Teens lined up, pulled off their shoes and climbed into waders. They grabbed tools and equipment and followed the path to the Little Plover River. And then they jumped in – for the study of it.

Over the course of a couple of days, dozens of students in Victor Akemann’s and Erin Fetting’s Stevens Point Area Senior High School (SPASH) science classes worked in the stream, narrowing the shoreline and testing the waters to determine the health of the Class A trout stream.

It is a culminating activity conducted by the teachers and students annually, providing assistance to the stream as well as valuable data to scientists.

“We gather data and report it out and that’s what we’re trying to teach students,” Akemann said. “The bank is improving, we are seeing deeper, better cut areas, and that’s inspiring for the kids. You could already feel the change in water flow when you moved into the main column.

“It really is kind of a way of taking a metric on your blood cholesterol levels, we monitor ourselves constantly, we have annual physicals, and if we could do the same with all the rivers in our area we’d have a really good metric to our community,” he said.

“If we’re taking care of the land around the river and it’s healthy, that’s a really, really good sign,” he said.

Specific data analysis was not available at press time, but initial information shows the Little Plover River is under a bit of stress, not uncommon for this time of year, said Akemann, who has been conducting such testing and maintenance on the river for more than 20 years.

“The overall index value for the biological quality assessment at one of the sites is showing again a little bit of stress,” he said. “It’s not surprising that it would be a little stressed right now, it’s early in the spring, and that’s a direct relation to what we do the year before.

“We have to put the time and energy into improving it and not giving up, and these things take time,” he said.

The Little Plover River has been the focus of several research studies over the years, not only through classroom studies but more recently the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) funded a study of the watershed by University of Wisconsin-Extension (UW-Extension) and Wisconsin National Historical Survey (WNHS) to develop a computer modeling program to help guide protection of groundwater throughout the state.

Ken Bradbury, a hydrologist with the UW-Extension and WNHS, has said the Little Plover River is considered one of the most studied rivers in the United States. The Little Plover River was used for the study because the flows in the stream come from the ground water system. In April, the group reported out initial findings.

While the DNR-funded study focuses more on evaluating and identifying groundwater management scenarios, the students learn about what it takes to ensure the river’s viability, the river’s habitat and how they can help protect this natural waterway.

“I think it’s cool how we can … actually help the stream out,” said SPASH senior Kayla Pavelski. “I kind of feel out of my element, but maybe that’s OK, to have new experiences. It is our community and we should help as much as we can.”

Students pounded stakes in to shape a new bank, then dragged brush from a recent cutting and old discarded Christmas trees to line and shore up the bank in an effort to narrow the stream. The narrowing will allow for the flow to increase speed and carry away sand and silt, creating a deeper channel for the fish.

“If they have first-hand experience understanding how it works then they have a more complete sense of maintaining it and being good stewards, and being better informed citizens in general,” Fetting said.

In some cases, students were waist-deep in water, struggling to lift the trees or tuck in the trunks within those stakes. Some got boots sucked into mud, many had dirt and grime streaked across their faces, and despite the steady drizzle throughout the morning, students focus steadied on the job at hand.

“You have to realize we’re human and we are still part of the land,” said senior Ben Harris, who has had conservation schooling and hopes to go into biomolecular engineering and focus on environment.

“A lot of times we kind of trample on it,” he said. “Doing things like this doesn’t make up for it, but this is a prime feature and we’re helping to keep it in good condition. We want this to be around for as long as it can.”

Another way to determine the health of a stream is looking at the invertebrates and diversity of species in the water. This year, Akemann said, there weren’t as many cat flies or mayflies as one would like to see, but the numbers are consistent with the data gathered in the past.

“There’s a repeated pattern where it’s not getting to excellent, but it’s hanging out in reduced diversity,” he said. “The species’ richness numbers are not very high.”

The lack of species indicates the level of dissolved oxygen is low, as some species cannot survive in low-level oxygen, and the sediment that causes the higher levels of turbidity also may play a role, he said.

Students are learning all of these factor in to what is involved in keeping streams healthy, they are asking questions, trying to understand, and trying to see a bigger picture and their role in it.

And that may be influencing their appreciation of the world around them, a key part of the outdoor class lesson.

“The majority of people don’t really think about maintaining the river or the environment in general,” said senior Laura Canapa. “If we don’t take care of or maintain our rivers, they will be in super poor condition or not exist at all.

“Having people do this is vital to the river and the environment staying healthy,” she said.