Volunteers are needed to take part in an ongoing biological assessment of the Tankerhoosen River on Saturday, October 13th. No experience is necessary! Volunteers will meet at 8:45 a.m. at the Tolland Agricultural Center, 24 Hyde Avenue, Vernon for a training workshop. Teams will then complete the assessment at selected river sites during the remainder of the morning. Collections should be completed by 1 p.m. and refreshments will be provided. Volunteers should wear shoes that are appropriate for walking. Some waders will be available for work in the water, but if volunteers have waterproof footwear, they can bring them.
The event provides a unique opportunity for citizens to take an active role in assessing and protecting local rivers. Following a streamside assessment procedure developed for volunteer monitoring groups by the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP), volunteers will collect and examine the critters—insects, worms, mollusks and crustaceans—that live in the streambottom. These organisms, called benthicmacroinvertebrates, tell us a lot about the health of our rivers. Some are more tolerant of pollution than others, so the types and abundance found can indicate whether a stream is clean or polluted.
This is the tenth year that the biological assessments have been conducted. Data is turned over to the CT DEEP who analyzes the data and prepares annual reports of the results. Previous year data results have indicated excellent to good water quality in the upper reaches of the Tankerhoosen, but there is a general decline in quality in the middle and downstream sections of the River. Much of this decline is attributed to the impacts of stormwater runoff into the river as it runs through more developed areas.
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If you plan to come, contact Ann Letendre of the Friends of the Hockanum River Linear Park (860) 875-4623, or Joanna Winkler of the North Central Conservation District(860) 875-3881.
