Each year, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum welcomes a cohort of motivated, curious local high school students to examine watershed science in the Champlain Valley. Led by Museum staff, students learn though self-guided research, small group activities, meet-ups with professionals, outings to local sites, and more. This free and flexible program is ideal for students who are interested in aquatic science, fisheries, environmental science, or conservation.
The Watershed Science Apprenticeship is open to any high school student in the Champlain Valley in New York and Vermont. Credits for this course may be available in History, Biology, Environmental Sciences, Geology, as well as other subjects, depending on the student’s school or as a personalized learning course or project. Students may participate individually or together as a group or class. Teachers are welcome to use the apprenticeship experience to complement their course curriculum and address standards for their whole class.
Learn more about our 2020-21 program focus: Dams in the Champlain Valley >
Join us for the 2021 Dams in the Champlain Valley Online Speaker Series >
2020-21 Program Focus: Dams in Champlain Valley
There are hundreds of dams around Lake Champlain, ranging from small dams from the early 1800s to the large modern hydro-electric dams. These human-made structures were the earliest way to supply power to Champlain Valley industry, and have served important purposes in the past. Yet the introduction of dams into our ecosystem has had immense unintended consequences. The story of dams in the Champlain Valley is one of individual ownership, collective good, environmental impact, habitat connectivity, and more.
Our 2020-21 High School Watershed Science Apprentice program will investigate dams in our region to understand the complex history, impact, and management of these structures in the Lake Champlain watershed. The 2020-21 program will meet through a series of online presentations by environmental scientists, dam managers, and scholars who are evaluating dams throughout the region Students and the public will be able to tune in live or watch these presentations later on their own time. A curriculum guide will be available for each presentation to enable students to go deeper into the topics, either on their own or with the guidance of LCMM staff. Teachers are encouraged to use the curriculum guide to engage students in one or more presentations as a class activity.
Watershed Science Apprenticeship Instructors
Matt Harrison is the Educations Program Manager at the Museum, specializing in environmental history. Matt spearheaded our Stem to Stern curriculum and also leads after-school, summer camp, and Watershed Science programs. Matt is also a crew member on our replica schooner Lois McClure and a licensed Captain.
Elizabeth Lee is the Museum’s Director of Education and Interpretation. She has an MS in Environmental Science from SUNY Plattsburgh and is a National Geographic Certified Educator. Elizabeth is also a licensed Outdoor Guide in the State of New York, and has decades of experience leading experiential outdoor education programs for all ages.
Questions?
If you have any questions or would like to learn more before applying for this program, please contact Elizabeth Lee at ElizabethL@lcmm.org.
