Members

Hello River City Master Naturalists,

I could use one to three sets of extra hands for a watershed sampling class with 11 Upward Bound Math & Science high school students I am leading this summer. There are three sampling excursions in June, all on Fridays. You may help on one day or all three.

June 7, 8:30AM-noon, Carter Lake (near Eppley Airfield)
June 14, 1-5 PM, Heron Haven (118th & Old Maple Rd.)
June 21, 1-5 PM, Zorinsky Lake(156th & F)

You can provide your own transportation, or come to MCC Fort Omaha and squeeze into a van with our students. If you provide your own transportation, you can meet us at the venue (about half an hour after the listed start times above, maybe only 20-25 minutes for Carter Lake).
We will be in teams doing three-four things at each site, and I can do some training in advance if you're interested but feel you don't know enough.

1) We have a van Dorn water sampler for taking water samples at different depths, and we (will) have a surface sampler for reaching out to take samples near shore.
2) Processing water samples for measurement of seven parameters (alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, pH, phosphate, turbidity, and temperature). We're using simple citizen science kits, not precise lab instruments.
3) We have a remotely operated underwater drone (ROV) that the students will be using to get temperature readings at depth and for towing plankton nets. (You will NOT get to "fly" the ROV, we'll barely have enough time for the students.)
4) Dip netting (definitely at Heron Haven, maybe at Carter Lake, maybe at Zorinsky, depending on water level, time constraints, and number of adults present).

Master Naturalists would mainly be a guide, but can help with anything from tips on transferring water into labeled sample bottles, helping with the sample processing, helping attach and detach the plankton net to the ROV, to simply keeping the students on track or reassuring them by being an adult presence. Walking can be minimized, but chairs may not be available.

At Zorinsky, I am informed that I will be one of the van drivers, but that means I need someone to walk the ROV team out to the place where they can use the ROV to detect the thermocline while I drive the van on to the next drop off site. I will give precise instructions to any savior(s) who can help with this particular task.

Thank you all, this will be fun. It's always cool to open young minds to SCIENCE.

Judy Bouma