Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition participant Cliff Denholm of Stream Restoration Incorporated always enjoys working with college students.

On April 4, 2017, Cliff had another opportunity to do so by providing his assistance to Slippery Rock University professor Dr. Becky Thomas’s field ecology class during their aquatic ecology lab at Wolf Creek in Mercer County.

While Dr. Thomas taught the students how to sample and identify macroinvertebrates (those “waterbugs” we can see with our naked eye, such as mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies, dragonflies, water striders, mussels, crayfish , etc.).

Cliff worked with the students on conducting water testing in the field and explained what the results mean in terms of water quality.

By including both water chemistry and aquatic insect sampling, the students got to observe first-hand how good water quality and biodiversity are related.

Of course Cliff did not miss the opportunity to discuss the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition, acid mine drainage, and passive treatment!

For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition website.

(Photo: Tim Danehy & Buck Neely describe how a trompe works.)

(Reprinted from the May edition of The Catalyst newsletter from the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition. Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

[Posted: May 24, 2017]

5/29/2017