Stream Team License Plates

I finally did it - I ordered my Stream Team license plates!  I started thinking about doing this in July when the program got off the ground.  The Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition (MSTWC) had been working on getting approval for these plates for a couple of years (many thanks to Mark Van Patten and Holly Neill).  Then we hit the world of procrastination; the forms for ordering plates for our two cars sat on the kitchen counter for three months along with notices from school, reminders to take the cat to the vet, and other important papers that hadn't quite been that important yet.

Now all we need is a total of 200 Stream Team members (or anyone, for that matter) to pre-order their plate, including the donation to MSTWC.  I'm hoping that you might be the next to place an order.  It isn't hard, once you figure out what statement you would be willing to make on your vehicles.  There is just one simple form to fill out, available on the MSTWC website.  To fill this out, you need to know the VIN number and current license plate on the vehicle, as well as your contact information as shown on your title.

So have you decided what you want your plate to say yet?  You can list up to six choices on the application, just in case your preferred plate name is taken.  Some folks are sticking with their Stream Team number.  I couldn't go that route because I have too many numbers!  If you want to use some form of 'water' on your plate, you can try H2O or WTR.  You could try the name or an abbreviation of your favorite stream.  'Deer Creek' might be easy with DEERCR if it is not already taken.  'Two-Mile Creek' could become 2MI CR.  'Grand Glaize Creek' is a bit more tough - perhaps GG CR or GRANDG.  Or there are thousands of non-Stream Team personalizations that I'm sure you can come up with. 

As for me, I'm glad I sent in my choices and my check.  Meanwhile, the cat still needs to go to the vet....

Team of the Month - October 2011

This month, I would like to introduce a Stream Team that I have worked with in the past, but unfortunately have not had the time to work with recently - the Grand Glaize Stream Team 3491 led by Bob Jung and Darlene Haun.  This group came into being in 2007 to respond to a call for help from the St. Louis County Health Department.

The Health Department had earned a grant to improve water quality in several watersheds, including Grand Glaize.  They were hoping that Stream Team volunteers would be able to help them track water quality conditions in the streams they were working to improve.  I got together with Bob and Darlene and we put together a plan - what should we monitor, where, how often, etc. - all of the things that go into a solid water monitoring plan. It would seem that our plan was more realistic than that of the Health Department, because after about a year of effort, they ended up backing out on the grant.

Since this group began, they have monitored water chemistry at 13 sites in the Grand Glaize Creek watershed four times per year.  They have also done macroinvertebrate counts at each site.  Though the Health Department is no longer working on their grant in the Grand Glaize, the dedicated members of this Stream Team continue to collect their data.  Hopefully this data can be compiled into a report of some kind soon so that the Level 2 and 3 volunteers (as well as the many Intro Level, Level 1, and untrained participants) who have helped on this project will be able to see what this data can tell us about Grand Glaize Creek.  I'll keep you updated...

Well done Stream Team 3491!

River des Peres Watershed-Wide Water Quality Review

Last weekend, the River des Peres Watershed Coalition held their 6th Annual Watershed-Wide Water Quality Review.  This event is timed each year to coordinate with World Water Monitoring Day.

During this event, trained Stream Team volunteers ventured out across the watershed to collect water quality samples.  Over the past 6 years, the group has managed to monitor up to 32 sites, though not always on the same day.  Volunteers met at 8:30am in Forest Park on Sunday, October 2nd.  After receiving their site assignments, the five groups dispersed to monitor their sites.  They met up again around noon at CiCi's Pizza in Rock Hill to share their data over a tasty pizza buffet.

If you missed out on the fun last weekend, there are still opportunities to participate!  This Sunday afternoon, October 9th, the Gravois Creek portion of the River des Peres watershed is the place to be!!  Participants in the Gravois Creek 'Bike With Your Boots On' event will meet at 12:30 at the parking lot of the Crestwood Public Works building (8699 Pardee Rd).  Then they will ride their bikes as a group along Grant's Trail, stopping along the way to test the water quality in the stream.  If you plan on attending, please call Eric at 314-603-8834 or e-mail riverdesperes@thegreencenter.org.

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Upcoming Event: St. Louis Stream Team Summit - September 17th

On September 17th, Stream Team volunteers from across the area are invited to the St. Louis Stream Team Summit.  Summit topics were chosen based on the results of a survey that was sent out to all of the Stream Teams in St. Louis area and will include regional pollution problems, flash flooding, rain gardens, invasive species, and local restoration efforts.

Featured plenary speakers include:

• Holly Neill, Executive Director of the Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition,
• Lance LeComb, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, and 
• Tom Siegel, Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The Summit will run from 9:00 till 4:30 with the registration table opening at 8:15.  Lunch is provided.  Admission of $10 per person is due in advance to the Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition - all proceeds will be divided between the three Stream Team Associations that serve the St. Louis area:

• Greenway Network,
• Northern Ozarks River Partnership (NORP), and
• River des Peres Watershed Coalition (RdPWC). 

For details or to register, see the StreamGram sent out for the event.

Urban Water Quality 101: Turbidity, Part 2

Now that we know how the turbidity tube works and what can contribute to turbidity, lets see how the two sites from the last post measure up:

This site on Deer Creek has a turbidity between 10 and 15 NTU. If I were reporting this data, I would
probably call it 12 NTU. Notice that the black and white pattern is barely visible through the water.

This site on Deer Creek has a turbidity of less than 10 NTU. With as clear as the water is, the pattern is clearly visible;
if a longer tube were available, you could probably see through several more inches. This is the clearer of the two samples.

Surprised by the results?  The image on the top was taken in a shallow location with some suspended sediments.  The image on the bottom is a deeper pool with few suspended particles; the raindrops on the water's surface make the stream bottom appear more difficult to see.

So what does it all mean?  If we would measure turbidity of a local stream, what could that tell us?  Plenty!  If your stream is consistently at 10 NTU or less, you have a fairly clear stream.  If the spikes that you see hit about 50 or 60, then there might be some periodic erosion occurring, a bloom of small algae, or decomposition of leaf litter in a standing pool.

We could learn even more, especially if each turbidity measurement is paired with one or two other bits of data; a rainfall record, height on a stream gauge, or flow measurements (especially if you have a USGS gauge near your stream) would be particularly useful for comparison.  Take, for example, the graph below created using a fictitious data set. 

In this graph, the turbidity (in brown) increases each time the stream rises (in blue).  This indicates that there is either erosion occurring or that something being brought into the stream in runoff is clouding the stream.   Starting in late March, notice that the turbidity rises slowly to somewhere between 10 and 20, rises sharply when the water level rises, and then decreases when the stream falls again.  This might indicate that algae are blooming in the water column and then being washed away with each storm.


For more information on turbidity, check out page 182 of The Streamkeeper's Field Guide by Tom Murdoch and Martha Cheo (1996).  Many thanks to the Stream Team Program for providing this resource to me many moons ago - I've used it often!

You may also want to have a look at the EPA's page on Using a Secchi Disk or Transparancy Tube or their guidance on the Importance of Turbidity.

Urban Water Quality 101: Turbidity, Part 1

The first water quality topic I'd like to raise is turbidity - the cloudiness of the water.  It is one of the simplest measures of water quality to perform and it tells us a lot about our streams if we measure it often enough.

Just eye-balling the water to see if it is clear or cloudy is not enough.  Factors like water depth and lighting conditions can make a big difference in how clear water appears when you are standing streamside.  Take the following photos for example.  Which of these sites would you say has clearer water?  I'll share the answer in Part 2, so check back in a couple of days...

Two views of relatively clear water from Deer Creek in St. Louis County.  But which has clearer water?

The Missouri Stream Team Program provides Level 1 (and above) water quality monitors with turbidity tubes to measure the cloudiness of stream water.  These tubes function using the same general principle as the Secchi disk, a patterned platter that is lowered into the water on a rope.  This technique has been used for the past 145 years to measure water clarity in lakes and oceans.  The disk is lowered until the pattern can no longer be seen and then raised until the pattern is once again visible.  The average of the distance of the disk from the water surface for the two measurements is called Secchi depth.

A turbidity tube (top) and a Secchi disk  (bottom) share
the same black and white pattern.

A turbidity tube, on the other hand, is filled with stream water and the water is released slowly through a hole near the bottom.  When the pattern becomes visible as viewed through the water column from the top, the hole is covered and the clarity is determined based on the amount of water that remains in the tube.  The markings on the side indicate a turbidity value which is measured (on Stream Team equipment) in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTUs).  The lowest (clearest) value that can be measured using this equipment is 10 NTU.  The highest (cloudiest) value on the tube is 400 NTU, which corresponds to visibility to a depth of approximately 1 inch.

So, what makes water turbid?  There are really two things that contribute to turbidity: total dissolved solids and total suspended solids.  Many dissolved solids like road salt and nutrients like nitrate are clear and do not add to the turbidity; however, colored dissolved solids like humic acid or tannins can contribute to turbidity.  Suspended solids include any particles that are held in the water column, including soil particles and small algae.

Upcoming Event: Race for the Rivers Festival - August 27

If you are looking for an pleasant afternoon along the riverfront in historic St. Charles, then you couldn't pick a better day than Saturday, August 27th!  This is the date for this year's Race for the Rivers Festival.  The organizers are certainly grateful that Mother Nature seems to be cooperating and the Missouri River is not too high.

This event is run by the Greenway Network, a Stream Team Association (Stream Team 463) based in St. Charles, but committed to serving the St. Louis Region.  The Greenway Network is a grassroots, volunteer-based organization whose mission is to conserve natural resources, encourage sound management of the area's watersheds and protect the quality of life for all citizens.

The Races:
The Race for the Rivers Festival includes opportunities for paddlers of all strokes to challenge themselves and their competitors on the Mighty Missouri River.  They offer three races to accommodate various skill levels.  There are divisions for solo and tandem, canoe and kayak.  I paddled in the Clean Water Challenge in 2008 with Kelly White and had a blast.  I think I'll try it again this year!

• Race for the Rivers - a 65 mile race broken into two stretches: Washington, MO to Frontier Park on Saturday and Frontier Park to the Confluence with the Mississippi on Sunday.
• Clean Water Challenge - a 20 mile race beginning at  Weldon Spring and ending at Frontier Park on the festival grounds.
• The newest addition - a one-day, 41 mile race, from Washington, MO to Frontier Park. 

The Rides:
This year, Greenway Network has partnered with Trailnet to also offer Ride for the Rivers.  They offer two routes along the Katy Trail that begin and end at Frontier Park: 5 mile and 25 mile loops.

The Festival:
The highlight of this event for most folks is the festival.  You can easily spend a relaxing afternoon listening to music, watching the river go by and the paddlers floating in. The prime things to check out:

• Musical acts preforming on the main stage from noon till 7pm.
• Food and craft booths.
• Educational booths and activities for the kids.
• Watch the racers come in and enjoy the award ceremony.

I hope to see you there!!

Team of the Month - August 2011

A look at Stream Teams in the St. Louis area would be incomplete without a shout-out to the Mighty 211.  Led by Brian Waldrup and Bernie Arnold, the 500+ members of Stream Team 211 have removed several thousand tires from the bed and banks of the Meramec River and its tributaries.  They are experts at hauling waste of all sizes out of rivers of all sizes, including discarded chemical drums, hot water heaters, and large chunks of vehicles.

Bernie and Brian between a pile of tires and a dumpster of non-rubber trash at a clean-up in January 2011.

Each year, the Team holds major clean-ups on the lower 12 miles of the Meramec River in both winter and summer, regularly drawing about 100 volunteers.  They draw these kinds of crowds because not only are they good at what they do, they are also personable and very passionate!  They know how to excite others about Missouri streams.  When I did a Google search to dig up some extra information on these great folks, I found lots of great things, including their own YouTube video, featuring Brian!

The Mighty 211 is based in Arnold, MO, but they are always ready to help out other teams in need, especially where there is litter removal involved.  So the next time you go to a Stream Team event in the St. Louis area, have a quick look at the cars - you will likely see a "Mighty 211" sticker around somewhere!

Successful Meramec Celebration

Kelci sells raffle tickets near the prize table.

Yesterday's 15th Annual Meramec Watershed Celebration was an awesome event!  The morning was filled with a look at macroinvertebrates in the Meramec River, a naturalist program, tubing and swimming in the river, watershed bingo, and more.  I spent the morning at the Level 2 Validation for water quality monitoring led by Chris and Wayne.  Thanks to them, many of us now have fresh chemicals and the knowledge that our equipment is all in working order!

By the time I got to the picnic site, everything was in full swing; lunch had begun, raffle tickets were being sold, kids were running around with their great prizes from the children's activity table.  Everyone was enjoying catching up with old friends and making new friends.  A few people even put down their $40 to pre-order one of the first Stream Team License Plates (more on this later, I'm sure)!

After lunch, several awards were presented to people who have contributed special efforts to the Stream Team Program in the past year.  Congratulations go out to many people for this event:

• Stream Team Ambassador Awardees: Lisa Adams, Danelle Haake, Debbie Miller, and Hydie M.
• Operation Clean Stream Stewardship Awardees: Steve Anderson and Bo Jarvis
• Stream Team Staff Appreciation Awardees: Darlene Haun and Carl Romesburg
• Stream Team Staff Farewell Paddle: Andrew Branson

Awardees (left to right) Debbie Miller, Bo Jarvis, Carl Romesburg, Darlene Haun, Danelle Haake, and Hydie M.

Following the awards, the final raffle tickets were sold (nearly 2000 tickets!) and numbers were drawn.
The first ticket to win belonged to Mike Bure and his prize of choice was the grand prize of the year, a kayak!  The second winner selected the smaller kids kayak.  Other prizes included a stone garden rabbit, coolers of beer, several gift cards to QT, multi-canoe float trips, a hand-made quilt, and much, much more.  I'd love to get comments from you on what YOU took home; I got the ice cream maker, a 5-canoe float trip, and a package of glow-in-the-dark toys for the kids.

Mike Bure (and Chico) with his new kayak!
Photo by Brian Waldrup

After the raffle, many took to the water for poling lessons or tubing trips, or just to spend some quality time in the water.  A short while later, it was time for the final event of the day: the canoe races.  Given the hot weather, not many folks stayed around to watch or participate in the canoe races.  So, for those of you who missed out, here are the final standings:

• Solo Men - Paul Wibbenmeyer, Hogan Haake, Vernon Pursley, and Ahti Rovainen
• Solo Women - Danelle Haake, Debbie Miller, Lorisa Runnels, and Katie Wibbenmeyer (DNF)
• Youth - Marina Pursley and Nick Pursley
• Mixed Tandem - Hogan & Danelle Haake, Katie Wibbenmeyer & Mike Bure (with Chico the dog), and Connor Kirk & Kelci Wibbenmeyer

Now, I feel the need to add a little bit about the races, particularly given my great fortune in placing first in two races...  I want to give kudos to Katie.  In our solo race, she was ahead of me by a canoe length almost from the start.  I stayed close enough that I think she worked harder than she expected, but she was in the lead.  Unfortunately, she thought that the take-out was the finish line, so she stopped just a few feet shy of the actual finish line.  I was prepared to offer her the win, but she was tremendously gracious and insisted that I take first.  In her words, 'You got first and it was not a technicality.'  I'm sure that next year she will be eager to take back the title, as I believe she has placed first in at least 3 of the past 5 years (perhaps 5 of 5!), and I will be glad to comply!

An electrician's nightmare, OR, the only way
to power enough fans to keep us all cool!

Katie's fortune did not improve in the tandem race with Mike Bure.  Near the beginning of the race, they got hung up on a log.  We all blamed Mike, not because of any paddling error, but because he dared to accept a T-shirt that held bad karma.  This shirt was viewed as so badly tainted that it was the very last item left on the raffle table - as heavily a laden table that it was.  Perhaps one of you knows more about the story behind the T-shirt.  If so, please share in a comment...

Many thanks go to the organizers who hosted the event, the donors who provided great raffle prizes, and the operators of Meramec State Park for providing such a lovely venue.  Great job, Jackie and family, Larry and Amy, Burt, Brian, and everyone else who had a hand in continuing to make this event one of my favorite of the year!!

Team of the Month - July 2011

Since this is not an award, but rather a way for the Stream Teams in the St. Louis area to get to know each other, our first Team of the Month was easy for me to pick - it is the team that I run at the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center.

Deer Creek near Laclede Station Road

Stream Team 2760, the LREC Stream Team, has been working together since about 2005 to collect water quality data on Deer Creek, a tributary of the River des Peres that flows through several communities in the 'inner ring' suburbs of St. Louis.  For the past 3 years, the team has been monitoring water quality on a monthly basis at seven sites in the watershed.  A recently completed report summarizing the results of their monitoring shows that high chloride and low dissolved oxygen are threatening aquatic life in Deer Creek.

In addition to the monthly water chemistry, the LREC Stream Team has been monitoring aquatic macroinvertebrates twice per year in Deer Creek near Litzsinger Road.  The stream has had surprising diversity, including caddisflies, riffle beetles, and at least two families of mayflies!

Besides their frequent water monitoring activities, the LREC Stream Team teaches children about watersheds, water pollution, and other related topics using their stream table, an EnviroScape model, and walking trips at the Ecology Center. They also hold periodic litter pick-up events to remove trash that floats into their half-mile stretch of Deer Creek.

This Stream Team is always open to participation of new members, including those who have been recently trained and need to get a bit of experience under their belts before going out on their own.  For information on upcoming monitoring opportunities with Stream Team 2760, contact Danelle.

Upcoming Event: 15th Annual Meramec Watershed Celebration

One of my favorite Stream Team events of the year is coming up on Saturday, July 23rd.  The 15th Annual Meramec Watershed Celebration will be held once again at Meramec State Park in Sullivan, Missouri.  While the name may sound like it is an event for Stream Team members in the Meramec River watershed, the organizers really want this to be a celebration of Stream Teams across the state.  They realize that few folks from the further ends of the state will make the trek, but there have been folks from Kansas City and other distant areas at the event in the past.  And for good reason...

I've got to tell you, the Meramec River watershed folks know how to throw a party!!  The morning starts off with a bit of education and information with a Level 2 WQM refresher class and a naturalist program.  They have games and crafts for kids most of the day.  They build up the excitement with a great BBQ (bring a covered side-dish to share) and raffle ticket sales.  Then they turn on the heat (this is July in Missouri after all) as they call the raffle numbers and winners select their prizes from an amazing assortment of goodies: kayaks, rain barrels, float trips, restaurant and gas station gift cards, golf clubs, baskets of toys and books, and who knows what else!  Sprinkle in some relaxing tubing on the Meramec, add in a poling clinic, and spice it up with some canoe sprints and you've got the fixings for a grand ole time!

If you are the true outdoors type, you can turn this day of celebration into a whole weekend. Group Campsite A in the park is reserved for Stream Teamers from Friday thru Sunday.  Last year it was a bit too hot out for the kids, so we passed on the camping, but this year we are planning to spend at least one night.  I hope to see you there - I'll bring the marshmallows!

What is a Stream Team Association?

Some of you may have been hearing lately about Stream Team Associations or about the Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition.  And if you haven't been, I'd like to introduce you to them!

Stream Team Associations are groups of Stream Teams within the same watershed or adjacent watersheds who work together.   They may partner to better coordinate litter pickups and water monitoring events, to present a more united voice to local governments, or to earn grants to help improve their stream.  An Association enables Stream Teams to take on larger projects having a greater impact.  Associations currently serving the St. Louis area are:

• River des Peres Watershed Coalition (RdPWC) - St. Louis City and County
• Greenway Network, Inc. - St. Charles County
  
• Friends of LaBarque - Jefferson County
• Friends of LaBarque Creek Watershed - Jefferson County
• Northern Ozark Rivers Partnership (NORP) - serving the Meramec, Huzzah, Courtois, Big, & Bourbeuse Rivers

The Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition (MSTWC) is a non-profit organization run by representatives from Stream Team Associations throughout the state of Missouri. As a not-for-profit, the MSTWC can write and receive grants used to support projects submitted by Stream Team Associations.  MSTWC also promotes and supports the Stream Team Associations by serving as a resource for information, education, stewardship and advocacy; by facilitating communication among Associations; and by serving as a united voice for healthy watersheds in Missouri.

Welcome!

Good morning and welcome to a new blog to help members of the Missouri Stream Team in the St. Louis area stay in touch with each other and with current stream-related events and issues in our community.

My vision for this blog is to develop a set of regular members who will write about different aspects of the Stream Team in St. Louis and to invite 'guest bloggers' to contribute articles that are pertinent as well.  If you have ideas of what you would like to see here, send a comment!

Future topics to look for:

• What is a Stream Team Association?
• Team of the Month
• Urban Water Quality101
• Rain Barrel Reviews
• Teacher Features
• How to Communicate with Legislators
• Stormwater: Problems, Solutions, and Opportunities
• Featured Macroinvertebrates
• Getting to Know the Stream Team Staffers

For the 'Team of the Month', I'm going to need your help - I can only write about you and what you are doing if I know who you are!!  More on that in a future post.  In the meantime, enjoy!