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Grant County citizen science through water quality monitoring

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 A “Sonnie Sussillo Memorial Seminar,” this Lunch and Learn session is in memory of Sonnie Sussillo, who was the WILL curriculum chair for two years. Her cumulative years of volunteer work made a significant impact in our local community.

Presented by Leigh Jenkins, Coordinator, Silver City Watershed Keepers; Saturday, April 30, 11 a.m.-noon at the Silco, 311 N. Bullard St., Silver City. Masks are mandatory.  

While a general overview of the acceptance and implementation of citizen science as a valid form of data gathering will start the presentation — along with a look at some of the big citizen science websites — the majority of our session time will look at a project of our own Gila Resources Information Project.  The Silver City Watershed Keepers is a citizen science-based water resources stewardship program that engages community members in protection and restoration of the Silver City Watershed. The program strives to increase watershed literacy and bring community awareness to the importance of protecting our local waterways. The project uses environmental quality monitoring as a tool to assess watershed health and address potential threats, such as non-point source pollution, litter, stream bank erosion, and non-native, invasive species. In this presentation, you will learn about the importance of water quality monitoring and what water quality measurements tell us about the health of the watershed. The new Silver City Watershed Keepers Reporter app that uses a Geographic Information System platform to assist with monitoring and managing watershed issues will also be demonstrated. This tool is used by volunteers to record environmental quality observations throughout the watershed.

Jenkins' interest in water and watershed health began with her love for the rivers and streams of eastern West Virginia where she taught biology and environmental science for 18 years. She focused on watershed curriculum in her science classes. Warm Springs Run, a tributary of the Potomac River, ran through the campus of the high school where she taught. Students learned to monitor watershed health for parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and conductivity. Students also participated in citizen science activities using a Save Our Streams protocol to identify and count macroinvertebrates to determine the biodiversity of the stream. While serving as the executive director of the Friends of the Cacapon River, Jenkins organized a summer conservation camp for children teaching them a love and respect for the organisms that lived in the river. Since moving to Silver City, she has worked as the coordinator of the Silver City Watershed Keepers to bring science and watershed education to the community and to promote the stewardship of our local waterways.