Introduction to Riverwatch
2011
http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=7tVF_AGKHFc
What is Illinois River Watch
 A volunteer stream monitoring program
coordinated by the Illinois Department of
Natural Resources (IDNR)
 Provides citizen volunteers the opportunity to
learn first-hand about stream ecology and the
condition of Illinois' streams
 Helps scientists monitor the condition of
streams statewide.
3 goals of Eco Watch are
1. to provide consistent high-quality data which
can be used by scientists to measure how
the condition of our state's ecosystems is
changing over time
2. to educate and inform Illinois citizens about
the ecology and importance of Illinois
ecosystems;
3. to provide an opportunity for Illinois citizens,
to become involved in the stewardship of the
state's ecosystems.
Goals for the class
 We participate in the collection of scientific
data that can be used by biologists, project
managers, policy makers, landowners, and
individual citizens (such as ourselves) to
classify our local streams.
Goals for the class
 We gauge long-term trends, develop land
management strategies, and assess the
success of restoration projects.
Goals for the class
 We perform the procedures to understand the
health of the water sources around us & what
kind of elements effect the water
What are we looking for:
 Habitat Assessment
changes
Physical differences
Flow changes,
Streambank changes
Aesthetic changes
What are we looking for ?
 Abiotic testing for pollutants
 For example, some human activities
 such as sewage effluent (the watery
materials resulting from sewage treatment);
 soil and sand from construction or channel
alteration;
 agricultural runoff from pesticides,
fertilizers, and animal manure
 Human activity may also add solids (trash)
or liquids to the water by dumping,
accidents, or runoff.
What are we looking for ?
 Biotic changes
 Lower oxygen levels in the water,
may lead to amounts too low for the
survival of intolerant species of
macroinvertebrates.
 Too many or few nutrients affect plant
and animal life
Preparing to go outside
 Make sure you and your partners have all the
necessary equipment and clip boards and
boots.
 All boots are to be returned to the
appropriate rack shelf in the back of the
room. Any boots not returned will not be
available for your future use.
Requirements for lab
 Create a team
 This team of people will be your team for
the rest of the water unit.
 You will take a team test with this team:
day one of two test days
 You are responsible for sharing lab data
with the entire class
What are we looking for:
 All in all, this project is a very useful
project and has many purposes and
goals that are essential in keeping track
of our streams healthy and safe for both
humans and organisms
About the team tests
 You must meet the following criteria to
take the tests with your team:
 Daily attendance for outside labs
 Missing more than one outside lab
 Be present the test day
 Those that do not meet the above criteria
will take the tests alone.