Know your Watershed Survey…
1) Name the major mountain ranges and other important geographic and geological features near your house.
Tijuana River Estuary
2) Trace the water you get in your kitchen, from precipitation to tap.
Colorando River.
3) Describe the soil around your house.
Very dry. Mostly cement though. Sandy.
4) What were the primary subsistence techniques of the indigenous cultures that lived in your bioregion before the Europeans arrived?
I don’t know.
5) Name five edible plants in your watershed and their seasons of availability.
There are no edible plant in the Tijuana estuary as far as I know.
6) From what direction do the winter storms in your area generally arrive?
From the west
7) Where does your garbage go after it’s hauled away?
Landfill
8) How long is the growing season in your watershed?
Mostly during the summer
9) On what day of the year are the shadows the shortest where you live?
I don’t know.
10) Name five trees in your watershed. Are any of them native to the bioregion? If you can’t name names, describe them.
Palm Tree,
11) Name five birds that live in your watershed.
Great blue Heron, Seagulls.
12) Identify whether those birds are resident or migratory, and if the latter, what part of the year do they spend in your watershed?
I don’t KNOW.
13) What is the history of human land use in your watershed or bioregion during the past century?
I don’t know.
14) What species have recently (last 1000 years) become extinct in your area?
None that I know of.
15) What was the primary geological event or process that influenced the land form in your watershed?
I think the beach and ocean has a lot to do with the forming of the land.
16) From where you are reading this, point to north.
Towards the whiteboard in the computer lab.
17) What is the elevation, above sea level, at which you live?
I live at sea level.
18) What spring wildflower is consistently among the first to bloom in your watershed?
Many birds of paradise.
19) And what fall wildflower is consistently among the last to bloom in your watershed?
20) How many days until the moon is full (plus or minus a couple of days)?
3 week, just a guess.
21) What kind of rocks and minerals are found in your watershed?
I don’t know.
22) What are the major plant associations (i.e., do you know which plants are characteristically associated with which sort of terrain—or elevation) in your bioregion?
There are lots of seaweed because I live near the beach.
23) Were the stars out last night?
No.
24) Make a list of the last seven days of the week and check off, if you can, the days on which there was precipitation in your watershed.
I can’t recall the last time it precipitation near my watershed.
25) Name five wild animals that live in your watershed. If you can, describe how each of these animals lives. (And for a 1000 point bonus, give the name of one fungus among us)
Lizards, Fish, Sting Rays,
26) How much gasoline do you or your family use each week?
50 gal.
27) What other energy costs do you have to meet to run your house?
Electricity, Gas, and water
28) Where do the electricity or gas come from?
SDG&E
29) Are there any energy resources in your watershed (dams, mines, wells, etc.)?
No.
30) Name the largest wilderness area near your watershed. How large is it? How large is your bioregion?The ocean.