NHS Students Participate In DEP Research

By Laurie Borst

Students in Karolyn Baumgartner’s AP Environmental Science class took part in a stream analysis in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection on Tuesday, October 23.

The students took part in Project Search which was first offered by the DEP in 1994. Project Search currently has about 80 high schools across the state participating in stream analyses.

A variety of areas are examined in stream analysis. Habitat assessment consists of assessing certain characteristics, i.e. rockiness of stream bed, amount of erosion along the bank, vegetation along the bank, canopy cover, temperature and turbidity (how murky the water is), and stream depth and rate of flow.

Macro-invertebrate, large species without backbones, collection puts the students into the thick of it. Pairs of students wade into the stream. One has a collection net. The other turns over rocks on the stream bed and stirs up detritus where insects and other creatures without backbones live.

Non-point source pollution refers to chemicals that find their way into water systems from runoff. Fertilizers and herbicides, oil, gas, and antifreeze, and detergent phosphates can all find their way into streams, and, ultimately, into the water table and aquifers.

Chemical analyses of dissolved oxygen, pH, hardness, nitrates, phosphates, and ammonia concentrations are all performed by the students on the site.

The students were assisted by Chris Sullivan, an instructor with the DEP and Project Search.

“High schools across Connecticut participate in data collection,” explained Mr Sullivan. “The data is used in reports to government agencies and municipal groups.

“This is a good way for the DEP to get data and a good way for students to get hands-on experience,” Mr Sullivan added.

The DEP provides forms for the students to fill in with their data. One set of sheets is dedicated to water chemistry results. Another is for recording Bioassessment which looks at total number of organisms found, number of different taxa indicating species diversity, and compares what is expected to what is found.

A third set of sheets cataloged orders and families of macro-invertebrates. Odonata (dragonflies), coleoptera (beetles), diptera (true flies), mayflies, stoneflies, and caddis flies are all counted.

The students also counted non-insect macro-invertebrates, e.g. leeches, earthworms, bivalves, gastropods, and arachnids.

Leading up to the hands-on session, the students learned about insect taxonomy, non-point source pollution, and practiced some of the chemical tests. Ms Baumgartner also had to prepare for the field trip.

“Karolyn did her training this past summer. This is her first trip,” said Mr Sullivan. “NHS has monitored the site for three years. Frank LaBanca ran the program previously.”

For more information on the DEP’s data collection program, visit projectsearch.org.