Would you like to know if the streams in your area are safe for fishing, swimming, and boating? Now is your chance! The Four Rivers Watershed Watch Project is seeking individuals interested in helping with stream quality surveys on streams, rivers, and lakes in your region. Four Rivers Watershed Watch encourages all individuals to know about their waterways, since the condition of our streams and rivers is an indicator of the health of our water and communities. This project provides citizens with the training necessary to scientifically explore and provide a snapshot of their own stream quality.
This dynamic and worthwhile program is beginning its fifteenth year of promoting and educating good water quality management to communities in the Four Rivers Region, in the following counties:
Kentucky Counties: Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Logan, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, Simpson, Trigg, and Todd
Tennessee Counties: Henry, Montgomery and Robertson
The data collected in this study will be used to help develop plans to enhance the streams for fishing, swimming, wildlife habitat and drinking water supply. “The idea is to get people out into the real world to see first-hand the condition of their streams and lakes,” said Mike Kemp, Murray State University, who is Science Advisor to the project. “Delivering science to the people and people to the water’s edge is what this project does best,” Kemp said.
Volunteers for the project will be asked to attend one of two free training workshops. No previous skills are required to participate in the program. Participants will be trained in conducting biological and chemical tests on water quality and will help in collecting samples for laboratory analysis. “As a trainer, the most fun part of the training is showing folks the organisms living in their streams,” said Bobby Lee of the West Kentucky Community and Technical College Biology Department. “Volunteers determine their level of participation in Watershed Watch – the labs and coordinators do much of the work, but it is the volunteers that are necessary to sample a wide range of streams in our area. Without them, we have no program.”
Volunteer stream monitoring
Four Rivers Watershed Watch Project
Training includes two sessions, Phase I and Phase II. Phase I training sessions will include an introduction to the program, grab sampling techniques, and water chemistry techniques. Phase II training sessions will focus on how to conduct biology and habitat assessments. Volunteers are asked to attend one Phase I session, and one Phase II session. The following training sessions have been scheduled for those individuals interested in participating in water sampling:
Murray State University, Murray, KY
Hancock Biological Station on Kentucky Lake
APRIL 15, Friday 9am to 12pm: Phase I training – Team and site selection, water chemistry training
APRIL 15, Friday, 12:30pm to 4:30pm: Phase II training – Habitat and bio-assessment training, field training
Murray State University, Murray, KY
Hancock Biological Station on Kentucky Lake
JUNE 9, Thursday, 5:30pm to 8:30pm: Phase I training – Team and site selection, water chemistry training
JUNE 11, Saturday, 8:30am to 12:30pm: Phase II training – Habitat and bio-assessment training
Volunteers will begin with their visual survey and a herbicide and E. coli sampling event in May, an E .coli sampling event in July, and a nutrient sampling event in September. The results will be turned back over to the volunteers and discussed at the Four Rivers Watershed Watch Annual Meeting and Workshop in November. Federal, state, and local agencies as well as the public will be invited to attend the conference to discuss the project’s findings with the volunteers.
Those interested in participating in the project can contact Maggie Morgan, at (270) 559-4422 or register on-line at the project web page:
A mailing address, telephone number, and email address will need to be provided at the time of registration.
There is no charge for participating. All materials required for the study will be provided to volunteers. Call us, visit the web page or E-mail the project at maggie.morgan@jpf.org with any questions.
Four Rivers Watershed Watch Sponsors:
Project Sponsors:
Jackson Purchase RC&D Foundation
Four Rivers Basin Team
Murray State University
West Kentucky Community and Technical College Biology Department
Hopkinsville Community College Biology Department
Hancock Biological Station, Murray State University
Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University
Mid-America Remote Sensing Center, Murray State University
City of Murray
Sekisui Specialty Chemicals
Virginia Environmental Endowment
State Sponsors:
Kentucky Division of Water, Watershed Management Program
Kentucky Water Watch Program
Editor Notes
Photos are available at the following website:
The following project organizers can be reached by media for additional information:
Bobby Lee, West Ky. Community & Technical College Paducah 270-534-3237
Mike Kemp, MSU Environ. Engineering Technology Murray 270-809-3657
Area Coordinators
Christian County Jason Arnold, 270-707-3906
Trigg County Jim Ariagno 270-522-5615
McCracken County Karla Johnston 270-474-2272
Fulton & Hickman & Graves Counties Shelly Morris 270-748-0259
Calloway County Karla Johnston 270-474-2272
Marshall, Caldwell, Livingston, & Lyon Maggie Morgan 270-559-4422
Counties