instructions are on the worksheet
Where You At? A Bioregional Lab
Developed by Leonard Charles, Jim Dodge, Lynn Milliman, and Victoria Stockley.
Coevolution Quarterly 32 (Winter 1981): 1.
Have you ever wondered where your water comes from? Or where your food comes from? Our society relies on a
lot of people, businesses, processes, and government agencies to keep the resources you need safe and to get
them to you efficiently. You probably inherently trust these, but as you’ve seen in class there have been times
when the people, businesses, and government oversight have failed here in the U.S. (remember Love Canal or air
pollution concerns prior to the 1960s?). You also may not be regularly aware of the ecological processes which are
also keeping you safe, such as your watershed, the typical rainfall in your area, or the animals which make up the
natural food web recycling nutrients in your local ecosystem. For this lab, you will get to learn these things so you
can be aware of what you’re relying on, and so you can protect or restore those processes if needed.
Purpose of the Lab: To become aware of the bioregional resources you rely on in your life.
Directions: Answer the following questions and list the source of that information. You may use whatever
resources (Google, books, library, people) you need to answer them. Some of the information you need may be
found at scroll down to “Your Community” and type in your zip code.
1. Where do you live – which city in which state?
2. Trace the water you drink from precipitation (rainfall), spring, or well to the tap (your faucet) where you
live. In other words, where does your water originate and how does it get to your house, apartment, etc.?
Source:
3. Where does your water go after use? Once it goes down your drain, how does it end up back in nature?
Include any water purification plants.
Source:
4. When is the next full moon?
Source:
5. What soil series (types of soil) is common in your area?
Source:
6. What was the total rainfall in your area last year in centimeters?
Source:
7. When was the last time a wildfire burned in your area?
Source:
8. What were the primary subsistence techniques (food making/gathering) of the culture that lived in your
area before you?
Source:
9. Name 5 edible plants in your region and their season(s) of availability.
Edible Plant Season(s) of availability
Source:
10. From what direction (north, south, etc.) do winter storms generally come in your region?
Source:
11. Where does your garbage go after you throw it away?
Source:
12. How long is the growing season (in days) where you live?
Source:
13. On what day of the year are the shadows the shortest where you live?
Source:
14. When do the deer/antelope rut (breed) in your region, and when are the young born?
Source:
15. Name five grasses in your area. Are any of them native?
Grass Name Native?
Source:
16. Name five resident and five migratory birds in your area.
Resident:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Migratory:
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
Source:
17. What is the land use history of where you live?
a. Who were the first people to colonize your region?
i. What did they grow or hunt?
ii. Were they nomadic or agrarian?
b. What were the later groups of people to colonize or take over the region?
i. What did they grow or hunt?
ii. What tools did they use to manage the land?
Source:
18. What primary event/process influenced the geology (the rocks and topography) of where you live?
Bonus:
Source:
19. What species have become extinct in your area since humans arrived?
Source:
20. What are the major tree species in your region?
Source:
21. What closest city is North of where you live?
Source:
22. What spring wildflower is consistently among the first to bloom where you live?
Source:
23. Where does most of the energy for your electricity come from (which plant and what energy source)?
Source:
24. Find 5 food items in your pantry or the grocery store. Where were they made?
Food Item Where they were made
Source:
25. Which air pollutant creates the greatest risk of cancer in your area (use the EPA site)?
Source:
Now, either save this document on your computer and submit it on Blackboard as a .doc or .pdf, or take a
picture of it and submit it as a .jpeg on Blackboard.
