SPRING 2002
News from the UpStreamUpStreamStroud Water Research Center
TROUD SWATER RESEARCH CENTER IN THIS ISSUE
3 Tracking the elusive carbon molecule.
Study finds dramatic 4 water quality difference in Schuylkill River Basin.
6 Indispensable lab volun- teers, Harry & Frank
SPECIAL SECTION UPSTREAM FESTIVAL APRIL 27
Four-page pull-out
7 Scientist with a sword. 8 News Currents in Field & Lab.
10 Pledge your gift to fresh water
TreesTrees forfor StreamsStreams TROUD SWATER RESEARCH CENTER UPSTREAM UpStream, the magazine of the Stroud Water Research Center, is published in the spring and fall From each year. the Phone: Director (610) 268-2153 E-mail: [email protected] Bern Sweeney Web: www.stroudcenter.org
Bernard W. Sweeney, Ph.D., Director WHY AN UPSTREAM FESTIVAL Claire Birney, Editor James Blaine, D. Y-Thomas n “Upstream Festival!” Why, you might ask, would anyone want to Editing, writing, production celebrate being or going upstream? After all, no one goes on vaca- Ation to paddle up the Susquehanna River or to fish for stunted brook BOARD OF DIRECTORS trout in the tiny upstream tributaries of a river system. Doesn’t “Up a creek John R.S. Fisher, VMD without a paddle” mean that you are upstream, want to be downstream, but Rodman W. Moorhead, III can’t get there — hence you’re in trouble? Let’s face it, most folks like to Co-Chairmen celebrate, as the old round says, rowing their boats “gently down the stream . . . [where] life is but a dream.” Joan Stroud Blaine Alas, we know that it isn’t only singing boatmen that end up down- Amanda Cabot stream. Everything on the river ultimately ends up there; and since rivers Peter D. Davenport have been the flowing disposals of human waste for centuries, the farther Art Dunham, Ph.D. downstream you are, the dirtier the water you inherit. It’s no wonder that William L. Elkins, M.D. “everyone lives downstream” has become the rallying cry for fighting pollu- John J. Ennis, Esq. tion in streams and rivers around the world. Carol Ware Gates So why should the Stroud Center have an Upstream Festival? It’s sim- Robert V.A. Harra, Jr. ple. For us it is a day to celebrate and publicize the fact that “everyone lives Nathan W. Hayward, III upstream” as well. And living upstream carries with it an enormous responsi- William Kronenberg, III bility. Every bad upstream deed will impact our downstream neighbors, even Barbara C. Riegel if only scientists can measure it. Each thoughtless act makes the water a little Stephen M. Stroud dirtier and the fish a little less abundant. On the other hand, each good Bernard W. Sweeney, PH.D. upstream deed helps us, our downstream neighbors, and our network of Paul V. Tebo rivers that flow into the oceans. Quite a payoff. DIRECTOR EMERITUS During the Upstream Festival, the Center tries to give the visitors both W. B. Dixon Stroud the reasons and the means to act responsibly - to act, if you will, in an (c) Stroud Water Research Center “Upstream” manner. Through hands-on and fun-filled activities based on the No. 2002-002 4M Center’s science, our “open house” becomes an “open invitation” for visitors No reproduction without to learn about and practice public stewardship in their watersheds. permission See you at this year’s Upstream Festival on April 27th!
Printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks
2 UPSTREAM • SPRING 2002 Can carbon13 solve water mysteries?
ith rivers delivering tons of dis- involves five disciplines — ecological theo- solved organic matter to the sea, ry, biogeochemistry, microbial ecology, geo- Wwhy is so little terrestrial organic chemistry and hydrology. matter found in the oceans? What is the value of small headwater streams to the ecol- The work so far ogy of large, downstream rivers and what The team took 32 tulip poplar seedlings would it mean if these streams were that they obtained from Jim Plyler, a nurs- destroyed? How can the biological processes ery owner from southern Chester County, measured in small laboratory systems be Pa. who specializes in native plants, and sent them to Duke University. There they related to processes in a natural stream? Lou Kaplan These are among the questions being were grown in the summer of 2001 in special addressed in a new research project funded chambers in Duke’s Phytotron, a large feder- by the National Science Foundation. ally funded greenhouse complex. PROJECT 13C The answers have long eluded scientists Automatically watered, fed and lighted because tracking and measuring dissolved in the sealed chambers, the young trees Title: Application of Scaling Rules organic matter (DOM) in natural streams is thrived in an atmosphere enriched with car- to Energy Flow in Stream extremely difficult. To trace DOM in bon dioxide in which the carbon atoms are Ecosystems streams, researchers need to be able to some the stable isotope, carbon 13 (13C). The trees how put a marker on the molecules, or label were thus labeled with 13C. Scientists involved: and identify DOM as it moves down the At the end of their summer growth peri- From Stroud: Louis A. Kaplan, stream. And that is precisely what the Stroud od, the trees were harvested by Phytotron J. Denis Newbold and postdoctoral team seeks to do in this project. Stroud scien- staff who separated leaf, stem, and root mate- scientist Tracy Wiegner. tists will follow DOM as it flows through the rial into old and new growth. The dried White Clay Creek watershed. As the primary plants were sent to Stroud and ground into Outside collaborators: Robert food source for aquatic microorganisms, samples and sent to Ostrom for analysis of H. Findlay of Miami University and DOM is critical to the health of the stream Ð 13C content. As expected, the new growth Peggy H. Ostrom of Michigan and critical also to stream research. As it was rich in carbon 13 Ð 200 times more than State University. works its way down a stream, DOM is con- natural trees. Funding: National Science stantly being absorbed, eaten, digested, The scientists are now preparing to age Foundation released, replaced and recycled. Fully half of the material in soil microcosms to allow nat- this dissolved material is carbon Ð specifical- ural soil processes to transform the fresh ly the isotope carbon 12 (12C), which makes plant material into a mixture of complex up 99 percent of all naturally occurring car- organic matter that will behave like natural bon. The task of the research team is to find DOM (or 12C) in a stream. The difference a way of creating identifiable DOM samples will be that, as they follow the DOM down- and labeling them clearly enough to be dis- stream, the scientists will be able to identify tinguished as they go through the natural pro- the molecules they introduced from their cessing system of a stream. 13C earmark. From this work, the Stroud The project involves the work of three scientists hope to understand what organic Denis Newbold Stroud Center scientists, Lou Kaplan ,Denis molecules support the activity of microorgan- Newbold, and post-doctoral scientist Tracy isms in the stream, and how far these mole- Wiegner, plus two colleagues, Robert Findlay cules travel downstream before they are of Miami University and Peggy Ostrom of metabolized. Michigan State University. The project
UPSTREAM • SPRING 2002 3 Study finds dramatic differences
S CHUYLKILL five-year study by the Stroud creek sites that scored highest for water Center found that water and habi- quality were the West Branch of the R IVER B ASIN Atat quality varies dramatically in Perkiomen and the Manatawny, both pre- the main streams that supply the Schuylkill dominantly forested and rural. Among the River. lowest scoring were the Wissahickon, which The 2,000-square-mile Schuylkill River runs through Philadelphia and its suburbs, Basin begins in the mining areas around and the Tulpehocken, which runs into Pottsville in the northwest. The river runs Reading. The one with the lowest score, the PROJECT GOALS about 127 miles through a variety of forest- Little Schuykill, is mainly rural, but it is in ed, agricultural, and urban and suburban the anthracite mining area. The project had three scientific areas before emptying into the Delaware at The study, which was done by the and educational goals: Philadelphia. (See table for details). The Stroud Center with the help of students from river and its tributaries are a critical source local colleges throughout the watershed, To assess water and habitat of drinking and irrigation water for the sampled 19 sites between 1996 and 2000. quality in the Schuykill River communities through which they run. basin based on aquatic macroin- In most cases the study findings reflect- vertebrates collected from 19 ed the land use in the stream basins. The sites.
To make the study available to local education outreach and ater Quality Score community groups to encourage atershed UrbanArea (Sq. miles) Forest etlands Other* MAIS W W % % Agriculture% % W % Mining**% their involvement in improving Perkiomen, West Branch 12.7 (A) 14 0.3 26 72 1.5 - 0.3 and protecting water quality in Manatawny 12.7 (A) 59 1 37 60 1.2 0.5 0.4 streams and rivers. Perkiomen, Upper 11.8 (A) 36 2 43 54 1.3 - 0.2 Maiden 11.8 (A) 105 0.3 51 47 0.6 - 0.6 Pickering 11.4 (A-) 28 0.6 44 55 0.1 - 0.1 To provide local college stu- French 10.5 (A-) 46 1 29 68 1.4 - 0.7 dents with field and lab experi- Angelica 9.9 (B) 6 1 15 84 0.7 - 0.1 ence in ecological study. Northkill 9.9 (B) 17 2 76 22 0.1 - 0.1 Perkiomen, East Branch 9.5 (B) 49 2 52 46 0.3 - 0.1 Perkiomen, Lower 9.5 (B) 310 3 40 54 2.7 - 0.4 Hay 9.1 (B) 22 2 43 54 1.3 - 0.2 Valley 7.3 (C) 24 27 18 49 0.3 2.4 3.0 Unami 6.6 (C) 37 3 40 54 2.7 - 0.4 Skippack 6.3 (C) 58 22 39 37 0.1 - 1.0 Schuylkill, HMS+ 4.4 (D) 11 1 1 80 0.7 14.4 2.9 Schuylkill, West Branch 4.1 (D) 51 4 3 79 0.9 11.4 3.1 Wissahickon 4.1 (D) 55 40 15 40 0.3 - 4.7 Tulpehocken 3.7 (D) 208 30 35 56 0.8 2.8 2.3 Schuylkill, Little 3.4 (D) 127 2 17 73 1.4 4.2 2.5
Basin 1979 11 37 48 0.7 1.1 2.3
+ Headwater Main Stem * Includes quarries, strip mines and gravel pits. ** Transitional land stripped of vegetation by either natural or human disturbance, urban recreational land that is not forest (golf courses, urban parks) and open water.
4 UPSTREAM • SPRING 2002 Dams Why macroinvertebrates? While most of the 250 dams in the basin are relatively small, Stream-bottom-dwelling macroinvertebrates, such as insects, there are three large reservoirs, Green Lane on Lower worms and crayfish, were the focus of this study. There are at Perkiomen Creek, Blue Marsh least four reasons why these “bugs” are the most cost-effec- Lake on the Tulpehocken tive, commonly used and widely accepted tool in water quality and Lake Ontelaunee on monitoring: Maiden Creek. Most stream ecosystems have diverse populations repre- senting different invertebrate groups, each having different tol- erances to changes in environmental conditions. This makes
er them a sensitive measure of environmental changes and stress. iv D lR kil The bugs’ limited mobility and relatively long life spans huy POTTSVILLE Sc MS make their presence or absence a meaningful record of envi-
H er v West i ronmental quality during the recent past. Bra ill R nc yk hScD u As the primary consumers of plant and microbial matter, D ch hu S ylki ek ll bugs are an important link in the food web . Ri ttle Cre ver Li n e Their abundance can be statistically analyzed and plays an HAMBURG
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dwelling insects, worms and ek reek A– g C n C crayfish – were collected at eri D 19 sampling sites. Pick eek S each of the 19 sites in early y Cr chuy Valle CONSHOHOCKEN lk i spring from 1996 to 2000. A Water quality grade of each ll R The samples were processed iv site based on er in the laboratory by 30 col- Macroinvertebrate Aggregated r
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HILADELPHIA i recruited as summer interns scores (see sidebar on this P R e from 15 colleges. page and table on Page 4). a r a w The data were analyzed D e l Watersheds - shaded using the Macroinvertebrate areas around the streams Aggregated Index for and rivers. Streams (MAIS), a method that summarizes collected Main towns and cities data and assigns a score. on the Schuykill River.
5 UPSTREAM • SPRING 2002 ‘Win-win’ for all
or former DuPont Company chemical engineers Frank Kline Fand Harry West, their volunteer work at the Stroud Center helps keep their minds active in their retirement. VOLUNTEERS For the Stroud Center, their work is indispensable and much appreciated. Frank Kline Both men work one day a week in Formerly: DuPont chemi- Denis Newbold’s ecosystem processes cal engineer lab, where their tasks include chemical Specialty: Chemical analysis, instrument calibration, data process safety and explo- analysis and input, and other hands-on sion prevention lab work. “My day here is a very important Harry West part of my week,” says Kline, who lives Formerly: DuPont chemi- in a retirement village in Newtown Frank Kline at work. cal engineer Square. Specialty: Chemical “I thoroughly enjoy this. I’m dealing “I’m allowed to make mistakes and cor- process research and devel- with very nice people and my contact with rect them, and I really feel my work is opment them is a real pleasure.” appreciated,” he says. Kline says he is delighted to be able to Harry West, who worked at the DuPont contribute the experience he acquired in his Experimental Station and now lives in the years with DuPont. Jenner’s Pond retirement community not far from the Center, says, “I really enjoy [the work at Stroud] because you get interaction with younger people and you keep learning new things. “And it keeps my mind from rotting.” And it’s a great benefit to the Stroud Center says Director Bern Sweeney. “Our research benefits greatly from the wisdom and years of experience that both Frank and Harry bring to the Center. It’s a win-win for all parties.”
Harry West at the computer.
6 UPSTREAM • SPRING 2002 rreeaamm FFee SStt sstt pp 20022002 iivv UU aa April 27, 2002 ll
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Stroud Water Research Center Bonnie byArtwork Timmons2002 © www.stroudcenter.org 970 Spencer Road, Avondale, PA 19311 For more information, call 610.268.2153 ext. 238 or 247 UUppSSttrreeaamm i r l i g W h i g s , S t Special Events & Workshops i n k p o
COMMITTEE Celebrate stream and riparian lives at this year’s UpStream Festival. Join us for a fun, educational family day. Learn about creatures large and Diane Belnavis, Co-chair small that live in our local freshwater ecosystem. Julia Loving, Co-chair Claire Birney Lois Young - Puppeteer, ventriloquist, The Natural Step: An Introduction Kay Dixon singer, and storyteller Lois Young present a to Green Design - Ed Snodgrass, a local Karen Dow magical blend of sing-along and laugh-along business consultant, will present a workshop Jami Harry fun for all ages. Copies of her CD’s will be on “The Natural Step”, a guide to thinking Lara Martin on sale. (11:30.-12:10 and 1:30-2:10 ) and acting in harmony with the earth’s cycli- Jim McGonigle cal processes. It provides a pragmatic frame- Christina Medved Lenape Stories - Clan Mother Doris work that can be used to guide social, envi- Reggie Painter River Bird Woman and members of her ronmental and economic actions. Jen Roth group will tell traditional Native American Recommended for ages 15 and above. (2:30) Carol Urbanc stories accompanied by drumming and songs Fred Wanner in English and in Lenape. Learn how fire Birds and their Habitats - Nancy came to earth and how the bear lost his tail. Parsons, a conservation biologist, will help (11-11:30 and 2:30-3) you discover why habitat, season, time-of- day, song and bird behavior are all important. MasCar Races - Madagascar cockroach Bring your binoculars for a walk along the racing. Win craft tickets for choosing the White Clay Creek for a look at native and winners in these neck and neck races. Watch migratory riparian birds. (3 ) CALLING ALL world class racers Pepe le Roach, Lightning, VOLUNTEERS Mario Bugetti, Speed Roacher, Buggy Family Get-Away Drawing - Winner Stewart, and others. Races throughout the of the $200 family gift certificate for equip- The Upstream Festival needs day. (10:15-11; 11:45-12:30; 1:15-2:00; 2:45 ment rental from Eastern Mountain Sports volunteers to help with the -3:30) will be announced at 2:15 at the event set up, parking, crafts, information booth. Bring your parking the Stream View Café and Baking Bugs - Many cultures include tickets. You may be the winner! clean up after the festival. insects as part of their traditional cuisine. Meet new people, make new Insects are extremely plentiful, high in pro- friends. Join us for a fun- tein, and delicious. Join Diane Belnavis as filled day. she makes Cricket Cookies and Meal Worm Munchies. Yum! (12:15.-1:15) CONTACT Kay Dixon Why Rain? - Steve MacLaughlin, WB17 Phone: (610) 268-2153 x 247 News meteorologist will present a program E-mail: on weather and the importance of rainfall in
Savage Ancient Seas - Steve Reynolds of the Delaware Museum of Natural History will discuss the food chain from the Miocene Seas focusing on the pro- ducers and consumers that inhabited Delaware’s ancient seas. U p S t r ea m F e st i v al 2 0 0 2
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Morning 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 Native Plant Walk 10:30 - 11:30 (Meet at the Plant Sale) Doris River Bird Mother 11:00 - 11:30 (Meeting House) Lois Young & Puppets 11:45 - 12:20 (Meeting House) Walk with a Scientist 11:15 - 12:15 (Meet at fish sculpture) Cockroach Racing 10:15 - 11 11:30 - 12:15 (Below stream side of deck)
Afternoon 12 noon - 4 p.m. 12:00 12:30 1:00 1:30 2:00 2:30 3:00 3:30 4:00
Why Rain? (Behind Information Desk) 12:30 and 1 Native Plant Walk (Meet at the Plant Sale) 1:30 - 2:30 Lois Young (Meeting House) 1:30 - 2:10 Doris River Bird Woman (Meeting House) 2:30 - 3 Cooking with Insects (Meeting House) 12:15 - 1:15 EMS Drawing (Information Desk) 2:15 Natural Step (Library) 2:30 - 3:30 Bird Walk & Habitat (Meet at the Plant Sale) 3 - 3:45 Walk with a Scientist (Meet at fish sculpture) 12:15 - 1:15 1:30 - 2:30 2:45 - 3:45 Cockroach Racing (Below stream side of deck) 12:45 - 1:30 2- 2:45 3:15 - 4
Come Join Us! Mission
The Upstream Festival is a celebration of rwr yBni imn 2002 Artwork by Bonnie Timmons © ural world around us. The goal of the festi- the Earth, the natural world, the White val is to create a bridge of knowledge Clay Creek, and the vibrant community of between those in the community working its watershed. Through education, music, to promote earth consciousness and those ritual, sharing and family fun, we seek to seeking to increase their environmental promote community awareness for the awareness, inspiring them to become stew- Stroud Water Research Center and the ards of the Earth, its watersheds, and its ecology of fresh water systems as well as most precious natural resource Ð water. to awaken a sense of reverence for the nat- Balancing science with martial art
ven in the eccentric atmosphere of the Stroud Center, a visitor may be Estartled in the evening to see a man in white brandishing a sword on the banks of the White Clay Creek. He moves in slow motion, seeming to joust with an invisible opponent. But those who work late at the Center have become used to these habits of their colleague Xianhao Cheng. When he’s not deeply absorbed in his work as a visiting post-doctoral research scientist, Cheng likes to take time out to practice Tai Chi, an ancient Taoist martial art of his native China. Besides the weaponless form of Tai Chi that is better known to Westerners, Cheng also practices with the sword, saber and spear. Over a cup of green tea Ð which his family sends him from his homeland Ð Cheng tries to explain the complexities of Xianhao Cheng demonstrates Tai Chi with a sword Tai Chi Ch’uan, which he has studied for at least 20 of his 47 years of life. at Zhengjiang University, which he described Meditative and confidence-building, as one of the largest and most prestigious Cheng says Tai Chi also develops health and universities in his country. He finished in physical strength, which he demonstrates by 1982 in one of the first classes to graduate lifting to shoulder height his 7-foot-long after the end of China’s Cultural Revolution, Xianhao Cheng spear. He uses only his thumb and two fin- which lasted from 1966 to 1976. After that Post-doctoral research scientist gers, while keeping his arm straight. he taught and did research in marine chem- Cheng works in Lou Kaplan’s biogeo- istry and helped build an Antarctic research Section: Biogeochemistry station in his field. chemistry section at the Stroud Center on a Ph.D: Chemical oceanography, He is a permanent resident of the United three-year project funded by the National Old Dominion University, Va. States, who, when he’s not staying in the Science Foundation. Undergraduate: Zhengjiang Stroud Center’s visitors’ cabin, lives with his It is a research study of the biomes Ð the University, Hangzhou, China complex biotic communities of animals and wife and 17-year-old daughter at their home plants Ð of the White Clay and other local in Hampton, Virginia. Project: Three-year NSF biomes creeks, plus the New Jersey Pine Barrens and research on interaction between Costa Rica. organic compounds and micro- He is also working to improve analytical bial communities in streams and methods and other research procedures in the watersheds. lab. Cheng grew up in the east coast city of Hangzhou, China. He studied geochemistry
UPSTREAM • SPRING 2002 7 Lab & Field Currents
Tree buffers Stroud Preserve Planting of trees along streams The 10-year-old riparian buffer on the moved into high gear last year with Stroud Preserve in the Brandywine Creek the launching of the federally fund- watershed got a quick-fix planting of 13 ed riparian buffer project (PL-566) large balled-and-burlapped, and potted trees to restore woodlands along 50 last fall. The existing riparian buffer was suf- miles of the White and Red Clay fering from deer munching, among other Creeks. problems. The five river birches, five green By year’s end about 6,000 new ashes and three tulip poplars are fast-grow- trees were growing along four ing trees which are expected to fill the gaps miles of stream on half-a-dozen immediately. properties. This year, the season has bare- New York project Year 3 ly started and work is already The Stroud Center’s New York City underway for planting 5,000 new watershed monitoring project is now in its trees on a property on the Red Clay third year. Winter sampling is finished and Creek, says Jessie Farrell, the the main spring and summer fieldwork is native landscape designer who is expected to begin on time. Although there coordinating the project for the are concerns about the severe drought COVER PHOTO: Stroud Center. throughout the Northeast, project coordinator Under the watchful supervision of She hopes that planting will soon start Charles Dow said, “We plan on going in Chesapeake Bay retriever Solo, Jessie on the Tulpehocken Creek near Reading in drought or not.” Farrell, Salamon Berks County, Pa., where she recently met The second year of the project finished Romero and Javier Tinoco plant a river with landowners to encourage their participa- on schedule despite a brief pause in the field birch in the Stroud Preserve study stream tion. work due to the security alert following the buffer. Under the PL566 project a variety of Sept. 11 attack on the city. cost-sharing plans for planting trees are available for properties along the White and Red Clay Creeks in Pennsylvania and Delaware and the Tulpehocken Creek. Landowners may apply through Farrell.
CONTACT: Jessie Farrell Phone: (610) 869-4285; e-mail: [email protected]
From left, Lara Martin, Dave Montgomery and Charles Dow prepare for a spiraling experiment on the Muscoot Creek in New York.
8 UPSTREAM • SPRING 2002 Lab & Field Currents
50 plus Administrative Assistant Shelby Von Till reports that the Stroud Center staff com- plement is up to 51, including nine part- timers. LOST SOLE When Stroud Center ento- Scientist turns advocate mology technician Dave Laurel Standley, Ph.D., the research Lieb lost his wading shoe scientist who headed the Stroud Center’s sole during a week-long organic chemistry section for 12 years, left field trip last fall he resort- last fall to study environmental policy at the ed to Duct tape. University of Delaware. It happened at the begin- Standley, who has a doctoral degree in ning of the week when he her field, is studying for a master’s degree at and the Center’s assistant University of Delaware Center for Energy director, Dave Funk were and Environmental Policy. collecting aquatic insect She said she decided on this course samples in the Savannah because she wanted to play an active role in River along the Georgia- cleaning up the world’s fresh water South Carolina state line. resources. The federally funded work “I have been trying to do both [science is part of a long-running and advocacy] for several years, but found project to monitor the river that policy has become my preferred path up- and downstream of for addressing freshwater issues,” she says. the Savannah River Site, a She plans to finish her studies in June nuclear labratory. 2003 and then work as an advocate for a nonprofit conservation organization, proba- Photo by Dave Funk bly in Washington, D.C. “I love policy,” she said, adding that she has applied for a summer internship this year with a con- servation group. Meanwhile she remains on staff at Stroud part time, wrapping up several research projects that she hopes to com- plete by June.
Laurel Standley
UPSTREAM • SPRING 2002 9 Lab & Field Currents
LEAFPACK NETWORK New features
The Stroud Center’s Leafpack Network, which was launched two years ago in response to the increasing use of Leafpacks by school teachers and students as well as citizen conservation groups, has been upgraded and expanded. The Center’s education director, Jim McGonigle, reports: With funding from the William Penn Foundation, more teachers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have been trained to use Rare event Kay Dixon, who start- Leafpacks and participate in the network, a A few inches of database on the Stroud Center website snow briefly ed in August last year blanketed the as public relations and through which users in many different White Clay special events manager, Creek early in watersheds can share and compare informa- the year, mak- has since been appoint- tion. ing it the only ed associate develop- snowstorm of ment director with the winter by the time responsibility for annu- New features have been added to the net- “UpStream” work that allow users to call up Leafpack went to press in al giving. the first week data from any participating school or group of March. The Nancy Parsons began in August as a lack of precipi- and compare it with data from other stream tation this sea- research technician in microbiology. She or watershed sites. son is raising also heads the committee for the Stroud fears through- Center website, www.stroudcenter.org. out the East Coast. Water Links have been established to a macroin- rationing and vertebrate website guide where these tiny even more dras- Thy Truong, who hails from Australia, tic conservation started Jan. 14. She is doing post-doctoral aquatic bugs can be identified by comparing measures may work in the organic chemistry section. be in store this them to a series of pictures. The guide was summer if the developed by the Hudson Basin River dry spell contin- Tracy Wiegner started Jan. 3 as a post-doc- ues much Watershed organization and the New York longer. toral researcher for the two-year NSF-fund- ed project on carbon 13. (See Page 9). State Department of Conservation.
Jamianne “Jami” Harry began work on Feb. 1 as events and public relations manag- WEBSITES & LINKS er. Leafpack: www.stroudcenter.org Amanda Christian started work on Feb. 4 BUG GUIDE as a lab technician in the organic chemistry www.state.ny.us/website/dow/stream/index.htm section.
Elizabeth Gregg started Dec. 13 as a sys- tem network administrator.
10 UPSTREAM • SPRING 2002 Pledge your gift to fresh water
he “Friends of the Stroud Center” yearly newsletter, UpStream, which keeps was started in 1992 to support the you up to date with our latest research find- Tresearch and education programs at ings and notifies all “Friends” of upcoming the Stroud Water Research Center. The 750 events such as: households that make up the “Friends” now Stream Evenings raise over $250,000 annually. The funds Joan M. Stroud Memorial Lectures support research programs such as land-use UpStream Festival OUR MISSION management and the impact of reforestation You may also consult our website, on water quality, and education programs www. stroudcenter.org, for information about The mission of the Stroud such as watershed courses for middle scheduled events, educational programs and Water Research Center is: schools, summer internships for college stu- volunteer opportunities. to advance knowledge of dents, teacher scholarships and public out- stream and river ecosystems reach efforts. CONTACT through interdisciplinary Each contribution is fully tax-deductible. Kay Dixon research; No tote bags or free passes to dilute your Phone: 610-268-2153 x247 to develop and communi- gift. As a “Friend” you receive our twice- E-mail: [email protected] cate new ecological ideas; to provide solutions for water resource problems worldwide; and to promote public understanding of freshwater Friends of the Stroud Center Annual Fund ecology through education programs, conservation leader- I/we wish to participate in the “Friends of the Stroud Center” to meet the future environmental ship, and professional service. research and educational challenges of water. Enclosed is my/our fully tax-deductible gift to the “Friends of the Stroud Center” at the following level:
___$ 10+ Every drop counts! ___$ 500+ Streamkeepers ___$ 50+ Rainmakers ___$1000+ Riverwatchers ___$ 100+ Headwaters Sponsors ___$5000+ Watershed Protectors
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E-mail ...... Please make checks payable to the Stroud Water Research Center. A copy of the Stroud Water Research Center official registration may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, in Pennsylvania, (800) 732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
UPSTREAM • SPRING 2002 11 rreeaamm FFee SStt sstt pp 20022002 iivv UU aa ll
April 27, 2002 10 am – 4 pm
Rain or Shine $5 per car
W Wonderful Lives hir ore ligi d m gs, an Sti ers nkpots, Peep Read all about this fun event in the four-page pullout in this issue.
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID UpStream Kennett Square, PA NEWS FROM THE STROUD WATER RESEARCH CENTER Permit #49 TROUD SWATER RESEARCH CENTER 970 SPENCER ROAD AVONDALE, PA 19311 610.268.2153 FAX 610.268.0490
www.stroudcenter.org