Have you ever been curious about the health of a near by stream? Well with these easy steps you can be well on your way to identifying the health of any stream!
1Look at the bank of the stream. Do you see various types of plants and animals? If you do, that is a good first indicator of a healthy stream.Ad
2Count the different plants and record that in your lab notebook or field journal. Make note of where they are and if they look like they are flourishing.
3Count as many animals as you can include insects too! the more you see the better the chances are for this stream to be healthy. Record what you count in your lab notebook or field journal.
4Draw some of the plants and animals and make sure to record them in your lab notebook so you can later reference what species they are and if they are native to that area. Native species are critical to a thriving stream ecosystem.
5Collect some water in a clear container. Does it have a few, but not to many, particles of sediment floating around? If so, that is a good sign of free flowing nutrients that both plants and animals need to survive. Take note in your lab notebook of any characteristics that may seem out of the ordinary, such as really green or brown water, or very strongly scented. Healthy stream water should be quite clear, cool, and odorless.
6Next you should get the pH of the stream. Be sure to test the pH in a few different areas. To do this, get pH strips from your local biological supply store. They should come with a detailed color chart and a range of at least 3-8. Neutral water has a pH of 7 and is changed by dissolved chemicals and minerals. Freshwater plants and animals thrive in a range of 5.5 and 7.5. This can change based on the species of plant or animal. Also note that pH changes all the time, during the day, and throughout the year. It is important though that pH stays within a certain range to maintain a healthy ecosystem for biota (plants and animals). Record all findings in your lab notebook.
7Look at the stream banks again. You are trying to identify signs of erosion and run-off. This can be particularly dangerous to the stream because erosion can eat away at the banks and create sedimentation build ups within the stream which can disrupt the natural movement of fish and other small organisms. It can also cloud the water so the animals cannot see their food.
8Taking the temperature alone is not a very good indicator of health, but it can aid in the determination of the level of dissolved oxygen in the water. So get a good sized thermometer and measure the temperature of the water in different places. At least once in the shade and once in the sun if possible. This will give a good average temperature for the area measured. The colder the water the more oxygen it can hold. So if the stream is very warm there is probably less dissolved oxygen.Ad
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school survival kits?
making time appear to slow down?
- Doing all these steps could take a good amount of time, so set aside enough time so the data is not compromised by rushing. The data combined will give a detailed map of the health of the tested stream. This information could be really useful. Try looking for you local watershed center to see if there may be any groups already doing this type of work, or any volunteering you may be able to do regarding this type of research!