A day in Whitewater State Park: nature, science, and MUD

Kylie Modjeski and Shino Miyagawa|April 12, 2018

Students attending the environmental science field trip to Whitewater State Park had no idea what they were getting themselves into: sink mud!

Irene is wiped out from fighting against the mud. She was just one of the many students that got completely stuck.

The field trip did not start off so crazy though. When the students first arrived at Whitewater State Park, they were able to look around the visitor’s center, attend a short presentation, and then head out to their stations.

The purpose of the trip was to give the students hands-on experience testing water quality and observing watershed and riparian zone conditions.

Students collecting data at the first station.

The middle branch of the Whitewater River (the first location).

The first station was right below the visitor’s center on the middle branch of the Whitewater River. Students collected macro invertebrates and measured the water’s temperature, turbidity, and the health of the stream and shore.

The second station was at a location where all three branches of the river came together, outside of the park. This area was much less healthy, and was where the students found themselves knee deep in the gripping mud.

The muddy waters of all three branches of the river together (second location).

The group leader, Sara, trying to rip out a rubber boot that was submerged in the mud.

The last station was the cemetery in the small ghost town of Beaver where the students learned about several people that used to live near the Whitewater river in the past.