Community Leads Scientific Effort to Monitor Streams
EAST ALTON – Research from RiverWatch Director and Stream Ecologist Danelle Haake illustrates how community members can be a part of the scientific field and provides new insight on how road salt application affects our local streams.
Haake, who holds a doctorate in biology from Saint Louis University, is a senior scientist and RiverWatch Director at Lewis and Clark Community College’s National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRRECsm) and has over 10 years of experience in stream ecology research.
Her recent paper, “Impacts of Urbanization of Chloride and Stream Invertebrates,” was published in the journal “Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management.” The article was co-authored by three citizen scientists who also participated in the study.
“The goal of this research is two-fold,” Haake said. “It will hopefully lead to greater knowledge about what is happening locally and show how chloride levels from road salt are impacting local stream ecosystems in our communities; second, it will show that data collected by citizen scientists – ordinary people who care about water quality and local stream health – is just as valid as other scientific research.”
https://www.riverbender.com/articles/details/community-leads-scientific-effort-to-monitor-streams-58193.cfm