Watersheds

This area of study focuses on water cycles, watersheds, and/or creek, pond, and lagoon habitats. It introduces hydrology and freshwater/brackish life and engages students in activities to promote awareness of their local watersheds and community based stewardship. Please note that we cannot guarantee that all students/groups will experience any one activity. Visiting many locations depends upon schedules, tides, and minimizing human impacts. Possible activities include:

Watershed Hike

Headlands Institute is at the mouth of Rodeo Valley, a watershed which lies entirely within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Field groups hike from the Pacific Ocean to the ridgeline, passing a brackish lagoon, freshwater pond, and creek along the way. The view from the top of Hill 88 bring the concept of a watershed to life. From this vantage point students can see the entire Rodeo Lagoon watershed and trace the path of a drop of water from hilltop to ocean on a topographic map. 

Biomonitoring at Rodeo Pond

What lives in a pond can tell scientists a lot about the health of the pond and the surrounding watershed. Students:

• Use scientific collection techniques to gather macroinvertebrates from the pond before bringing the samples back to the lab for further study and identification
• Using a biotic index based on species' pollution tolerance, assess the health of the pond and compare their results to data Headlands Institute students have collected over the past 8 years
  

Water Quality Testing in Rodeo Lagoon

Rodeo Lagoon is rich with wildlife including river otters, pelicans, and an endangered fish—the tidewater goby. Students:  

• Collect water samples from Rodeo Lagoon at different depths
• Use simple, safe chemical tests to assess pH, dissolved oxygen, and phosphate and nitrate content of the lagoon
• Assess water turbidity by lowering a Secchi disk into the water
• Learn how each of these factors impact plants and fish living in the lagoon

Muir Woods Field Trip

Schools which attend Headlands Institute for 5 days may elect to take a field trip to Muir Woods National Monument. Students are dropped off uphill from the monument and hike through chaparral, oak woodland, and redwood forest before reaching groves of massive old growth redwoods protected in Muir Woods. Along the way, students study soil, water, or plants for comparison to the Coastal Scrub habitat surrounding Headlands Institute. View all field trips for 5 day programs.
 

Suggested Evening Programs

Muir Woods
In preparation for a Muir Woods trip, students create skits designed to highlight unique features of the redwood ecosystem and the function of each component.

Instructor's choice
A field science educator presents a program in their area of specialty. Our educators are experts in the fields of marine biology, botany, environmental studies, biology, and more.

View all evening programs.