How clean are our streams? let’s connect with our watershed.

Summer is coming and splashing in the local stream sounds pretty joyful! Why not explore a little science whilst dipping your toes! LivGreen was recently accredited by NJDEP to undertake stream monitoring for citizen science. Join us and learn how to identify physical and biological features of our streams to understand the health of our waterways. We are now experiencing periods of both intense rainfall and prolonged drought. Spending time in nature helps us connect to our local environment and think about how we can preserve and protect our water resources.

Join us for Stream Monitoring at Canoe Brook, Sunday 31st May 10am-12pm. To register email: livgreenteam@gmail.com.

Kiran Adams has already got his feet wet, and shares his recent experience to get you in the zone:

I recently completed the Great Swamp Watershed Association’s stream monitoring visual assessment training and it was an amazing experience. It was a great introduction to stream monitoring, with no prior experience needed. We started out at the Summit Public Library, where Sandra LaVigne, the Director of Water Quality Programs at the GSWA, gave an overview of the community water monitoring program. The GSWA monitors the entirety of the Passaic River, from the headwaters which are some of the cleanest waters in the state, to 82 miles downstream to Newark, the most polluted waters in the state. We learned in detail everything we were going to assess, from the amount of habitat space available for marine life to the erosion and pollution occurring in the river.

After a very thorough breakdown of what we would measure, we actually went to a river to do a practice assessment. All the trainees got our boots on and waded through the river, noting factors like algae growth or turbidity levels. We gave our 100 meter stretch of river a final score, which my group assessed to be 113/200. The next steps for me as a river monitor are to select my stretch of the Passaic river and complete a visual assessment twice a year, in Spring and Fall, to ensure the continued health of our watershed. Learning the monitoring process was not difficult and I strongly encourage doing the training program for anyone who wants to have a large impact on our local environment.

Let’s care for our streams and conserve water.