Presentation Abstract
Building on 7 previous years of data collected by King County and available on the Puget Sound Stream Benthos website, Vashon Nature Center LLC, worked with King County Groundwater Protection Committee, and local middle and high school students to solve the mystery: why does Shinglemill Creek have low B-IBI scores? Testing the hypothesis that erosion may be affecting stream scores, scientists from VNC took aquatic invertebrate samples in two tributaries of Shinglemill Creek—one tributary with high erosion and landslide activity and one with very little erosion. With the help of 6 expert scientists, over 100 students sorted samples to order, calculated a rough B-IBI score, and explored the samples for differences in the invertebrate communities. There were some signs of impacts due to erosion. However, surprisingly, students found a large difference in mayfly richness and composition between the two tributaries leading to the discovery that one tributary drained ¼ of downtown Vashon (including a parking lot popular for student held car washes) and that low mayfly richness could indicate impact from heavy metal run-off. Students presented their findings to the KCGWPC and instigated a cascade of management discussions and actions the first of which is purchasing car wash kits to filter water before it is released to Shinglemill Creek. With the right level of support, students thrive when presented with real life science problems and can make a difference in watershed management.
Session Title
Session S-04I: Citizen Science as a Tool for Conservation
Conference Track
Citizens/Education
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 8:30 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 10:00 AM
Location
Room 604
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Watershed management--Study and teaching--Washington (State)--Shingle Mill Creek--Case studies; Participation--Case studies
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Shingle Mill Creek (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Students can sort stream bugs and change watershed management: a case study from Shinglemill Creek, Vashon Island
Room 604
Building on 7 previous years of data collected by King County and available on the Puget Sound Stream Benthos website, Vashon Nature Center LLC, worked with King County Groundwater Protection Committee, and local middle and high school students to solve the mystery: why does Shinglemill Creek have low B-IBI scores? Testing the hypothesis that erosion may be affecting stream scores, scientists from VNC took aquatic invertebrate samples in two tributaries of Shinglemill Creek—one tributary with high erosion and landslide activity and one with very little erosion. With the help of 6 expert scientists, over 100 students sorted samples to order, calculated a rough B-IBI score, and explored the samples for differences in the invertebrate communities. There were some signs of impacts due to erosion. However, surprisingly, students found a large difference in mayfly richness and composition between the two tributaries leading to the discovery that one tributary drained ¼ of downtown Vashon (including a parking lot popular for student held car washes) and that low mayfly richness could indicate impact from heavy metal run-off. Students presented their findings to the KCGWPC and instigated a cascade of management discussions and actions the first of which is purchasing car wash kits to filter water before it is released to Shinglemill Creek. With the right level of support, students thrive when presented with real life science problems and can make a difference in watershed management.
