Spring is Here!
Spring is in the air, and you would know that if you have a Blue Thumb calendar. Are you using your Blue Thumb calendars? Each month there is awesome information on every month that can be great conversation starters. The first two pages of the 2020 calendar lays the groundwork for a better understanding of the value of our water resources. Let your calendar help you with education.
Speaking of calendars, the calendars of Blue Thumb staff members are filling up! Be watching your email for requests for help. We might need you to simply come along and help out, or we may have a need for volunteers who will take a leadership role. Maybe you have an idea of how YOU can make a difference in your own watershed. How can Blue Thumb support you? Let's make 2020 the year great things happen!
Cheryl Cheadle Volunteer Coordinator
To our Monthly Monitors:
Howdy Howdy from your QA Officer,
With all the rain events thus far in 2020, you might need to look around at your monitoring site instead of just going to your "usual" spot you collect. When weather causes significant changes in flow, it is a good idea to take a look upstream and downstream of your site. Have things changed? Changes can be minor, like a slightly different location for a run, or major, like new channels or heavily eroded banks. These changes should be noted on your data sheet, and documented with photographs. Creeks are pretty dynamic and can change from month to month in response to weather or the landuse. You might need change with the creek's changes.
We ask that all volunteers collect their water samples on the upstream side of a riffle. If your riffle is completely underwater, then you can most likely collect anywhere there is free-flowing water. Perhaps you have unusually high flow; you can collect your samples from the creek's edge as long as you feel safe doing so. You may also collect from a low water bridge. We don't want you to go to your "normal" spot if it is unsafe to do so, or if the water there is too shallow or too deep or there is no water there. In times of drought, there may not be any water at all at your usual site, but there may be water upstream or downstream.
Be safe, enjoy your site, monitor, send me your data.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this topic or anything else, please feel free to contact me or any Blue Thumb staff.
Kim Shaw Blue Thumb QA Officer
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