Module Overview:

In Northwest New Mexico, there is controversy over whether or not the building of the Navajo Dam on the San Juan River has caused the demise of the Razor Back Sucker habitat. There has been heated debate between the environmentalists, the fly-fishermen, and the industrial entities that use the river. In order to address the problem from a neutral standpoint, we have endeavored to gather data, not to support or refute any one standpoint, but to inform all parties involved as to the condition of the river and the habitat. Extensive sampling is being done on: pH, salinity, turbidity, flow-rate, temperature and dissolved oxygen.

In this module, we have focused on the dissolved oxygen component, as it is one of the most important factors in the maintenance of the river ecosystem. Data was, and will continue to be, gathered by Rick Espinoza's Environmental Science classes, and analyzed both by his classes and Kelly Thur's Algebra classes. Glenys Hamilton's Chemistry classes will perform lab experiments to determine the dissolved oxygen content of various water samples. These results will be compared to the electronic probe results obtained by Mr. Espinoza's classes.

The students will learn how to use the probes to test for the various items, to compile and analyze their data, and to report and support their findings. Not only will the students use the electronic probes, they will learn to use Excel and Stella to model their findings. In addition, the students will gain experience in using MS Power Point, MS Publisher, and MS Word. The students will construct monthly web page updates to report the progress of the research. These web pages will be evaluated by Mr. Espinoza as to content, and published on our school web site.

While not all areas are home to the "endangered" Razor Back Sucker, this module can be adapted for use in any body of water, and can be a useful tool in teaching proper sampling methods, experimental procedures, analyzing skills, and reporting procedures done in science.