Watershed Education Programs

Salt Lake City Public Utilities (SLCDPU) offers watershed science classroom curricula for the 4^th and 9^th grades.  These curricula are place-based for the Jordan River/Wasatch Front Watersheds and are tied to the State of Utah Core Standards.  As these materials are place-based, they are available exclusively for educators in the Salt Lake Valley.

In addition to the classroom based curriculum, the SLCDPU Watershed Division offers:

1.  Autumn nature center and winter snowshoe fieldtrips that are correlated to the 4^th grade Core Standards facilitated by the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation.

2.  Field assistance for 9^th grade teachers wishing to teach our curriculum in the out-of-doors.

3.  All educational materials for the curriculum activities, as well as staff classroom assistance.

■Wasatch Front Watershed 4th Grade Activity Guide

The Keep It Pure Wasatch Front Watershed Activity Guide was designed to give educators a water science curriculum that is tied to the 4th grade Utah Core Curriculum Standards and contains clear, thorough lesson plans with detailed prep lists and a consistent layout. It is structured around a coherent instructional model and is place-based with a specific focus on the Jordan River Watershed to give students a sense of place and stewardship for their local watersheds.

As a number of the activities in this guide were adapted from Project WET International activities, the activity guide is copy written and not available on our website. If you are an educator and interested in obtaining the activity guide, please call (801) 483-6884.

Training workshops for the 'Keep It Pure Wasatch Front Watershed Activity Guide' are free of charge, and are offered in February of each year.

4th Grade Teacher Workshop Power Point Presentation

■Jordan River Watershed: Wasatch Front Supplement to Stream Side Science: Lesson Plans and Water Related Activities for 9th Grade Earth Systems Science

The 11 activities in Stream Side Science bring a water focus to a set of standards and objectives in the Utah State Core Curriculum for 9th grade Earth Systems Science. These hands-on activities help students learn the basic concepts of Earth Systems Science while exploring their local watershed and water quality issues.

Our 9th grade activity guide is an addendum to Stream Side Science and is 'place-based' for the Jordan River Watershed (Salt Lake Valley).  As the Jordan River supplement is an addendum to Stream Side Science, it is necessary to use both together for lesson planning.  To obtain an electronic copy of Stream Side Science you may visit the USU Water Quality website at http://extension.usu.edu/waterquality/index.cfm .

Each lesson plan contains background information, step by step instructions for the activity, suggestions for applying the data, and further discussion questions. Student worksheets, sampling instructions, and teacher resource pages are provided.

Workshops for educators interested in using our curriculum are offered in November of each year and are free of charge to educators teaching in the Salt Lake Valley.  If you are interested in participating in a workshop, would like to obtain a copy of the addendum or need to check out materials for your field day – please call Public Utilities at 801-483-6884. 

Outdoor and Fieldtrip Programs

■ 4th Grade Field Trip Program

The Cottonwood Canyons Foundation with Salt Lake City Public Utilities offer winter snowshoeing field trips at the Spruces Campground in Big Cottonwood Canyon and fall fieldtrips at Silver Lake in Big Cottonwood Canyon for 4th grade aged students.

All fieldtrips are free of charge and tied to the Utah Core Curriculum Standards as well as the 'Keep It Pure Wasatch Front Watershed Activity Guide'. For more information or to sign up for a trip, please call the Public Lands Information Center or visit the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation online at cottonwoodcanyons.org.

These fieldtrips are scheduled on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis, are available for groups up to 60 students in size, and priority is given to school groups from schools in Salt Lake Valley.   

■ 9th Grade Field Components

The staff here at Salt Lake City Public Utilities Watershed Division are here to help you with your field days! Let us know if you need our assistance and expertise to successfully plan and execute your field day! We have all of the field materials required for the Stream Side Science Curriculum as well as the Jordan River Watershed Addendum available for you to check out and use.

Education Contact Information

■Salt Lake City Public Utilities

Vanessa Welsh (801) 483-6884, e-mail vanessa.welsh@slcgov.com 

1530 South West Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84115

■Cottonwood Canyons Foundation

Phone: (801) 947-8263

Fieldtrip Reservation Line: (801) 466-6411

Email: info@cottonwoodcanyons.org 

Web: http://www.cottonwoodcanyons.org 

■Utah Society for Environmental Education

Phone: (801) 328-1543

Email: info@usee.org 

Web: http://www.usee.org 

■Utah State University Water Quality Extension

Phone: (435) 797-2580

Web: http://extension.usu.edu/waterquality/

The "Keep It Pure" Campaign

Watershed Education

Salt Lake City's Department of Public Utilities "Keep It Pure" Watershed Education Campaign began in response to recommendations outlined in the City's 1999 Watershed Management Plan. Our primary goal is to create awareness, educate, build stewardship and change behavior to protect our drinking water sources in City Creek, Parleys, Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood Canyons. We ultimately want our students, community and visitors to know and care about the answers to the following questions:

1. Where does my drinking water come from?

2. Why is watershed protection important?

What can I do to protect my drinking water?

To accomplish this goal, in part, the Watershed Management Division of Salt Lake City Public Utilities collaborated with the Utah Society for Environmental Education, Utah State University, Consortium West, the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation, Project WET International as well as Alta, Snowbird, Brighton and Solitude Ski resorts to create two water science curriculum, one for 4th grade and one for 9th grade. These two curricula are tied to the Utah State Board of Education's Core Curriculum Standards.

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