Author: Lee Moser
Planning Unit: Agriculture and Natural Resources Programs
Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation
Outcome: Initial Outcome
Lee Moser partnered with teachers at Elkhorn Middle School to develop and deliver an interactive presentation titled “Climate Change Impacts and Water in Kentucky” to 6-8 graders on topics related to climate change and water resources in Kentucky. The talk was designed to meet the needs of the next generation science standards related to systems thinking and climate change. The initial talk focused on current and projected future water quality and quantity related issues across Kentucky, with a specific focus on stormwater issues in urban settings. The talk engaged students on projected climate change impacts and how they may potentially impact human and natural systems across the state. An interactive floodplain model was utilized to allow students to experience modeled responses to various land management scenarios to multiple rainfall intensity simulations. Students were provided with research-based climate change projections specific to Kentucky and asked to develop a climate resilience plan for a place in Kentucky that is important to them using the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit available through Climate.gov (https://toolkit.climate.gov/#steps). Students shared their climate resilience plans and utilized systems thinking to suggest both climate change mitigation and adaptation techniques that would be appropriate for their chosen location. The interactive presentation was conducted with four science enrichment classes of 20-25 students each, reaching approximately 90 students across the four classes. This interactive presentation is now available to be shared with other interested groups throughout the state.
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