Arizona teachers become learners at hands-on science program

MARANA — They peered into buckets of water, all of them down on all fours under the shade of a tall salt-cedar tree amid the loud song of cicadas. Inside the buckets, tiny creatures swarmed.

"Wow!" "Gnarly!" "Cool!" "They are eating each other!", they shouted.

They're school teachers, ranging in age from 25 to 58, but on this day, they were the learners, part of an immersive summer research experience identifying the early life stages of damselfly and dragonfly species that now populate a 15-mile section of flowing stream in the Santa Cruz River. The site is one of three stretches that flourished with life after public entities began releasing high-quality treated wastewater into the desert wash.

Continue reading (link to full article on AZ Central)