Copeland Forest Friends are beginning a new initiative this summer to monitor watershed health using a citizen science approach. We have room for a few volunteers who will be assigned a permanent site along a stream in Copeland Forest to monitor. No experience is necessary and you will be provided with all the training and equipment required to conduct water tests.
Why it matters
The Copeland Forest is the headwaters for three major rivers/watersheds: The Coldwater, Sturgeon, and Willow.
Headwaters are like the foundation of a building, and if they are compromised, so is the entire watershed. If the headwater stream stays cold year-round, it is of primary importance because it provides the larger, lower portions of the river with a steady base flow of clean water. In turn, they are fed from groundwater originating from glacial formations such as moraines and drumlins.
Some of the sources in Copeland Forest are as clean as water can get, and it is important to monitor them to ensure they stay that way. This data can also be used to provide a comparison to the water downstream.
Volunteers test for eight water quality “parameters” right on-site. The tests include Depth, Temperature, Turbidity, pH, Phosphates, Nitrates, Dissolved Oxygen, and Alkalinity. Other tests, such as Chlorides, will be added if deemed necessary.
For a complete volunteer job description, click here.
To sign up, contact Pat Woodford at strix.woodfordii@sympatico.ca or call (705) 835-0002. Next training session is this Sunday July 17th from 9:30 to 5 pm.