Summer is fast approaching as we wrap up month two of our Chemistry and Flow Monitoring. At this point in the season all our new participants have received field training, interns have joined the monitoring team, and everyone is getting more comfortable with the program Over the course of the last two months, the efforts of volunteers and interns have resulted in the collection of 96 water samples, 7 filtrate samples, 460 real-time chemistry readings, and 360 velocity readings.
What an incredible effort that we couldn’t have accomplished without the dedication and support of our volunteer and intern team.
Explore Our Water Chemistry Data
Volunteer Spotlight: Jim Lane
I had the privilege of interviewing Jim Lane, a passionate water steward and new participant in the Chemistry and Flow Monitoring Program.
While new to our monitoring program, Jim is no stranger to environmental science and monitoring. He served as an environmental educator for many years in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City, and later as an engineer focused on sustainable building design. Jim has returned home to Michigan to the Pettibone creekshed within the Huron River watershed.
In his short time back in the area, he has already made a big splash at HRWC as a Chemistry and Flow Monitoring volunteer in both Washtenaw and Wayne County and as a leader, collector, and identifier in HRWC’s River Roundup benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring program.
Below are paraphrased responses from our conversation in late May.
What encouraged you to start participating in the Chemistry and Flow Monitoring Program?
As I move back to Michigan, I am interested in returning to work at an environmental nonprofit. I want to return to teaching others about the value of our natural resources, especially the value of water. There is a lot of great work happening in the state of Michigan to conserve the state’s plentiful water resources that I want to support that work.
I’ve known about the Huron River Watershed Council (HRWC) since back in 2005 when my nephew and I volunteered with the benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring program. I knew when I moved back to Michigan that I needed to reconnect with HRWC. I have seen firsthand and have heard from others how HRWC emphasizes educating the public and its volunteers about the importance of their work through reading and training. HRWC is also a leader in the monitoring space with some other organizations adopting some of their protocols.
What is your favorite or most valuable part about the Monitoring Program?
I’ve enjoyed meeting fellow volunteers and HRWC staff and learning from their experience and expertise. Everyone has been welcoming and encouraging. I’ve also had some valuable conversations about local environmental regulations with other volunteers who are practitioners in the area.
Additionally, after being away from monitoring for some years, I have enjoyed learning HRWC’s monitoring protocols. There are always slight variations to methods depending on the organization. It has been interesting to see how HRWC conducts monitoring and to compare those protocols with methods I’ve employed in the past. Some of the techniques have also changed with new technology, like moving away from a Winkler titration for measuring dissolved oxygen and instead using a dissolved oxygen sensor.
Do you have any memorable stories from a monitoring outing?
You often see interesting or odd things out in the field. One short anecdote, while conducting some macroinvertebrate sampling just upstream of one of the Chemistry and Flow Monitoring sites, a fellow volunteer, Sue, mentioned there was a goose egg lying in the grass. I thought it was some sort of joke, but indeed on the way back from the site I saw the goose egg just lying in the grass.
We greatly appreciate the support of Jim Lane and all the volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to support our efforts to protect and restore the Huron River watershed. It is a delight to get to know each of you and learn your story. An extra thank you to Jim, for letting us share his story in this spotlight.
Hear more from our ChemFlow volunteers, including Jim, in this YouTube Short video we took during orientation this spring.
Story from the Field: Intern Training and Support
Every May HRWC welcomes a new cohort of aquatic field interns that support HRWC’s programs and projects including the Chemistry and Flow Monitoring Program. This year’s cohort of 30 interns has received a variety of classroom and in-field training covering the breadth of work they will be conducting this season. Two days of training led by lead intern, Alex Hacker, and me, walked the interns through a typical Chemistry and Flow Monitoring site visit to expand their knowledge of field techniques and prepare them to fill in for outings as needed this monitoring season.
Interns have also supported the program behind the scenes. For example, interns have helped us re-install staff gauges, trim trees and brush for easier access to monitoring sites, clean up trash around sites, conduct follow-up site visits with reported pollution concerns, and collect and analyze additional bacteria samples. This summer the interns will continue to support the analysis of bacteria samples and help to test methods for analyzing chloride and total suspended solids. The intern program is truly integral to the success of our Chemistry and Flow Monitoring program and much of the work at HRWC.
Monitoring Tip – be prepared!
As the summer heat sets in, make sure you are prepared for your monitoring outing.
- Wear light layers
- Apply and reapply sunscreen.
- Pack extra water and snacks.
- Wear long sleeves and bug repellent to prevent mosquito and tick bites.
- Do your tick checks.
- Cases of Lyme disease are on the rise in Michigan.
Visit our Volunteer Field Safety page for more information.
Want to learn more about other volunteer opportunities with HRWC?
Visit our Volunteer page.