The SplashBros team of five campers from last summer’s Youth Environmental Leadership Camp (YELC), mentored by Splash guide David Rosen, wanted to help a local creek for their environmental project! Some of the team members wanted to conduct a creek cleanup project and some team members wanted to sample aquatic invertebrates to assess the health of a nearby creek. So, they combined the two ideas into one project. They selected is Buffalo Creek, which is just south of the American River, east of Sunrise Blvd., and near the community of Gold River.
The campers had their first field day at the creek on Saturday, February 11. They conducted a bioassessment along a 0.15-mile stretch of the selected creek, near its confluence with the American River. The bioassessment consists of sampling aquatic invertebrates and classifying them by family, using an identification guide that Splash produced. The guide includes each invertebrate family’s tolerance to pollution levels. By comparing the pollution tolerances of each group of invertebrates collected, the campers can determine the overall health of the creek and the water quality.
The campers donned their wading boots and used nets to scoop up the aquatic critters and put them in pans. Then the critters were transferred to a smaller tray so they could be identified and counted. The group even had a microscope out in the field to closely examine the aquatic creatures and identify them.
The group also used specialized equipment to test certain water chemistry parameters, such as temperature, average depth at the sampling site, pH (acidity or alkalinity), dissolved oxygen, conductivity (measures dissolved salts and other inorganic chemicals), and turbidity (clarity). The campers even collected water samples that were tested for coliform bacteria in general, and for E. coli specifically!
The campers will have another field day on April 15 when they’ll conduct the same water chemistry tests, gather the same type of data, and scoop up more aquatic invertebrates to identify. They will then be able to compare their data from February 11 to the data they collect on April 15 to see if they notice seasonal changes in the water quality or the invertebrate life.
On Saturday March 11, the SplashBros will conduct a creek cleanup event along the stretch of creek where they collected their data. The cleanup event will enlist the assistance of family, friends, and a couple of other YELC project groups. The event will also incorporate information about stormwater quality and pollution prevention, and how we can do things differently right in our own neighborhoods to prevent pollution from entering our local creeks. The group will weigh the amount of trash collected to quantify their efforts!
Great job SplashBros! You’re wonderful young scientists and youth leaders and you’re benefiting your community and the environment! We’d like to thank the Sacramento County Department of Water Resources for their generous grant of $2,000 to help cover the cost of the equipment and materials used for this awesome youth-led environmental project!