Falls Lake is Northeast of Durham, it is located off Hwy. 50, four miles north of Hwy. 98. We as a group of first year students went to Sandling Beach to collect water samples, and to check the biology, and ecology of the river around. It was part of Field Studies week. This is a week of visiting many sites along the Neuse River basin. We went to three different sites for field studies week on the week of July 5th through the 9th. One interesting site was Falls Lake. We thought this was the most interesting and fun of the sites so we chose to make a web page about it. We found the river was relativity clean even though we saw no life except snakes, yuck!! The trip was so much fun and so educational that we did it twice. We felt, we saw, and we tested...........

What we did at Falls Lake

• tested pH levels

• took water samples

• tested conductivity

• tested temperatures of deep water and surface temperatures

• tested light intensity

• tested dissolved oxygen

• tested total dissolved solids

• Took biodiversity samples

• swam :)

• learned and had fun!!!!!!

We went to Sandling Beach, a part of falls lake, on a Thursday and Friday, which was July 8th and 9th. We split into four groups of very eager scientists. We used two fishing boats to take all the samples we needed in different sites with varying conditions, around and in the Lake. On Thursday, July 8th, groups three and four used the fishing boats to take the deep underwater lake samples and groups one and two took water samples near the shore. On Friday, July 9th, we switched places. So groups one and two used the fishing boats, and groups three and four took the water samples on the shore and found out other data about the lake.

What made Falls Lake such a good trip was not only the educational experience, and the exposure to new things, but it wasn't all just work. That way we learned and had fun at the same time, and that leads to wanting to learn more. We didn't even know all the elements needed to make a river of lake livable until field studies week. We found out all the different types of organisms that live in a clean lake. Now we will all do our part to help the rivers, lakes, and other habitats where organisms that live by not littering and recycling. Mrs. Whiting (pictured below) and Mr. Lineberger our Summer Institute directors, organized a very good trip that was full of learning. The first year students were all talking about how much fun the trip was and how ready they are to get back next year and see the ecological changes that one year time interval will make on the lake and river sites.