHIO Museum Complex on Ohio University’s campus, contact Jen Bowman, bowmanj2@ohio.edu.