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To Our Followers
The big thing on my mind, now that Covid in Oklahoma is reducing, is how do we as a Blue Thumb community communicate with each other effectively? In 2019 we had several small, regional get-togethers. These were held for a few reasons:
- to help us to be prepared to support the Smithsonian Water/Ways exhibit
- to acquaint us with an array of Blue Thumb educational tools
- to encourage us to get out and among the masses to educate about stream protection
What would you like to see happen? What kind of work would you like to do? How can you bring your fellow citizens, the students in your schools, the people who live in the watershed of your stream, up to speed?
I look forward to getting an email from you about ideas for making good things happen for our wonderful streams and rivers. When you send in your ideas, also send your t-shirt size. There will be a drawing, and five of those who submit their ideas to me will receive a vintage Blue Thumb t-shirt.
Know Your Ecoregion - Central Irregular Plains
I recently participated in a team building day with Oklahoma Conservation Commission staff members who work from the Bristow Field Office. There are four of us, and we went to Big Creek in Nowata County. There we collected several species of fish for the Bristow aquarium, and these finned ones may be volunteering for education events!
The topic came up about the various ecoregions of Oklahoma, and the four of us were in agreement that "Central Irregular Plains" is a rather bland name for a pretty nice ecoregion. This is where Big Creek is. What makes this ecoregion of interest to Blue Thumb volunteers is that this is where Blue Thumb fish collections will take place this summer. With this in mind, here are a few things to know about the Central Irregular Plains (CIP):
- The bulk of the CIP is in northern Missouri, swooping into the eastern portion of Kansas and is then rather tornado-shaped and ends a but south of Tulsa County.
- To the east here in Oklahoma is the Ozark Highlands ecoregion, to the southeast the Boston Mountains, and to the west lie the Crosstimbers, and beyond the famous Great Plains.
- The streams of the CIP are rocky and tend to have trees, shrubs, and grasses within the riparian zones. Some descriptions describe smaller streams as sluggish and sometimes muddy. The land, if allowed to be in a truly natural state, would consist of both forest and plains, and areas of treed savannas (a bit of a mix).
- In Oklahoma, the CIP occupies all or part of Tulsa, Nowata, Rogers, Craig, Washington, Ottawa, Mayes, Wagoner, Okmulgee, and Muskogee counties.
- In the areas of this ecoregion other than Tulsa, most landuse is rural and the soils are pretty fertile.
- Within an annual rainfall of around 40 inches, these gently rolling hills are home to tall grasses and lots of wildflowers. Even in the more forested areas, where light can make it to the forest floor, a good variety of wildflowers can grow.
- Limestone outcrops are common, and this area houses a number of caves.
- Blue Thumb fish collections from within the CIP ecoregion have yielded over 20 species from some streams, but fewer species within the urbanized areas.
To gain a good look at what can be found living in one of the Blue Thumb streams in the CIP, join the Blue Thumb staff and other volunteers for an exciting fish collection!
The Value of a Volunteer
Are you aware that one hour of your volunteer time is appraised at $27.50? Keep this in mind and be sure that you write down all of the volunteer service time you spend with Blue Thumb!
Running chemical tests, entering data, visiting the local Lion's Club and providing a presentation - of course these things count! But there are some less obvious actions you may be taking that should count as well:
- Cleaning up your test kit and putting the pieces away
- Researching the name of your creek, simply because you are curious
- Picking up the trash on the banks of your stream, or in the lot where you park when you monitor
- Using Blue Thumb education tools - but also picking them up, bringing them back, or meeting us halfway (these things take time)
- Posting about your volunteer exploits on social media
When you accurately record your hours, you help the Blue Thumb Program deliver accurate information back to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where most of our funding originates. Thank you VERY MUCH for being a Blue Thumb volunteer.
Cheryl Cheadle
Volunteer Coordinator
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To our Monthly Monitors:
Howdy Howdy from your QA Officer,
We've recently been made aware that there are some bad PhosVer3 reagents out there. From the little but that I know, the faulty packets are not restricted to a specific Lot #; at least two different Lot #'s have had a bad reagent packet. So right after you open a reagent packet, no matter which reagents you are opening, take a quick look inside and see if the contents look "normal". If the contents are discolored (grey, brown, etc) or look clumpy/wet, anything out of the usual, throw it away and try another packet. No use wasting your time using discolored/defective reagents that may or may not react properly. Hopefully the next packet looks "normal" and you can use it. If several or all of your packets are NOT "normal" then please let me know the reagent name and Lot #.
It is June, and that means FISHING time!!!!! Yeah!!!!! I know the Blue Thumb staff are PUMPED and READY to start fish collections!
2021 Fishing schedule
So far we have the following scheduled:
- June 2nd - Owasso Creek (Tulsa County)
- June 3rd - Haikey Creek Tributary: 101st (Tulsa County)
- June 21st - Nickel Creek: 91st Street (Tulsa County)
- June 28th - Okmulgee Creek: 13th Steet (Okmulgee County)
- June 29th - Turkey Creek (Washington County)
- August 10th - Coal Creek: Morris Park (Tulsa County)
Sites we will fish but haven't scheduled yet are: (mostly in Tulsa County)
- Adam's Creek: Broken Arrow High School
- Cat Creek: Park on Muskogee Avenue (Rogers County)
- Cherry Creek: Rainwater
- Coal Creek: Hwy 11
- Crow Creek: Zink Park
- Dog Creek: Blue Starr Road (Rogers County)
- Elm Creek: 66th Street North
- Flat Rock Creek: Hwy 75
- Fred Creek: Evanston
- Harlow Creek: Edison
- Mingo Creek: 46th Street North
- Okmulgee Creek: Creek Complex (Okmulgee County)
- Spunky Creek: Hwy 412
- Tributary to Coody Creek: Robison Park (Muskogee County)
- Twin Hills Creek
If you'd like to help out with a fish collection, please contact me and I can give you more specific information.
Kim Shaw
Blue Thumb QA Officer
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 Make the world a better place!
If you live in the city limits of any community in Oklahoma County or Tulsa County, or if you live in the city limits of Grove, Muskogee, Stillwater, Sulphur, Shawnee, Walters, or Weatherford, you can be part of the Yard by Yard Community Resiliency Program.
Your lawn must by pesticide free, and you need to participate in a variety of nature friendly practices, like feeding the birds, growing wildflowers, cultivating some vegetables, composting, offering a wee water source, and there are many others. Your lawn can be the key to a healthy community, especially when you help others learn how their yards can make the cut!
The Yard by Yard Community Resiliency Project needs your help. Find out more here.
 
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 Blue Thumb Volunteer Trainings
OKC:
June 12 (Stream Ecology Education)
June 13 (Stream Monitoring)*
*Stream Ecology Education Training is a prerequisite to take this training*
Sign up here!
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 With June comes the first of the fish collections! This year, we are going to be focusing on fishing the Central Irregular Plains Ecoregion. If your stream is not on the list above, and you would still like to help us fish, please get in touch with Kim Shaw.
Fishing dates will be updated in the section next month, so if you've missed an opportunity in June, you'll still have time in July and August, and possibly September.
Fish collections are tentatively scheduled due to weather. We will fish during rain, so long as there is no thunder and/or lightening. Dates are also subject to change due to available help or other circumstances. You can see an updated list of fishing dates on our website.
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- It seems to be ages old, the conflicted relationship among wolves and man. There are two simple sides of the fence; wolves should be protected OR wolves should be exterminated. But really, as with many things that seem simple, dive in and you will find it less so.
- Being a rare specimen saved this lobster's life! Check out this strange story!
- Did you know that there is a whole association for Citizen Scientists? You can become a member and learn more about it here!
- Don't forget about the "Stream Selfie" project from the Izaak Walton League, the #trashtag movement, and tick testing!
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