Macroinvertebrate Stream Study Hike
June 17, 2010
On a beautiful, blue sky morning, eleven children, ages 8-12, and their parents and grandparents participated in a Macroinvertebrate Stream Study hike sponsored by Neighbors of Northwest Branch and Hiking Along. We met at the Kemp Mill Road trailhead of the Northwest Branch Trail. We hiked south on the trail as we located culverts and talked about the purpose for testing the water quality, how to test it, what impacts affect water quality, like pervious and impervious surfaces, and the appearance of a healthy stream valley. We located a rock beach along the Branch and divided into two survey groups, one conducting an assessment of the riparian zone and chemical testing of the water and the other inventorying the macroinvertebrate species in the stream. The two groups switched, each getting a chance to do each survey. The budding biologists determined the water to be in fair health due to these factors: low impacted riparian buffer zone, a pH of 7 with no nitrates in the water, and the discovery of a mayfly larvae and many caddisfly larvae. All had fun, in particular getting wet in the stream!
