Clear, fresh, sweet waters

Recipients

• Lower secondary school
• Upper secondary school

Objectives

• Understand how human impact and pollution have modified the environment.
• Obtain the health index of watercourses through the analysis of macroinvertebrates found.
• Understand the importance of the marsh ecosystem.

Marshes, lakes, streams... still and flowing waters.

History of the waters in the Park: from the formation of the lakes until today

Description

Excursion in the Avigliana Lakes Natural Park to learn about the history of water.

We will discover the effects of glaciation on the landscape, the origin of the lakes, the relationship between humans and the lake environment, from prehistory to today, water management interventions, and drainage of marshy areas.

We will analyze the effects of human impact and the consequences on the environment, pollution, eutrophication, and the thermal events of the lake waters and understand how the establishment of the Park has represented a significant step for the conservation, recovery, and enhancement of natural environments.

Thanks to IBE monitoring, we will assess the biological quality of water through macrobenthos analysis.

Methodology

The walk in the woods will lead us to the banks of a stream where, using special nets, we will discover the macroinvertebrates that colonize the waters of the tributaries of Lake Piccolo.

Through the educational biology laboratory IBE (Extended Biotic Index), we will analyze the communities of macroinvertebrates and determine the level of water quality.

In the afternoon, a visit to the Mareschi Marsh, the westernmost wetland in Italy, located northwest of Lake Grande, will allow us to learn about another important environment, strongly modified by humans.

Thanks to the microscope in the educational classroom of the Park headquarters, we will observe the invertebrates collected in the marsh: a projector connected to the microscope will allow us to see unusual animals moving in a drop of water.

Recommended period

• Autumn
• Spring

Duration

Full day

Trasporti

• Bus
• Train (activity limited to the Great Lake of Avigliana)

Cost borne by the school

Recommended equipment

• Long pants
• Mountain boots or shoes with a non-slip sole
• Backpack with packed lunch and water bottle
• Tick and mosquito repellent
• K-way (windbreaker)