Four students, a professor, and a staff member joined hundreds of volunteers across Delaware County in early October to collect water samples from local creeks as part of an environmental impact study organized by the Stroud Water Research Center.
The Stroud Center hosted a community science stream monitoring event from October 1-15 to better understand salt pollution levels in streams. The fall Salt Snapshot testing invited community members to get involved by taking samples of local creeks. A second testing event in February will help improve understanding of the lasting impacts of road salt on local stream health.
“The activity on Saturday was a great opportunity to connect with others and engage in something meaningful outside of the classroom,” said Amani McKenzie, a senior accounting major and president of Neumann Nature Covenant. “I really enjoyed the teamwork and positive atmosphere. It was both relaxing and energizing to participate."
The students devoted Saturday, October 11, to the project, collecting water samples from the creek behind Clare House on Legion Road and Chester Creek along Mount Alverno Road.
“The event was relevant to NU's RISES values, especially stewardship and service, as well as care for creation,” explained Dr. Etsuko Hoshino-Browne, co-chair of the university’s Sustainability Council, who organized Neumann’s participation. “Students should not only learn about the climate crisis and sustainability in the classroom but also engage in meaningful action.”
Hoshino-Browne learned about the Salt Snapshot project through Julie Prey, director of the Franciscan Spiritual Center, who connected the professor to the Delaware County Sustainability Office. Prey accompanied the Neumann contingent and explained how losing tree canopies affects the ecosystem of the forest behind Clare House and how invasive plants are spreading and killing native plants.
As of October 16, according to the Stroud Center’s David Bressler, “We currently have received data from over 600 sites. There were over 700 volunteers expected to be involved in the snapshot from over 80 organizations/groups/teams - volunteers organizing sampling efforts, collecting samples, doing measurements, entering data, etc.”
In addition to McKenzie and Hoshino-Browne, three sophomores – Keonie Graham, Christina Jorgensen, and Scott Matheus – participated as did Susan Pegan, director of Student Success and supervisor of Neumann Nature Covenant.