Area Students to Learn about Freshwater Ecology at Allegheny College’s Creek Camp

June 26, 2015 – Nine high school students will attend this year’s Creek Camp, held July 5-10 at Allegheny College. Creek Camp, a program of the Creek Connections education outreach, is a weeklong program for high school students to study freshwater ecology in northwestern Pennsylvania.

During the week, Creek Campers will conduct hands-on field-based research with Allegheny College environmental science and biology faculty and students, as well as other environmental science professionals. Campers will visit outdoor locations around the French Creek watershed, one of the most biodiverse in the nation. Topics to be explored include trees, fish, macroinvertebrates, water chemistry, birds, reptiles, amphibians, freshwater mussels and more.

“Because Creek Camp is a great introduction to environmental science, this experience is especially valuable for students who are interested in that field and may consider pursuing it in college and later for a career,” says Laura Branby, Pittsburgh field educator with Creek Connections.

This year’s Creek Campers are from the following schools:

Carrick High School, Pittsburgh
Cazenovia High School, Cazenovia, NY
City Charter High School, Pittsburgh
Conneaut Area Senior High, Linesville, PA
Seneca Valley Intermediate High School, Harmony, PA
Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, Pittsburgh
Westinghouse High School, Pittsburgh

Creek Connections
Creek Connections is an environmental education outreach project at Allegheny College that has been turning waterways into outdoor laboratories since 1995. During the school year, Creek Connections makes it possible for students from more than 40 schools in western Pennsylvania to investigate their local streams using free water quality test kits. The staff assists teachers and the community with stream monitoring, hands-on activities, loaner modules and other information and equipment they can use to teach students about the local environment.

For more information about Creek Camp, visit https://sites.allegheny.edu/creekconnections/creek-camp/.