As Stream Team assistants, we learn and promote the message that sediment, from excess erosion, is the most prevalent pollutant in Missouri streams. Therefore it came as a surprise to hear a National Park Service ecologist in Utah, where I was helping with a desert field ecology course (on my own time), lecture on the devastation caused by damming the Green River. According to the ecologist, the Flaming Gorge Dam has decimated what was once one of the most diverse mayfly, stonefly and caddisfly communities in the world by *reducing* sediment flows and *decreasing* summer water temperatures. Of course, later in the course we saw examples of livestock-caused erosion that was stifling a desert creek. I found these perspectives interesting and helpful in putting the stream health message in context - human-induced changes have completely altered the erosion picture in Missouri and elsewhere, but I'll be more careful not to over-simplify and paint erosion as all bad.
Earlier in June, about 60 kids from Windsor Elementary had a grand time exploring Rock Creek at Mastodon State Park, a beautiful, clear stream where they caught crawdads, turned over rocks to hunt for mayflies and generally explored stream life. That event kicked off 4 days of educational activities coordinated by Stacy Arnold and Darlene Haun, including introducing Cub Scouts - and their parents - to life in a 200 m spring-fed urban creek in Webster Groves (photo by Stacy Arnold) and bringing caddisflies, sculpins, planarians, scuds and other critters to Camp Rainbow, where children battling serious illness get to relax, enjoy and explore.
1 comment:
Wow! What a great story you guys. Wish I could have heard the desert stream ecology lecture, those are some very interesting & surprising statements about the decrease in sediment & water temperature affecting the natural communities. Good work!!!
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