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YELLOWSTONE RIVER WATCH (YRW)
Impact/Purpose:
The Yellowstone River flows freely through Montana for 670 miles. Along this expansive reach, the river encounters a diversity of land uses, and therefore diverse impacts to water quality: coal bed methane development, agriculture, mining, forestry, urban NPS. In addition to changes in land use along its length, the river also changes character drastically from a mountain headwaters stream in Yellowstone National Park to a foothills/prairie ecosystem in central and eastern Montana. Lack of information and the dearth of information sharing have inhibited our ability to comprehend the river as a continuum from headwaters to confluence with the Missouri River. By involving students, parents and teachers in the research and water quality monitoring process along the length of the Yellowstone and its tributaries, YRW connects communities to the waters that flow through them and assists in their understanding of the river as a dynamic system from its headwaters to its mouth. Through careful coordinated data collection, data management and sharing, and networking of water quality monitors along its length, Yellowstone River Watch has the ability to educate a future constituency of watershed stewards and provide water quality data for educators and agencies alike. By offering field experiences and data collection and analysis, Yellowstone River Watch is actively building a watershed-wise public who are connected to their river and their community.
Description:
Yellowstone River Watch seeks to expand its monitoring and education efforts throughout the Yellowstone River Basin by actively recruiting and training new teacher members. Yellowstone River Watch also seeks to advance existing school programs by offering quality assurance/quality control and monitoring study design workshops for teachers. As well, water quality data collected will undoubtedly assist state and local agencies and organizations in determining baseline conditions as well as trends in water quality as a result of increasing pressures on the River. Applications to the State's TMDL program and establishment of baseline conditions before CBM development continue to be priorities for Yellowstone River Watch. Consequently, a thoughtfully structured Yellowstone River Water program can be a model for large watershed-wide education and monitoring programs throughout the nation. The overall goal of this study are to support and expand existing school-based monitoring efforts within the Yellowstone River Basin. 1) Conduct introductory and advanced monitoring and QA/QC trainings. 2) Conduct an annual Yellowstone River Watch retreat and conference (September 2002) 3) Develop a Yellowstone River Watch Handbook and Quality Assurance Project Plan. 4) Development and disseminate information and outreach materials. 5) Continue development of the citizen monitoring database.
