Interior waterways off Lake Erie serve an important function for the lake’s animal population. One of the animals that rely on the unique conditions that these waterways provide is the Common Carp.

• What are the conditions in these waterways that make them so attractive?
• What can we learn from Common Carp behavior in these waterways that would help us predict what may happen if the Big Head and/or Silver Carp invade Lake Erie?

Lesson Plan

Student Worksheet

Additional Resources

Student Investigation Resources:

• Cuyahoga River, Maumee River, and Old Woman Creek waterway images. Click thumbnail to view larger image.
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Supplemental Resources:

• Monitor changing water conditions through real data logged at several U.S. estuaries using the tools on the NOAA Monitoring Estuarine Water Quality website.
• Teaching unit on Water Quality in Estuarine Environmentson the NOAA Mentoring Estuarine Water Quality website.
• Old Woman Creek - Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife
• Restore America’s Estuaries
• Maumee River turbidity and other conditions - The Ohio State University, Ohio Sea Grant College Program
• Common Carp - ODNR Division of Wildlife - A to Z Species Guide



Video Supplements (click on the links below to view additional footage not included in the program):

• Testing the turbidity of Lake Erie- In this segment, Dante tests the turbidity of the lake using a Secchi disk