Albuquerque's
Environmental StoryAlbuquerque's
Environmental Story
After a heavy rain, walk outside your school or home and observe what happened.
Were there flash floods? Are there gullies? Puddles? What happened to the water on the pavement? On the grass? On bare soil? Is there runoff to the street? Where does that water go? How does this relate to the water cycle and to the natural environment of the part of the city in which you live? Is there any relationship to the way people have used the environment?
Conduct a survey of your yard or the school grounds for standing water. Determine the area covered and the average depth. How long does it take the water to drain and conditions to return to normal?
Did the rainstorm create an erosion pattern on the soil, or change an existing one? If so, describe.
How did the amount of water that fell in your part of the city compare with the amount received in other parts? Explain.
How would a 10 inch (25 cm.) change in annual rainfall affect your area?
Write an illustrated story
pretending that you are a drop of rain water. What choices would you have
when you fell to earth?
Make a list of ways the natural environment of your home and immediate neighborhood may have been changed when the houses were built.
How do you think this land looked before construction began? 100 years ago? 500 years ago?
If you think the land changed between I00 years ago and 500 years ago, what might have caused the differences?
What changes might be taking place in the physical environment now? What is causing these changes?
Take a walk around the neighborhood and note the landscaped areas.
How many houses have Southwestern type gardens? How many have a mixture of native and non native plants?
Interview some homeowners who have distinctive gardens. Why did they select that particular landscaping?
Walk to a vacant lot or an unlandscaped area on the school grounds.
How does this area compare with the landscaped area around the school?
How do human trample patterns affect your school environment?
What examples of plant succession can be seen?
If this area is on the school grounds, would it be suitable for a native plant garden? For a wildflower garden? Why? How might one be started?
Inventory the plants in your garden to see how many of them are Southwestern and how many others require large amounts of water. Make a chart like the one below to record your findings. Use the list of Native and Drought Resistant Plants in this Chapter.
Plants in Your Garden
Need Little Water
Need Much Water
Trees
Shrubs
Ground Cover
Herbaceous
How often do you have to water the Southwestern plants in your garden? The other plants?
Do you use a sprinkler system? How much water do you use during the growing season? How much water is this per square foot (square meter) of your garden? How do summer water bills compare with winter bills? How efficient is the sprinkler system? Is there much fugitive water, water that gets away from the planted area?
How is the garden fertilized? Are pesticides used? If so, what kinds? What are the pros and cons of pesticides? If you have a vegetable garden, is it successful? Why?
Set up a panel discussion on the subject of How Can the School Building and Grounds Better Serve the Public? Invite representatives of the neighborhood association, the Park Department, APS, and other community groups to participate on the panel. Have different students serve as moderator, recorder, and timekeeper.
Are there plans to use the playground as a JOP (Jointly Operated Playground)?
Do any community groups, such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc., use the school building at present?
Can the school be used for adult education courses? Is it being used that way at present?
Is it better from the point of view of economy and use of energy resources to keep the building open for purposes other than children's education?
Could the school grounds be used for community gardens?
Does the neighborhood have adequate facilities for senior citizen recreation? If not, could the school building or grounds be used?
What other community uses could the school and its grounds be put to?
How can community groups express their opinions about how the school grounds, the playgrounds and the school building be used?
Make a 3-D map of your neighborhood, showing hills and flat areas, arroyos, diversion channels, drainage and irrigation ditches, and other natural and manmade features.
What is the geological explanation of hills in your neighborhood?
If there are irrigation ditches in your neighborhood, who maintains them? How?
When was the last flood in your neighborhood? How severe was it?
What, if any, major changes took place in the topography of your neighborhood during the past thousand years?
(Up to Section IV, Back to Eye Opener Worksheet 5, On to Aditional Activities 5)