Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2007ME103B

The Penobscot River Education Program: Celebrating and Strengthening Community Connections to the River that Sustains Us

Institute: Maine
Year Established: 2007 Start Date: 2007-03-01 End Date: 2008-02-29
Total Federal Funds: $7,405 Total Non-Federal Funds: $16,900

Principal Investigators: Beth Owen, Cheryl Daigle, Ruth Hallsworth

Project Summary: This project will develop an education program for fifth grade students in the Penobscot River watershed. Initially, the project involves four fifth grade classes from the Old Town Elementary School (OTES) in Old Town, Maine. The multi-disciplinary education program engages students in watershed science, river restoration ecology and cultural studies through two related projects. The first is an oral history project focusing on family and community connections to the Penobscot River, and the second is a public outreach project designed to educate citizens about the rivers historical, present-day, and future values within the watershed community. Through these two projects, the students will meet with river ecology, river restoration, and cultural history professionals working in the Penobscot River watershed; interview family and community members; explore historical documents and photographs; and conduct research on the cultural, social, economic, and ecological importance of the Penobscot River. Each student will produce an oral history document based on his/her interviews, and help collect information that will be used to produce a series of educational posters for permanent public information kiosks along the river. Funding leveraged as a result of this pilot project will expand the program to other schools in the Penobscot River watershed.