Isn’t it cute?
On June 16th, 2007, Ken Cooke is going to be leading a free Phase 2 Watershed Watch training to teach everyone how to identify cuddly creature like this Helgramite.
Why look at things we normally want to squash or shoo-away?
Looking at the bugs and specifically the benthic macroinvertabrates (visible, bottom-feeding, spineless creatures, [insert lawyer joke]) is best way to really look at the impact of pollutants in our streams. When we take water samples we are only able to look at the pollutants that get picked up in that bottle, but the bugs are in the water all day long, everyday and are much more sensitive.
Habitat & biological assessments work to support and complement the data that we gather through our grab samples. This way we say The Chromium levels, which are 10 times higher than the EPA’s water quality criteria, are causing a significant drop in aquatic health and biodiversity. In this stream only X kinds of species were found, instead of Y in a similar stream without Chromium’s impact. This gives the most complete picture of the contaminant and their effects.
And besides the science, wasn’t this your favorite part when you were a kid? Turning over rocks and looking at the weird creatures that generally do a pretty good job hiding from us?
What will this training consist of?
Things will begin in the visitor’s center with a powerpoint presentation to teach the basics of assessing the habitat and biological health of a stream. This is the “classroom” part.
This will be followed by going out to Line Fork and spending some time kicking around in the creek and seeing if we can find some of the creatures that we looked over in the presentation and learn how to count and classify them so that we can assess the biological health of the stream.
What is the date/time of the training?
Saturday June 16th
It will begin at 1:30pm & last approximately 4 hours.
How do I register for this training?
Registration is requested because only 25 people can attend the training.
To register visit:
http://www.kywater.org/watch/ky_register.htm
or call 877.218.7482
How do I get to Lilley Cornett Woods?
Google Maps Directions
Detailed driving directions for “the shortcut” coming from Whitesburg (Hwy 588)
What if it rains?
You should expect to get wet, so the training will continue unless the water is too high to wade into.
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!
Posted by Sam