Saint Louis River Watch Information
Background
The St. Louis River - River Watch project is a youth-based water quality monitoring program for theSt. Louis River and its tributaries in northeastern Minnesota. This project aimed at secondary school students promotes and inspires stewardship of the largest U.S. tributary to Lake Superior. Currently students and teachers in 25 public, private tribal, home, and alternative schools enthusiastically gather chemical, physical, and biological data twice a year at river sites located throughout northeastern Minnesota. In most participating schools, these activities are integrated in into the secondary science curriculum. An estimated 800 youth per year strengthen scientific skills while working together to serve their communities and their watershed. Since 1997, Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet, Minnesota has coordinated this monitoring effort. Since 1997, grants from the United States Department of Agriculture have provided funds to support and expand this program.River Watch Activities
St. Louis River - River Watch participants are introduced to the scientific processes of aquatic research as they use valid scientific techniques to collect physical, chemical, and biological information about their site in the fall and spring. Students perform a visual habitat survey of their section of the river and surrounding land to evaluate habitat health. Using water monitoring test kits, students measure water chemistry parameters that can reveal much about the quality of the water. Tests include dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrates, phosphates, and biochemical oxygen demand. Temperature, water transparency, and discharge are also measured. Participants conduct a survey of benthic macro invertebrates, or the creatures living on the bottom of the river. Students equipped with waders and aquatic kick nets collect these macro invertebrates, sort them into taxonomic groups, count them, and record these data on special data sheets. They learn that different creatures are differentially sensitive to pollutants and that the types and relative abundances of these organisms can reveal much about the health of the river when evaluated in concert with chemical and physical data.Uses of Data
The data is 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 this data is 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.Program Objectives
- to provide environmental education opportunities to students and their teachers by offering a hands-on approach to learning about the cultural and natural history of the St. Louis River watershed
- to cultivate a life-long sense of stewardship toward the river and the river communities.
- to collect and interpret baseline water quality data using sound scientific techniques.
- to share water quality information with state and local communities in a variety of ways such as the media, brochures, and public presentations.
- to encourage citizen participation in reaching the long-range management goals for the river.
- to collaborate with other agencies and groups on watershed related studies.
Looking "Downstream"
Planned extensions of this initial mapping effort include displaying short and long-term monitoring results in the atlas and/or map, including interactive maps in the program’s website, and involving River Watch youth in GIS activities. These resources will also assist in identifying new monitoring sites as the program expands to include more North Shore and Nemadji River Basin streams.| Site Maps and Information: | ||||
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