  February Training in Ada (top photos) and March Training in OKC (bottom photos)
Sediment
Sediment is probably the most common pollutant of concern in Oklahoma. Sediment is soil that has eroded from the land with precipitation and flows into ditches, streams, rivers, and lakes. It is the loss of the precious resource of our soil and it creates impairments to waterways.
Once sediment is moving in water, it clouds water and darkens it, which can lead to increasing water temperatures. We all know cooler water can hold more dissolved oxygen, which is necessary for a healthy biota.
Once sediment falls to the bottom of a ditch, stream, or river the capacity for this waterbody to hold water is decreased, therefore sediment can lead to flooding issues. Sediment coating the bottom of a stream or river also smothers habitat. There are places to live in the spaces between rocks in the water, and larval aquatic insects and small fish use these spaces, both to live in and to seek feeding opportunities. Imagine being in your living room watching a movie and you hear “Fill ‘er up Mac!” Unexpectedly your front door opens and a dump truck full of dirt drops its load in your home. You will either get out or be suffocated.
An array of chemicals will stick to particles of sediment. In my own stream I have watched orthophosphate increase as an upstream development continues to erode and degrade my stream.
Whether sediment comes from farming or construction sites, it has a negative impact on our streams. When we offer education about stream protection, stopping sediment from entering our streams is a priority topic.
Welcome to Blue Thumb! Webinar, 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Whether you trained ten years ago, or you have just graduated from a Blue Thumb training, tune in for this fun and informative webinar by volunteer coordinator Cheryl Cheadle. And even if you are simply a friend of Blue Thumb, learn a little about our goals. Everyone is welcome.
Don’t be fooled by the introductory sounding title! This webinar will:
- offer an updated look at Blue Thumb
- showcase recent “data projects” and
- reveal why Blue Thumb was selected for Keep Oklahoma Beautiful’s “Visionary Leadership” Award in November in 2023.
Blue Thumb webinars offer a way for everyone to learn new things, connect with other volunteers, and be a part of brainstorming for new ideas to protect our streams and rivers!
From the Volunteer Coordinator
Happy Earth Month! With so many activities taking place throughout the month of April many people no longer refer to Earth Day, but instead see April as Earth Month. Blue Thumb staff members have saturated their schedules with educational visits in April, but there is still time for you to help out in your own community.
Depending on when you need it, Blue Thumb can probably loan out an EnviroScape Watershed Model. We can give you a refresher on setting it up, using it, and packing up again. This model is extremely useful in helping people to understand how water becomes polluted and how we can reduce nonpoint source pollution.
Another popular Blue Thumb activity is fish printing. We can loan you paper, fish replicates, and color daubers. Both young and old like becoming artists to create their own masterpiece, which has pollution prevention tips on the back.
Get involved in your community for Earth Month! Call us soon so that we can accommodate your request!
Cheryl Cheadle
Volunteer Coordinator
 Winter bug collections and QA
Recently, I was fortunate enough to attend a Fish Kill Workshop hosted by the Department of Environmental Quality to learn about the appropriate response to a fish kill event. This is a topic I have little knowledge in, despite experiencing several fish kills firsthand. Also, I know several volunteers have experienced fish kills at their monitoring sites as well. Here are some stats on fish kill events in Oklahoma I wanted to share:
- Fish kill reports have increased since the 1990s. For perspective on the number of reports, there have been an average of 53 reports statewide since 2020. In the OKC area alone, there have been 101 reports since 2002. This does not necessarily mean more fish kills are occurring; it may mean we are getting better at reporting and documenting these events.
- Streams are the most at-risk for fish kills, followed by ponds and lakes.
- There is a fish kill season. Though fish kills occur year-round, the prime time for these events is during the spring and summer (March to September). I suspect this is related to increased water temperatures, combined with other stressors that impact streams.
- Most fish kills are the result of unnatural causes; some are caused by natural causes and occasionally the cause cannot be determined. Unnatural causes include excessive algae due to eutrophication, oil and chemical spills, illegal dumping of toxic substances, sewage discharges and leaks, treated drinking water leaks (chlorine) and pesticide runoff to name a few. Natural causes include turnover (occurs in lakes and ponds when water layers mix due to change in temperature) and pathogens. Ascertaining whether a fish kill is from unnatural or natural causes is not easy!
Overall, I learned that fish kills are devastating to streams and tricky to address. I am glad that there are professionals out there who are passionate about addressing the causes of fish kills and making things right. Also, I am appreciative of people like you, our volunteers, who actively monitor streams and notify us when things like fish kills sadly occur. Without the help of concerned individuals, many issues facing streams go unnoticed.
Briant Nguyen
Field Educator
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