“Sugar Creek is in excellent health!”

[November 25, 2014]  LINCOLN - “Sugar Creek is in excellent health!” That is the conclusion of Citizen Scientists Kamryn Aylesworth, Ryan Farmer, Cavit and Molly Schempp, and Sarah Starasta. This Logan County 4H team, along with Master Naturalist leaders Pam Moriearty and Jim Streubing, studied a stretch of Sugar Creek in 2014, submitting their findings to the Illinois Riverwatch stream monitoring program.

The team analyzed a section of the stream located at Creekside, Lincoln College’s Outdoor Center for Environmental Education, four miles north of Lincoln, IL. On two separate site visits, they gathered information on stream discharge, habitat features, and chemical analysis. They also collected specimens of insects and other invertebrates from the water, which they later identified in the lab. Ryan Farmer, like most of the team, found the fieldwork intense but interesting. “I really liked being out on the water, collecting the information,” he noted.

Since some invertebrate species are very sensitive to pollution and similar problems, a profile of the different species at a site indicates water quality. By sampling over time, investigators can monitor trends in the health of the waterway. When tested in both June and September, Sugar Creek had low levels of chemical pollutants and received “excellent” ratings for the types of sensitive species living there.

Riverwatch volunteers monitor streams all over the state. Their findings are then compiled and made available to researchers and the public, with the goal of safeguarding the future of the state’s waterways. According to Illinois Riverwatch Biologist Matthew Young, Sugar Creek is the first and so far the only Logan County stream submitting data to the program. The Citizen Scientist team will continue their study of the creek in 2015. Dr. Dennis Campbell, Director of Creekside, remarked, “We’re fortunate to have the Riverwatch team monitoring Sugar Creek. We look forward to having them keep an eye on this very important stream in the future.”

To assure the quality of the database, Riverwatch provides thorough training to all volunteers. The Logan County team completed a full day workshop in the field, classroom and lab before receiving their certificates as Riverwatch Citizen Scientists. “I was impressed by the training,” commented retired researcher Dr. Pam Moriearty. “Our information is most useful if it can be compared to that collected by other volunteers at other locations and times. Since we are all trained in the same procedures, we’re not trying to compare apples to oranges.”

Both 4H and Master Naturalists are University of Illinois Extension programs. For more information, see http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/ . To learn more about Illinois Riverwatch, go to www.ngrrec.org/riverwatch .

[Pam Moriearty, Master Naturalists & Amy Hyde, Logan County Extention 4-H]