Record Turnout for Adopt-A-Stream

by Janet Westervelt

We had 18 people turn out to assist with the Adopt-A-Stream monitoring at Peavine Creek on March 18th.  It was a cool but sunny Saturday morning.  Folks just kept showing up to help with chemical and biological testing.  I don't think our little sand bar could have held many more!  The biological sampling gives us a good idea of the water quality and habitat available for a wide variety of macroinvertibrates.  In the past, our site has rated as "poor or fair".  This time we got a "good" rating.  Sorting through all of the river bottom samples takes time.  Fortunately, many hands make light work!  We found a wide variety of "critters": everything from crayfish, mayfly, and damselfly nymphs to scuds, leeches and snails (just to name a few!).  We found organisms that are sensitive, as well as those that are tolerant to pollution.  That is really encouraging!

Afterwards, some of us replenished ourselves with food and spirits at Everybody's Pizza. All in all, it was a very successful day!

If you are interested in joining us, please contact Janet Westervelt (jwestervelt@mindspring.com or 770.965.2147) for more information.  We monitor Peavine Creek where it crosses Old Briarcliff Road near Emory University in DeKalb County.  Remember, no experience is necessary. The next monitoring dates are: June 24, 2000 (Chemical/Biological), July 22, 2000 (Chemical).

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Last updated: 22 May 00