By Jenny Ramella
Students from Logos Christian Academy in Fallon gathered recently at the edge of the Carson River with water quality professionals for the 8th annual Snapshot Day at Ft. Churchill State Park.
Volunteers from the Bureau of Land Management, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the River Wranglers came out to the river on October 18 to give students, grades 5 through 8, a chance to gain hands on experience with the science of river ecosystems.
The goal of the event is to encourage participation in local water quality issues and to provide a community based approach to learning about the Carson River watershed. On Snapshot Day, participants collect data from multiple locations along the river to provide a “snapshot” of environmental conditions. Field tests are conducted and water samples are collected for lab analysis to measure nutrient, sediment and bacteria levels.
When asked how he felt about spending the day as a Snapshot day volunteer, student Austin Maxfield replied, “This is so cool!”
Academy students began Snapshot day by helping to tote various supplies from the staging area to the river bank, including testing kits, water collection tubes, coolers to keep the samples chilled and rubber boots for wading in the river’s icy waters. The day’s activities included a river walk with Ranger Deb Snyder of BLM, sample collection and experiments that taught students how to measure water temperature, oxygen content, pH levels and water clarity.
For more information about Snapshot Day, contact Mary Kay Wagner, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Quality Planning, 775-687-9454 or mkwagner@ndep.nv.gov.
Photo information: Logos Christian Academy students (left to right) Austin Maxfield, Shaw Lee, Helen Albaugh, Emily Payne, Wyatt Gusewelle and Kynja Woods listen to River Wrangler Linda Conlin as she explains how to measure the pH levels of river samples.
