Just Around the River Bend
Welcome to the 26th Annual River Watch Forum!! It may look a little different this year, but we have created three activities to be completed over the course of three weeks:
March 8th – 12th: The first challenge to become available; Water Quality of the Red River! This will challenge you to match up sites with water quality data using any resource at your disposal.
March 15th- 19th: The second challenge to become available; Macroinvertebrate Identification! You will be tasked with identifying macros and determining water quality.
March 22nd-26th: The final challenge to become available; Sharing and Preparing! Look back on your time in River Watch and share some fun experiences with us, and let us know what you would like to see/do in the future.
There will be some extra information that will be released during these weeks, so stay tuned for more River Watch fun!
Challenge #1: Water Quality of the Red River
Show your knowledge of water quality data! Match up each site on the Red River with its respective data.
Challenge #2: Macroinvertebrates of the Red River Basin
Test your knowledge of macroinvertebrates by identifying a few and determining the water quality of a few streams!
Challenge #3: Sharing and Preparing
Look back on your time so far in River Watch and let us know what you hope to do and see in the future!
Challenge #1: Water Quality of the Red River
IWI monitoring staff gathered data from 14 sites, over 300 miles, within 6 hours, on September 22nd, 2020, and you get to review that data!
Scroll through the introduction story map to learn about water quality parameters and why they’re important. Then, open the water quality map and match up each site with its respective data. You may use any resources at your disposal!
Challenge #2: Macroinvertebrates of the Red River Basin
First, read through the Macroinvertebrate introduction story map to learn about why we sample macros and what their presence in streams tell us. At the bottom of the intro you will find a map of the Red River Basin. Click on each star to be taken to a virtual activity that includes indentifying macros and filling out a pollution tolerance sheet.
Be sure to complete the review for each location (star) to add to your overall final score!
Challenge #3:
Sharing and Preparing
Take a look back at your time in River Watch. Do you have a favorite memory? Something you’ve learned that has stuck with you? Share it with us! Let us know what you hope to see in your future with River Watch and what you’d like to do and be involved in this coming year.
-Submit a post (text and photos) to be shared on our social media pages. This post could be a fun memory, winning projects, history of the program, etc.
-Let us know what you hope to be a part of in River Watch for this coming year, and how you plan to accomplish these activities.
This last challenge will be included in the final submission, check out the space below to submit!
Forum Final Submission
AFTER you have submitted team responses for both Challenge 1 AND each sampling site in Challenge 2, you may complete the final submission form.
The final submission form includes:
– Challenge #1 Rationale
–Challenge #2 Rationale
-Social Media Challenge
-Preparing for 2021 Activities
If you need some inspiration to complete this year’s project, take a video break and watch the highlight video from River Watch in 2020!