Learning through doing, making a contribution, volunteering your time with other enthusiasts...that's an important aspect of citizen science. For those interested in ecology and water quality, the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program in Fairfax County,Virginia is definitely worth a look. Even if you don't reside in the NOVA area, browsing this site will show you the important role volunteers play in environmental evaluation and management. Check your local areas for similar programs.
Here's the program in a nutshell (clamshell may be more appropriate). One way to measure a stream's water quality is by the abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates living in the soil. The process is to set up a net in a shallow stream, disturb the sediment upstream, and capture the tiny creatures as they flow away. You net a variety of these benthic macroinvertebrates, mostly clams, aquatic worms and insect larvae.
On shore, you count the samples collected. You want to shoot for at least a couple hundred, but keep in mind more is not necessarily better. What also counts is proportion. In general, from what I've learned in my brief stint thus far, is too high a percentage of clams is bad. These hardy creatures have a high tolerance for questionable environments. Too many means a lack of other more finicky species, such as damselflies whose larvae require a much more specific (and higher quality) aquatic environment.
There's so much more to this endeavor, and I encourage you to browse their website and sign up. One hard part of doing any science is actually gathering data. Ecological monitoring requires constant, accurate sampling over time and area. Lots of work, and there's definitely a place for volunteers. The volunteers in this program come from all age groups, and there's a fair share of teenagers. One kid I met was a student at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. Yippee for brains!
No comments:
Post a Comment