Incorporating Place-Based Education to Cultivate Watershed Literacy

Abstract

This chapter explores the theoretical underpinnings and practical application of Place-Based Watershed Education. More specifically, it describes an experiential approach to teaching about stormwater and sustainable stormwater management while working to advance the “watershed literacy” of students in an Auburn University Honors Introduction to Sustainability undergraduate course. The value of learning about watersheds (and specifically stormwater) from direct encounters is explored. Also, the importance of cultivating a hydrological sense of place will be discussed in conjunction with an effort to provide a point of entry for educators of diverse disciplinary backgrounds to consider the value of using a form of place-based watershed education in their local bioregion.

What We Know about Water: A Water Literacy Review

“…The first we termed science and systems knowledge, which is based on water's unique scientific properties and its significance for living systems, including the water cycle and water's ability to transport dissolved and solid materials. This category encompasses ecosystem needs and flows, with five definitions [22,28,30,31,35] mentioning the role of water in life and one explicitly advocating for knowledge of interconnected aspects like "air, water, and/or biodiversity" [22] (p. 7). In addition, six definitions address hydrological processes, cycles and functions [7,18,28,31,33,38], but only three specify that water literacy includes knowledge at the level of water's chemical and physical properties [27,31,40].…”

“…In addition, six definitions address hydrological processes, cycles and functions [7,18,28,31,33,38], but only three specify that water literacy includes knowledge at the level of water's chemical and physical properties [27,31,40]. Interestingly, four definitions call specifically for an understanding of "watershed concepts" [36] (p. i) or ability to define watersheds [18,29,35]. Sources emphasizing science and systems knowledge imply that a base understanding of hydrologic and ecologic science along with systems thinking is needed for application within broader, overarching water issues [27].…”

“…A local knowledge is deemed more inviting to the general public because it highlights the more relatable and simplified water topics as they pertain to day-to-day life. Within the category of local knowledge, there is a particular focus on knowing where one's water comes from [22,30,38,41,46], with two definitions honing in on the need for familiarity with the watershed one lives in [18,35]. Examples like these convey the importance of context within water literacy.…”

“…The third set of detailed cognitive knowledge we have termed as hydrosocial knowledge because it refers to the bi-directional and continuous interactions between society and water resources. Definitions that fell within this category emphasized how human actions impact water quality and health of water resources, and at the same time, how the health and quality of water resources directly impact human health and welfare [7,18,32,33,35,38,39,46]. Like local knowledge, these topics were also presented in a contextual manner, with authors emphasizing the hydrosocial setting within built environments [7] or the watersheds like those of the Great Lakes [33].…”

“…It is a conative element that highlights knowledge about how to act or use water with a long-term perspective of water resources such that there is still adequate quality and quantity to supply future generations. This includes awareness of how to use water sustainably [42,43,46], how to conserve [30,38,45], and how to protect and/or restore watersheds [35,36]. This knowledge set was the least mentioned among the cognitive domain, with explicit inclusion in only nine of the 26 sources.…”