The SHEP Experience

This past Sunday marked our final SHEP lab day. For a good three months we were either out in the field or back in the lab. Although it was a pretty big time commitment, it was something I was really happy to be a part of. Wading out into the middle of a meandering creek, sticking one's hands into the murky bottom and pulling from it a slimy rock covered with an assortment of odd and interesting looking creatures. What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday!

Organized by our group leader, we would meet in a designated parking lot, exchange friendly conversation and get suited up in our waders. Then, with sampling nets, clip boards, tape measures and sieve bucket in tow, we could be seen wandering off into the brush and disappearing from view.

Where we were heading, was to specially designated survey sites. Developed by Minnesota Waters with the collaboration of Friends of the Mississippi River, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Rice Creek Watershed District, the SHEP program has been monitoring the health of the Rice Creek Watershed. By looking at what bugs and other creepy-crawlies you can find, you get a snapshot as to how healthy your water is. This program was so successful last year, that academics, policy makers and environmentalists sought after not only the data collected, but the successful methods which the project implemented.

To begin with, we attended an initial all-day training. It is here that we were introduced to a background of macroinvertebrates, collection equipment, field methodology, and data collection. Next, we took a journey to a creek where we jumped in, and received hands-on training in macroinvertebrate collection and proper habitat assessment. Teams were then created and scheduling for field and lab work began.

Over the next few weeks the groups got together and sampled at designated sites. Our sampling sits were at Clearwater Creek and Above and Below Locke Lake. We would measure the volume of water, assess the habitat conditions and make small collections of such macroinvertebrates as midges, caddisflies, snails and leaches. Once we had completed our collection assignments we were trained in lab work and instructed on how to sort, identify, analyze and interpret our findings. Our data will be assessed and later published in January. After that, we will make the rounds of utilizing the data for stewardship of the Rice Creek Watershed at city council meetings and the like.

The data collected in 1996 could boast a 99.6 percent accuracy. Following such a success, hopefuly our data will build upon this important collection of information. From here, policy makers, citizens and concerned persons can use this information to help them determine what needs to be done. It helps in answering questions and posing new ones. Is our water healthy? What can we do to make improvements? Are we doing all we can do protect our natural resources? Could we be doing more?

Everyone had their own personal reasons for participating in the SHEP project. Some were scientists that missed being out in the field while others wanted to learn more and at the same time provide an important contribution to our community and environment. My drive was a collection of learning, being in the outdoors, working hard for something you believe in and sharing with other like-minded souls, who believe that the world under a rock is just as fascinating as the universe around us. Until next year I will certainly miss donning our funny-looking waders and walking off, into the meandering waterways.