Water Quality Training for Stream Team Members

The Missouri Stream Team group has announced the 2009 schedule for "Introductory Level Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring" workshop. This is an excellent opportunity for La Russell Stream Team members to learn more about streams, watersheds and their sensitivity to environmental factors. Here is the information for the Springfield and Mt. Vernon workshop locations.

Springfield:
Springfield Nature Center
4600 S. Chrisman
Register by: Wednesday, April 1
Workshop date: Friday, April 17, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Mt. Vernon:
MU Southwest Center Agricultural Experiment Station
14548 Highway H
Register by: Wednesday, April 1
Workshop date: Saturday, April 18, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m

There is no charge to attend, but you have to be registered in advance in order to participate. The Introduction to Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring is the entry level of monitoring. This 8-hour workshop includes training for watershed mapping, site selection, stream discharge, and biological monitoring (for stream macroinvertebrates). The primary emphasis is education about watersheds and biological monitoring. Although most of the workshop is conducted in a classroom, a midday field trip to a nearby stream provides a hands-on demonstration of how to conduct a visual survey and how to collect and identify macroinvertebrates. After the completion of this workshop you will be provided the equipment necessary to conduct the biological monitoring.

Click here to register online.
Click here to print off a registration form.

Planting Project for Stream Team # 2945

La Russell Stream Team #2945 has committed to plant more seedlings on the La Russell Access point this spring. In collaboration with the Missouri Department of Conservation's District Forrester, we will be planting 25 Witch Hazel trees in the most high erodible areas. The Witch Hazel was selected for it erosion control, food and cover for wildlife. Witch Hazel is a large shrub occurring in and along dry, rocky stream beds in southern and east central Missouri. We are expecting them late winter-early spring. Two years ago Stream Team #2945 was successful in planting 75 seedlings on the site. We could use help planting the new Witch Hazel seedlings.

1st high water event of 2009

Due to excessive precipitation on Wednesday-Thursday, February 11-12, 2009, the river experienced its first high water event of 2009. The water rose from 1.70' to a crest of 3.70' at 7:30 am., Thursday, February 12. [Last year (2008) we had already had four significant high water events by this point: 9.1' on January 9, 4.98' on February 6, 4.05'on February 11, 7.73' on February 17, and then followed by 6.92' on March 3.]