Monthly Archives: June 2018

StreamSmart Volunteer Training and Site SignUp

It’s July and that means it is time to start organizing new volunteers to join our streamsmart volunteer monitoring. Each July we host our annual StreamSmart training for people who are interested in learning about stream monitoring and want to join a StreamSmart volunteer monitoring team.

StreamSmart is a volunteer water quality monitoring program run by Ozarks Water Watch to assess baseline water quality of the streams and rivers that flow into Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas. Through the program, local volunteers collect water samples and complete field assessments through a standardized water quality monitoring process.

StreamSmart volunteer training is a day-long program that will provide training for new and current volunteers who want to become part of the stream volunteer monitoring in the Beaver Lake Watershed of Northwest Arkansas. Training will begin at 9am and conclude at 3:30pm. The morning session will include classroom learning of the streamsmart volunteer monitoring protocol. Attendees will receive a training manual and a free lunch. In the afternoon, we will visit a nearby stream where attendees will get to practice their new skills. Attendees will leave the training as members of a new or existing StreamSmart team and will be prepared to work independently on a team to do volunteer water quality monitoring.

StreamSmart volunteers should be high school or older. Volunteers need to feel comfortable being outside in hot and cold weather, walking outdoors across uneven terrain, entering streams, walking and standing in streams teams, and following written procedures. Volunteer teams are normally comprised of 3-5 people, but some teams have as many as 10 people on the team who are trained to collect water samples and take field measurements. Teams with more members have a greater capacity to share monitoring responsibilities among team members.

Attendees will spend the morning in the classroom learning about monitoring procedures.  In the afternoon we will head out to a nearby stream to put our classroom learning into practice.  If you are interested in attending StreamSmart training, please register using the form below or visit the StreamSmart Volunteer Training Registration link here.

FREE LUNCH AND SNACKS WILL BE PROVIDED TO ALL ATTENDEES!

StreamSmart Registration Form

Please fill out the form for each individual planning to attend training

If you cannot attend training but are interested in signing up to monitor a site, please scroll to the bottom of this post to see the sites where we currently need volunteers.

 


StreamSmart Training Details:

This year, for the first time, our volunteer training will be in Washington County at the Don Tyson Center For Agricultural Sciences located at 1371 West Altheimer Drive, Fayetteville, AR!

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Check-in: 8:30am

Training Begins at 9:00am

Site team meetings at 12:00 noon

Field training begins at 1:00pm

Click Here to Register to attend the 2018 StreamSmart Training

 


Sign up to monitor a StreamSmart Site

Online signup forms are now available for volunteers to sign up for a site they want to monitor.  Click on the link below associated with the site you are interested in monitoring.  Please fill out a form for each site you are interested in monitoring.  If you are interested in more than 1 site, you will need to fill out a form for each site you are interested in.  Information collected from the forms linked below will be used to develop and coordinate a monitoring team for the respective site.

Sites needing volunteers:

  1. Site 200-Ward Slough
  2. Site 201-Middle Fork of the White River at Harris Bridge Road
  3. Site 210-Town Branch
  4. Site 301-War Eagle at Withrow Springs State Park
  5. Site 306-Prairie Creek
  6. Sites 307/308-Holman Creek Upstream of Huntsville/Downstream of Huntsville

 

StreamSmart Site Descriptions:

Each site needing volunteers is linked to its respective volunteer signup form, a google map of the site, and provides a photo of the site from ground level.

 

Ward Slough-Site 200: Volunteer Sign-Up

Ward Slough is located in Washington County behind Greenland City Hall off of hwy 71

Latitude/Longitude 35.997167, -94.173944

Ward Slough (Site 200)

 

Middle Fork of White River-Harris Bridge Road-Site 201: Volunteer Sign-up

Middle Fork of the White River is located about 8 miles southwest of Lake Sequoyah Park on hwy 51

Latitude, Longitude: 35.995833, -94.072889

Middle Fork of the White River at Harris Bridge Road (Site 201)

 

Town Branch-Site 210: Volunteer Sign-Up link

Town Branch is located in Fayetteville off of South Armstrong Road

Latitude/Longitude: 36.043167, -94.135861

Town Branch (Site 210)

 

War Eagle at Withrow Springs-Site 301: Volunteer Sign-up link

War Eagle at Withrow Springs-Site 301 is in Madison Co near Huntsville by the hwy 23 bridge at Withrow Springs State Park.  

Latitude/Longitude: 36.150000, -93.740139

War Eagle at Withrow Springs State Park (Site 301)

 

Prairie Creek-Site 306: Volunteer Sign-Up Link

Prairie Creek is located below Lake Atalanta Dam off Hwy 12 in Rogers.

Latitude/Longitude: 36.341222, -94.096528

Prairie Creek (site 306)

 

Holman Creek Upstream (Site 307) / Downstream (Site 308) of Huntsville

Holman Creek is located off of Hwy 412. The Upstream site is located on 412b about 1 mile south of 412. The downstream site is about a 5 minute drive from the upstream and is located on hwy 23 towards Withrow Springs.

Holman Creek Upstream of Huntsville (site 307) lat/long: 36.104417, -93.756750

Holman Creek Upstream of Huntsville (Site 307)

 Holman Creek Downstream of Huntsville (site 308) lat/long: 36.124444, -93.734222

Holman Creek Downstream of Huntsville (Site 308)