The Springfield Science Museum (Springfield, MA) has organized yearly Earth
Day Cleanups of land along the Conn. River and its main tributary - the
Mill River - in Springfield for 8 years. Nearly 200 tons of trash and
recycleable materials have been collected by volunteers in the community.
The cleanup culminates with an Earth Day environmental fair at the museum.

The Science Museum has also been responsible for a volunteer organization
(Greater Springfield Area Riverwatch) which monitors the water quality of
the major tributaries of the Conn. River watershed in Springfield and
surrounding areas.  A steering committee supervises the volunteer work and
is comprised of representatives from Springfield's wastewater treatment
plant, local colleges and industries, as well as the community at large.
This work has continued for 7 years and has provided valuable information
concerning the health of our rivers.

The Science Museum has also recently developed an education outreach
project called REAP (River Education Awareness Program) which has been
grant-funded for the first two years of its existence (state funding = MA
Environmental Trust, federal funding = Silvio Conte Refuge).  Its objective
is to improve awareness and understanding of the urban Mill River by
targeting the entire 8th grade (2000 students) of the Springfield School
District.  The program consists of an in-class presentation, and a field
trip to the Mill River to learn history, natural history, and water quality
techniques.  The program also provides a professional development training
where teachers design a resouce kit and produce inter-disciplinary
curriculum which is shared with all the 8th grade teachers and students
back in the classroom.  It is our hope to expand the project to other grade
levels in Springfield and use it as a model for surrounding communities.

We are also currently preparing an exhibit on the Conn. River with the
University of Mass. at Amherst which will include video presentations and
artifacts from a spectacular underwater diving project in the Conn. River
which is being directed by Dr. Klekowski. This exhibit will be expanded to
include other didactic materials and hands-on activities and be combined
with our current live aquatic environments and dioramas.

Additionally, we have recently submitted a grant proposal with UMass to the
National Science Foundation to produce a traveling exhibit on the Conn.
River which will also include community outreach activities.

This should serve as a synopsis of our current activities surrounding the
Conn. River and its watershed.  We are genuinely excited about the Conn.
River being designated an American Heritage River and are poised to utilize
the potential additional` resources and assistance to help us realize our
goal of educating the community concerning the watershed and their impact
on it.

Please let me know if you require additional information.  I look forward
to hearing from you.

Dave Stier
Curator of Natural Science
Springfield Science Museum
236 State St., Springfield, MA 01003
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