Would you like to know if the streams in your area are safe for fishing, swimming, and boating? Now is your chance! The Four Rivers Watershed Watch Project is seeking individuals interested in helping with stream quality surveys on streams, rivers, and lakes in your region. Four Rivers Watershed Watch encourages all individuals to know about their waterways, since the condition of our streams and rivers is an indicator of the health of our water and communities. This project provides citizens with the training necessary to scientifically explore and provide a snapshot of their own stream quality.

This dynamic and worthwhile program is beginning its twelfth year of promoting and educating good water quality management to communities in the Four Rivers Region, in the following counties:

Kentucky Counties: Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Logan, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, Simpson, Trigg, and Todd

Tennessee Counties: Montgomery and Robertson

The data collected in this study will be used to help develop plans to enhance the streams for fishing, swimming, wildlife habitat and drinking water supply. “The idea is to get people out into the real world to see first-hand the condition of their streams and lakes,”said Mike Kemp, Murray State University, who is Science Advisor to the project. “Delivering science to the people and people to the water’s edge is what this project does best,” Kemp said.

Volunteers for the project will be asked to attend two free training workshops. No previous skills are required to participate in the program. Participants will be trained in conducting biological and chemical tests on water quality and will help in collecting samples for laboratory analysis. “As a trainer, the most fun part of the training is showing folks the organisms living in their streams,” said Bobby Lee of the West Kentucky Community and Technical College Biology Department. “Volunteers determine their level of participation in Watershed Watch – the labs and coordinators do much of the work, but it is the volunteers that are necessary to sample a wide range of streams in our area. Without them, we have no program.”

Training includes two sessions, Phase I and Phase II. Phase I training sessions will include an introduction to the program, grab sampling techniques, and water chemistry techniques. Phase II training sessions will focus on how to conduct biology and habitat assessments. Volunteers are asked to attend one Phase I session, and one Phase II session. The following training sessions have been scheduled for those individuals interested in participating in water sampling:

Jeffers Bend Environmental Center and Botanical Garden, Hopkinsville,

Saturday, April 26, 9 a.m. to noon, Phase I training – Team and site selection, water chemistry training; 1-4pm: Phase II training – Habitat and bio-assessment training

Murray State University, Hancock Biological Station on Kentucky Lake

Saturday, June 21, 9 a.m. to noon, Phase I training – Team and site selection, water chemistry training; 1-4 p.m.: Phase II training – Habitat and bio-assessment training

Volunteers will begin with their visual survey and a herbicide and E. coli sampling event in May, an E .coli sampling event in July, and a nutrient sampling event in September. The results will be turned back over to the volunteers and discussed at the Four Rivers Watershed Watch Annual Meeting and Workshop in November. Federal, state, and local agencies as well as the public will be invited to attend the conference to discuss the project’s findings with the volunteers.

Those interested in participating in the project can contact Maggie Morgan, at (270) 559-4422 or register on-line at the project web page:http://4rww.jpf.org

A mailing address, telephone number, and email address will need to be provided at the time of registration.

There is no charge for participating. All materials required for the study will be provided to volunteers Call us, visit the web page or E-mail the project at maggie.morgan@jpf.org with any questions.

Four Rivers Watershed Watch Sponsors

Jackson Purchase RC&D Foundation

Four Rivers Basin Team

Murray State University

West Kentucky Community and Technical College Biology Department

Hopkinsville Community College Biology Department

Hancock Biological Station, Murray State University

Mid-America Remote Sensing Center, Murray State University

City of Murray

Purchase Area Certified Hazardous Materials Managers

United States Enrichment Corporation

Sekisui Specialty Chemicals

Virginia Environmental Endowment

State Sponsors:

Kentucky Division of Water, Watershed Management Program

Kentucky Water Watch Program