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Learn About Freshwater Biomonitoring for Water Quality at the March Audubon Meeting
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Come to this month’s Northern Arizona Audubon Society meeting to learn the techniques used to determine water quality in streams, possibly becoming a much-needed volunteer to gather data on the health of local rivers and creeks. Aquatic insect monitoring is recognized as an important tool for determining a stream’s water quality. Dave Smith, wildlife biologist with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Flagstaff, will speak on this important topic at the Audubon meeting on March 19, in Sedona. Two follow-up field trips, where Smith will help participants collect, observe, and identify aquatic insects, will be led by the speaker in April and May. Biomonitoring involves surveying organisms that live in a particular habitat and then, from knowledge of what conditions those organisms can tolerate, determining the well-being of that particular habitat. For stream systems, aquatic insects and other invertebrates are the most widely used for freshwater biomonitoring. The abundance of certain aquatic insects can indicate how polluted or how clean a stream or river is. For instance, if you go to a portion of the stream and the main organisms collected are leeches, bloodworms, and certain types of snails, the water quality in that area is very poor. On the other hand, finding quantities of mayfly larvae, stonefly larvae, and caddisfly larvae is an indication of very good water quality. The Environmental Protection Agency requires that states complete regular reports on the environmental conditions of their streams. Because federal and state funding is often in short supply to support this monitoring, volunteer monitoring teams are the key to producing sufficient date to make a difference in decision making. Sampling over long periods of time is needed to indicate changes in water quality that need to be addressed if the quality is going down. On the other hand, efforts to improve stream quality need to be evaluated for their effectiveness. The follow-up field trips will be held on April 12 and May 3, when Smith will guide participants in the gathering of insects/invertebrates in portions of Oak Creek near the Page Springs Fish Hatchery. For more information about these trips, contact Smith at 928-527-1229 (in Flagstaff) or go to the NAAS website, www.nazas.org, and download the March/April “BlackHawk Watch” newsletter for more detailed information under “Upcoming Field Trips”. The member meeting will be held at the Jewish Community Center of Sedona, 100 Meadowlark Drive (off Hwy 179). It begins with a social time at 7:00 p.m., followed by the formal meeting at 7:30 p.m. There is no charge to attend and guests are welcome. For more information contact Phyllis Kegley at 928-214-0415. |
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When: 7:00 PM Where: Jewish Community Center of Sedona, 100 Meadowlark Drive, Sedona Phone: 928-214-0415 Contact: Phyllis Kegley Don't keep it to yourself. Tell everyone you know! Subscribe now! Get Sedona news and events delivered right to your email. (Your privacy is protected. No spam ever, and you can unsubscribe at any time.) |
