Houseboats Will Be Classroom For Some

High school students from communities along Lake Roosevelt will board the Coulee Dam National Recreation Area’s first floating classroom this spring.

Two 52-foot houseboats from Roosevelt Recreational Enterprises will be outfitted with water quality and aquatic environment monitoring equipment.

Junior and senior high school students will board the boat for twoday cruises to combine testing and data-gathering exercises with classroom study of water quality issues, said Dan Brown, National Park Service education director in Coulee Dam.

“The course will be interdisciplinary, integrating the sciences, mathematics, computers, social studies, health and writing skills,” said Brown. “The results from each class will be added to an ongoing database here at the park.”

The floating classroom is designed to deal with water quality issues through community involvement, he said.