Data
The
data are compiled, evaluated and shared among all schools, as well as with
the state and local communities in a variety of ways. The Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources, the Miller Creek Task Force, and the
Nemadji River Basin Project are among the local users of recent data. An
environmental engineering company recently requested the program’s water
temperature data to help model temperature fluctuations in the St. Louis
River sediment. These models will help advance clean-up efforts at a
Superfund site in the St. Louis River estuary. In these and many other
ways, student-gathered data are used to protect and manage the St. Louis
River ecosystem. Another method of sharing knowledge and evaluating data
among participants and the community is the St. Louis River - River Watch
Congress held at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College each spring.
When these data are collected at many sites over the long term, they can serve as a valuable scientific monitoring and educational tool for students and their communities. As with all monitoring projects, River Watchers need to continue their work so that long-term trends in the health of the watershed can be evaluated.