Beaver Creek Reserve Citizen Science Center, Fall Creek, Wisconsin

Part 1. Give Yourself an Excuse to Play Outside! Volunteering with the Citizen Science Center

Anna Brady, Shelby Happe and Sarah Braun

This three-part series about the role of student and citizen scientists at a rural citizen science center provides advice and lessons about how to implement similar programs elsewhere. Editor.

Beaver Creek Reserve Citizen Science Center (CSC) is nestled in the Chippewa River Valley, north of the town of Fall Creek, and 13 miles east of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The mission of the CSC is to bring together community members, individuals, teachers and students with environmental professionals and university researchers to carry out scientific research and promote environmental stewardship. Governmental agencies, like the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), would like to be in the field sampling as much as possible, but, with lack of personnel and time, they usually cannot be in the field as much as they would like. This is where nature centers such as the CSC can assist. Volunteers have the opportunity to be involved in a long list of projects through the CSC, but three of the most extensive projects include: Aquatic Invasive Species Surveying, Wisconsin NatureMapping and Stream Monitoring, each of which we will profile in this three-part series of articles.

Stream Monitoring

The stream monitoring project, the focus of this article, is a collaboration of the WDNR West Central Region staff, the River Alliance of Wisconsin, and the University of Wisconsin-Extension. The Lower Chippewa River Basin encompasses 2,602 miles of rivers and streams across several counties, far more than state and county staff could ever hope to monitor on a yearly or monthly basis (WDNR 2001). Data collected by stream monitoring volunteers provide the WDNR with valuable insight about streams that are being considered for inclusion on the state's impaired waters list (or 30= 3d list) (Clayton and Stepenuck, 2007) and on streams of interest to the volunteers. The 303d list notes streams that are impaired by nutrients, sediment, bacteria, metals or other pollutants (Clayton and Stepenuck, 2007). Stream monitoring volunteers use WDNR equipment, sampling methods, and the WDNR website to enter data. By using the same methods and equipment, program coordinators can ensure that the data is consistent enough for scientific analysis. Statewide in 2007, 130 volunteers collected data at 140 stream sites. Twelve volunteers based out of the Beaver Creek Reserve CSC monitored 23 of those sites on 16 different streams as either Level 1 (Water Action Volunteers) or Level 2 Stream Monitors.

Figure 1. Two citizen stream monitors searching for macroinvertebrates. Photograph by Sarah Braun.

Sampling Parameters

Volunteers for the Level 1 program monitor seven parameters: dissolved oxygen (DO), habitat, flow, transparency, temperature, pH and the biotic index. Volunteers for Level 2 monitor all of the Level 1 parameters except habitat, flow, and the biotic index. When a volunteer has shown that they are committed to the program by volunteering at Level 1 as a Water Action Volunteer for at least one year, they are eligible to participate in Level 2 monitoring. Level 2 stream monitors have a few more responsibilities than Level 1 monitors and may be asked to monitor specific streams of interest to WDNR staff as well as be provided with more expensive equipment.

Before stream monitors can venture out to their designated streams, they need a bit of training. In late April/early May, a training session is held at the CSC for anyone interested in becoming a stream monitor. Trainees receive background information about the project, learn how to calibrate equipment, practice techniques in the field, and learn how to enter the data on field sheets and into an online database. At the end of the training, a WDNR staff member, the CSC Director, and the stream monitors work together to select the site(s) to be monitored. Often, volunteers monitor streams close to their homes, because they are easy to access or they may choose streams that they have a personal interest in learning more about.

Volunteers monitor their streams once a month from May to September. They are encouraged to monitor their site on the same day every month, rain or shine. However, volunteers may monitor on other days if environmental conditions are too dangerous to warrant going in the stream (i.e., flooding or lightning) or if other unexpected circumstances prevent sampling.

Each of the parameters the monitors sample help determine the health of the stream. The first parameter, dissolved oxygen (DO), is essential for aquatic life. The lower the DO (measured in mg/L), the fewer aquatic organisms that can survive in the water. If DO levels are very high, or above saturation levels, then there is most likely photosynthesis occurring, releasing oxygen into the stream and/or there is a lot of mixing of the water through riffles. The second parameter, temperature, is tied very closely to dissolved oxygen. The warmer the water becomes, the more difficult it is for water molecules to hold on to DO. Wisconsin uses water temperature as a guideline for classifying streams into three categories with maximum daily mean temperatures as follows: cold water <22°C, cool water 22-24°C, and warm water >24°C (Clayton and Stepenuck, 2007). These water temperatures are good indicators of which species of fish will or should be found in the streams.

The third monitored parameter is pH. Wisconsin has adopted a pH standard that incorporates a pH range of 6-9 to protect and support aquatic life (Clayton and Stepenuck, 2007). The tolerance range for fish, depending upon the species, is between 4 and 9.5. It is important to have waters within the adopted standard to minimize death of organisms.

Transparency, the fourth parameter, is also important to stream health. Suspended solids and naturally occurring tannins reduce transparency and allow less light to penetrate into the water. If transparency is too low, many problems can occur, including: decreased photosynthesis, irritation of fish gills, increased water temperature from suspended solids absorbing light (in turn decreasing the amount of DO available), reduced oxygen absorption by aquatic organism's gills, and decreased predation by sight-feeding fish (Clayton and Stepenuck, 2007). The most notable causes for decreased transparency in the west central region of Wisconsin are runoff from major rainstorms and snow melts that pick up particles on their way through urban areas or farm fields.

The fifth parameter, habitat assessment, is determined by giving scores to different categories to comprise an overall habitat assessment value. Each organism in the stream system has an optimal environment. The habitat assessment looks at the quality and number of different micro-habitats that a stream can provide. A stream with a mowed lawn right up to the edge and an all sand stream bed is going to have a much lower habitat assessment value than a stream that has a mix of sand and cobble, undercut banks, pools, riffles, and runs.

The sixth parameter, stream flow, is important because the volume and speed of flow of the water determines the course that the stream will tak= e, shaping the streambed as it goes. Stream flow also plays a part in species distribution. Some macroinvertebrates can only live in fast moving water with high DO concentrations, while others are not equipped to handle the strong current and would be easily swept away.

Lastly, the macroinvertebrate community is sampled using a biotic index to assess the health of the stream by examining the different families of aquatic invertebrates collected from the stream. For example, some species are more tolerant of pollution than others. If no pollution-sensitive organisms are found, there might be some factor (i.e., turbid water, chemical pollution, etc.) affecting the stream. All seven monitored parameters help to build a picture of the stream's health, with each parameter being as important as the others.

Figure 2. Dad and kids looking at macroinvertebrates collected from a stream. Photograph by Sarah Braun.

Typical Day

A typical day of sampling begins with gathering and calibrating equipment. The equipment needed to monitor a stream includes: a DO meter or Hach kit, a pH meter, a tennis ball and stop watch, a D-frame kick net and plastic trays for macroinvertebrate ID, a thermometer, and transparency tube. The field equipment is either picked up from Beaver Creek Reserve CSC (if it is shared between stream monitoring groups) or obtained at the beginning of the field season and loaned to a group for the summer. The seven parameters are measured and data are recorded on data sheets in the field. Before leaving the site, stream monitors note the weather within the past 48 hours, the current weather, stream side observations (wildlife, plant coverage on the bank and stream bed, increased/decreased sedimentation), and any other pertinent changes to the monitoring site. Stream characteristics are often altered if it has rained during the previous 48 hours or if the area has recently experienced drought conditions. Once the data has been collected, all of the equipment is gathered up and sampling is complete until the following month. At home or at the CSC, stream monitors enter their data into an online database developed by the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

At the end of the stream monitoring season, the CSC hosts a picnic for the stream monitors. The project coordinators present summaries of the data, and everyone is invited to discuss their experiences from that year. The enthusiastic volunteers come with questions and comments about their field experience. There is often a guest speaker at the picnic who is an expert in some element of stream or water related science. Last year a local researcher was invited to talk about fish in the Great Lakes & Mississippi River basins. Eating while discussing streams is always a great way to end the year!

Stream monitoring is just one of many programs offered by the Citizen Science Center. Stay tuned for Part 2 about our Wisconsin NatureMapping program and learn how citizens are contributing their knowledge of Wisconsin wildlife to state wildlife biologists!

References

Clayton C, Stepenuck K. 2007. Beaver Creek Citizen Science Center - 2006-2007 Stream Monitoring Results. Wisconsin Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring Report. Available online at: http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/pdf/level2/reortBCCSC.pdf . Accessed 2008 Feb 10.

WDNR. 2001. The State of the Lower Chippewa River Basin. Publ. #WT 554-00.

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The Citizen Scientist (03 July 2009).