the science training and research skills program (stars) · the science training and research...

The Science Training and reSearch SkillS Program

(STarS)

Joy M. Ramstack, Toben Lafrancois and Jill Coleman WasikSt. Croix Watershed Research Station

16901 152nd Street NMarine on St. Croix, MN 55047

December 2010

Final Report to: Julie Galonska

National Park ServiceSt. Croix National Scenic Riverway

401 North Hamilton StreetSt. Croix Falls, WI 54024

National Park Service/Youth Partnership ProgramTask Agreement No: J6590100031

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2010STARS Final ReportIntroductIon

Persistent problems with science and outdoor education are gaining national attention. First, highlighting an overall lack of science education in the United States, a recent report to Congress by former Lockheed Martin chief Norman Augustine stated that poor science education impairs the U.S. economy [Vergano, D. USA Today. 24 Sept 2010]. Second, there are racial and gender imbalances in the sciences. A survey of Fortune 1000 companies found that women, African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields and that the results could hurt the nation as a whole [J. Coyden Palmer. Science, Education, and Society. 2 Oct 2008]. Finally, participation in outdoor activities is decreasing. In his 2008 book Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv states that the “rapid disengagement between children and direct experiences in nature… has profound implications, not only for the health of future generations but for the health of the earth itself.”

These problems impact National Parks on many levels. Of particular concern are dwindling numbers of people exposed to natural wonders (and thus less likely to want to protect them) as well as fewer trained scientists working to understand the natural world. The National Park Service recognizes the importance of this problem in the 2008 Director’s report. This document sets out the goal of “reaching out to the next generation to engage their intellect … to inspire their leadership in caring for the environment” [Van Tatenhove, J. 2009. Students to the rescue of freshwater mussels at St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Park Science 26(2)].

The Science Training and Research Skills program (STARS) was designed to address these problems in science and outdoor education. STARS is a partnership between the St. Croix Watershed Research station (SCWRS) of the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) and the National Park Service at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN). The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MISS) and the Mississippi River Fund were also partners; this broadened the scope of the program and introduced students to both local park units. The mission of the STARS program is to engage students in scientific research, including both field and laboratory settings. During this pilot year of the program (spring and summer of 2010) this was accomplished through two levels of programming, one geared toward high school students and the other toward college undergraduates.

The programming for high school students consisted of classroom visits during the school year, and short programs held at the SCWRS during the summer. This year, classroom visits to Stillwater High School reached over 180 students, exposing them to research being conducted on the St. Croix River and to careers in environmental science. The three-day short programs at the SCWRS were designed to be an immersive experience with classroom, field, and laboratory components; the primary objectives were to have the students design and execute a basic water quality study, and to increase their knowledge of the key ecological issues on the St. Croix River.

Summer internship positions for two college undergraduates were offered at the SCWRS; each student was paired with a research mentor working in SACN. The objective of the internship program was to provide students with experience conducting an independent research project. The students presented the results of their research at the end of the eight-week program at a

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2010STARS Final Reportlocal symposium. In addition to their research, the students participated in weekly seminars at the SCWRS; these seminars, led by the STARS coordinators, offered in-depth discussions on the process of performing and communicating science as well as career-building topics. HIgH ScHool VISItS

High school classroom visits were conducted as part of the STARS program in order to reach a large number of young adults interested in the sciences. The primary objective was to avoid a standard ‘visiting speaker’ pattern and focus on integrating hands-on science experience into classroom activities (particularly science labs). In this way, STARS staff made current research part of student learning about science while increasing awareness of the National Park and issues surrounding its management. A secondary goal was to introduce the short programs (described below) to a large audience.

During the 2010 pilot year of STARS, efforts focused on Stillwater High School. Andy Weaver, a biology teacher at Stillwater High, invited us to participate in his field biology and advanced placement biology courses. Two sections of the field biology course were visited by one of the STARS coordinators, who worked with the classes on study design. Concrete examples of research on the St. Croix were introduced to the students and design of these projects was discussed; this was followed by a period of assisting students with designing their own field science studies that were part of their course projects. Later in the semester, all three STARS coordinators visited two sections of the AP biology course and discussed careers in science and the kinds of jobs scientists do along the St. Croix riverway and surrounding areas. All four classes combined to a total of 125 students reached; in addition to the 125 students that were

reached in person, students in other classes heard about the classroom visits and e-mailed the STARS coordinators for advice on study design.

Students responded very positively to the classroom visits. They particularly enjoyed learning about the St. Croix, seeing the nuts and bolts of real scientific fieldwork designs, getting help with their own study designs, and learning about how to pursue a career in science (many of them were

about to graduate and had longer term goals in mind). STARS classroom visits in 2010 were limited to Stillwater High School for strategic reasons, particularly the time it takes to develop working relationships with very busy high school teachers. A limiting factor is the number of teachers like Andy Weaver who have dynamic, robust science programs that STARS fits in with so smoothly. As the pilot year progressed, however, several teachers in the Minneapolis/St. Paul

STARS coordinator Jill Coleman Wasik describes a laboratory experiment during one of the high school short programs

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2010STARS Final Reportmetro area and in Taylors Falls expressed interest in helping STARS expand the high school visits to their classrooms.

SHort ProgramS for HIgH ScHool StudentS

The mission of the STARS high school programs was to incorporate young people in scientific research in both field and laboratory settings, with an emphasis on recruiting students from traditionally underrepresented groups. STARS participants both learned from and contributed to cutting edge science and resource management on the St. Croix River and its watershed. The three-day immersive program at the SCWRS was run twice during the summer of 2010; a third one-day program was run which allowed a group to revisit the SCWRS and spend more time doing work out on the river. The high school short programs reached over 20 students; during each of these programs the students participated in the following activities:

• Classroom-based discussion sessions on the key ecological issues facing the St. Croix River.• Guided canoe trips on the St. Croix River to collect samples for water quality analysis.• Conducting water quality analyses such as pH, alkalinity, total suspended solids, in an actual

research laboratory.• Collection and identification of macroinvertebrates, with lessons and discussions on how these

organisms can be used to indicate the health of an aquatic ecosystem.• Exercise looking at fossil diatoms from lake sediment cores and a lesson on how scientists learn

about past water quality.• Synthesis of field and lab results; determination of what the students’ sampling and analyses tell

us about the condition of the St. Croix River and tributaries.

The first 3-day program was run exclusively for a group of students from the Kitty Anderson Youth Science Center (KAYSC) at the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM). The mission of KAYSC is to engage youth from communities traditionally underrepresented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields in educational and professional opportunities, “thereby empowering them to pursue their potential, experienced in the world of science, committed to serving the community, and grounded in their awareness of young people’s ability to impact our institutions and communities.” Currently, KAYSC participants reflect over 60% in each demographic: girls, youth of color, and youth from low-income backgrounds; the program began in 1991 and has an average of 100 youth participants each year (http://www.smm.org/kaysc/).

Robby Callahan Schreiber of the KAYSC brought his group of students to the first STARS short program; this program was extremely successful and introduced a group of students to SACN

Students from the KAYSC enjoy a paddle along the St. Croix

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2010STARS Final Reportwho may not have otherwise had the opportunity to visit the park. These eleven students from the Minneapolis-St. Paul urban area were from traditionally underrepresented groups; these students are often in need of experiences such as STARS to foster their academic success.

The second 3-day program was open to all qualified high school students; 5 students from local high schools attended this program. A grade school science teacher in the Teacher-Ranger-Teacher program also attended. Recruitment was primarily through visits to Andy Weaver’s science classes at Stillwater High School. To be accepted to this program, students filled out an application form detailing their interest in the natural sciences, number of science classes already taken, and reasons for wanting to participate in the STARS program. STARS set out to find the most dedicated and passionate students who could benefit the most from this type of program, and all of the applicants fit these criteria. Ultimately, no applicants were rejected because the program filled with exactly the desired number of students. The participants in this second program reported that it really opened their eyes to possible careers in science and issues facing the St. Croix. In particular, many found that hands-on learning in the field and lab brought to life concepts they had heard in class but not fully appreciated.

The third program consisted of a one day canoe trip for the KAYSC group. Initially it was planned that the enrollment in this third program would be open to all interested participants; however, the timing of this program interfered with school sports programs and logistically it worked best to bring the KAYSC group back. Many of the KAYSC group had not canoed before and the first short program was their first time on the St. Croix. Taking an entire day to paddle down the river was the perfect opportunity to review all of the water quality science they had worked on earlier while also giving them a deeper outdoors experience on the St. Croix. The group paddled from the Osceola landing down to the SCWRS. Along the way, water quality parameters were measured with a sonde. The original idea was to compare the St. Croix waters in the main channel, backwaters, and near springs/tributaries. The water was very high due to recent storms, however, which opened another dimension to the mini-study. Participants came up with water quality questions related to the recent high water events, used the sonde to collect data and test their ideas, and discussed with staff the broader ecological connections. This turned out to be a perfect capstone to their earlier work in the program as well as a beautiful and fun day on the river.

STARS interns Vinai Vang and Aaron DeRusha assist high school students sampling along a tributary to the St. Croix.

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2010STARS Final ReportIn addition to the benefits to the STARS participants, SACN benefited from the data collected by the high school students. The water quality data collected by the STARS participants formed the beginning of a database that will be added to each year and available to the park; the sampling sites represent stretches of the river and backwaters that are not currently covered under other monitoring programs. Water quality data collected by this and future STARS groups will be integrated into the NPS inventory and monitoring network and generally available to all interested managers and scientists. The STARS high school programs also created learning opportunities for older students. STARS college interns assisted the STARS coordinators in running the high school programs, providing them with the opportunity to teach high school students what they were learning. In addition, another intern at the SCWRS compiled the STARS water quality data and had the opportunity to present the results at the St. Croix River Research Rendezvous, a local conference attended by SACN staff and other researchers and managers working in the watershed.

Short Program Evaluation

Participants filled out formative and summative evaluation forms at the beginning and end of each three-day program. Evaluations gauged pre- versus post-program knowledge, student likes and dislikes, and suggestions for improvement. Students were asked to respond to identical sets of questions about their perceived ability to explain several higher order scientific processes at the beginning and end of their program. Perceived abilities improved between 15 and 40% for all questions.General comments on program evaluations were overwhelmingly positive. The majority of students listed their favorite experiences as canoeing, collecting macroinvertebrates, finding out test results, and doing lab work. When asked for suggestions to improve the program, many of the students said that they wished the program was longer. Quotes from the student evaluations included:

• “This is definitely what I want to do with my life.”• “I am interested in environmental sciences and water quality. It is something I could see myself

doing in the future.”• “It was just the right amount of students to give everyone an opportunity to get involved. The lab

day was kind of intense, but I learned a lot and I really enjoyed it.”• “I would like to do it again because it was fun but I still learned a lot.”

The STARS high school programs were written up by Mary Divine in the St. Paul Pioneer Press; the article, “Program turns bug-phobic teen into aspiring biologist: Hands-on approach engages students” ran on July 12, 2010 (Appendix A). One of the quotes from the article referred to a STARS participant from the KAYSC: “Before attending the STARS program, Jatoya said she had little interest in science. Now, she can envision a career as a biologist. ‘I was scared at first, but actually it turned out to be kind of fun,’ said Jatoya, who wore waders as she slogged through wetlands near the research station last month. ‘I used to hate science, but now, doing all this stuff, I want to be a biology major.’”

STARS coordinators will continue to work with high school teachers and Robby Callahan

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2010STARS Final ReportSchreiber at the KAYSC/SMM to track students after their participation in the STARS program to measure success in college, graduate degrees, and career choices to further evaluate how STARS impacted their school and career paths.

college InternSHIPS

The internship component of STARS was designed to provide two college students with experience conducting an independent research project. The internship program ran eight weeks, from early June through the end of July, with the interns presenting the results of their research at a special symposium in mid-August.

Announcements were sent out regionally to recruit college interns; an informational flyer was prepared and distributed to our colleagues at regional colleges, universities, and non-profit organizations. The internship openings were also posted on the Science Museum of Minnesota’s website; all students applied on-line at this site. Thirteen highly qualified applications were received; STARS coordinators continued to receive inquiries after the internships were filled.

Applications were ranked based on a pre-determined set of criteria; applicants who ranked the highest were enrolled in a college degree program with an appropriate major, had completed at least introductory coursework in biology/geology/environmental science, communicated a strong desire to participate in the program, were available for the entire duration of the program, and hadn’t yet had the opportunity to conduct independent research. The top applicants were interviewed and references were checked. After interviewing, two students were selected to participate in the program: Vinai Vang from Gustavus Adolphus College and Aaron DeRusha from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. One of the STARS coordinators, who has active research projects in SACN, served as the research mentor for the two interns. Both students conducted independent, but guided, research on backwater environments of the St. Croix River. One project focused on aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity and functional groups in lower St. Croix backwaters; this work supplements ongoing interest in these systems by SACN managers. The second project compared main channel and backwater zooplankton communities; this work directly enhances an ongoing study of zooplankton populations in Lake St. Croix funded by the Water Resources Division.

Aaron DeRusha sampling on the St. Croix

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2010STARS Final ReportThroughout the course of the internship the students spent one day per week in a seminar led by the STARS coordinators. Seminars were also attended by two interns working in MISS (funding for the MISS interns was provided by the Mississippi River Fund), and two interns involved in other projects at the SCWRS (for a total of six students participating); this heightened student’s awareness of both park units and created more of a cohort experience for the interns.

The goal of the seminars was to offer in-depth discussions on the process of science, such as collecting and analyzing data, and presenting results, as well as discussions on career building. These weekly meetings also provided the students with an opportunity to discuss their progress and ask questions, and allowed the STARS coordinators to monitor each student’s progress and ensure that their projects were on track. The seminars fostered a sense of group unity, shared experience, and prepared participants for both graduate school research groups and professional working groups. Seminars included:

• Discussion of current research in SACN and MISS and the major ecological issues facing these parks.

• Readings and discussions on how to design and conduct a scientific experiment. • Reading and discussing scientific research papers. STARS coordinators led these discussions in

the early weeks and then turned that responsibility over to the students.• Manipulating and analyzing data in spreadsheets.• An introduction to computer software (the freeware R) widely used for statistical analysis.• Learning how to present data in tables and figures. • Learning how to present the results of their work in poster and oral formats; students gave

numerous practice presentations to the group. • Writing and critiquing resumes and cover letters.• STARS coordinators assembled a career panel of colleagues from various sectors (federal

agencies (including NPS), state agencies, consulting firms, high schools, and universities); students spent a morning with the panel getting advice and asking questions about various career paths.

• Current graduate students from the University of Minnesota met with the students to answer questions about applying to and attending graduate programs.

The interns presented the results of their research at a special session of the Mississippi River Forum, along with the interns who worked in MISS. The symposium was held at the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis in mid-August and attended by local scientists and managers, including staff from both SACN and MISS. Each student gave a short (five to seven minute) oral presentation of their work, which was followed by a poster session where each of the interns got a chance to further explain their projects and answer questions. Intern posters and power point presentations are available by request from the STARS coordinators, and are available to download at: http://www.nps.gov/miss/naturescience/rf0810.htm. These posters were also on display at the St. Croix River Research Rendezvous, held at Warner Nature Center in October of 2010.

During the fall of 2010, Aaron DeRusha had the opportunity to write a final research paper of his work for credit at his home institution (Appendix B). Vinai Vang’s work on zooplankton is planned be part of a manuscript submitted for publication in a scientific journal in conjunction with one of the STARS coordinators.

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2010STARS Final Report

Internship Evaluation

The interns from SACN and MISS filled out anonymous evaluations at the end of the program; feedback from all students was overwhelmingly positive. When asked how the program could be improved, many of the interns said that they would recommend lengthening the program to 10-12 weeks. Quotes from student evaluations included:

• “The hands on experience was awesome. It provided a better learning experience than a classroom. I not only got to do things hands on but also got to meet people in a variety of career field to help me narrow or choose a path.”

• “I received guidance and support but was also encouraged to work independently. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy the independence, but I really liked it and I think it gave me more confidence in myself.”

• “I really enjoyed being able to be involved with an actual, significant research project as an undergraduate. The opportunity to meet and work with professionals in my field was also quite exciting.”

• “I honestly still can’t believe I got paid to essentially take and class and do my own research. I think this is a great program and opportunity. Thanks for a great summer.”

STARS coordinators have been staying in touch with the interns via e-mail and will continue to do so. This will allow the coordinators to further evaluate the intern’s future choices and successes in graduate school and career paths.

SummarY

The STARS program directly addressed growing concerns with science and outdoor education, as well as NPS goals. STARS fostered a hands-on science education and outdoor experience in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Exposure to the beauty and wonder of the river, coupled with hands-on work in the field and the laboratory brought environmental science alive for these students. Participants at all levels had the opportunity to interact with scientists who have active research projects in SACN and to work in research-grade laboratories side by side with staff

Vinai Vang presenting the results of his work at the Mississippi River Forum

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2010STARS Final Reportscientists. In addition, STARS participants generated scientifically valuable information, for the high school groups this was in the form of contributing to a long-term monitoring database, for the interns it was generating baseline ecological data on the river backwaters. This enhanced the experience for all participants as they realized they were directly contributing to cutting edge science.

There was also integration between the two levels of STARS students. The college interns were able to assist the STARS coordinators in running the high school programs, providing them with the opportunity to teach younger students what they were learning. In addition, another intern at the SCWRS compiled the STARS water quality data and had the opportunity to present the results at a local conference attended by SACN staff.

STARS also proved successful at addressing the racial imbalance in SACN visitors. Collaboration with the KAYSC at the SMM brought in a group of ten students from the Minneapolis-St. Paul urban area for participation in STARS; these students from traditionally underrepresented groups are often in need of experiences such as STARS to foster their academic success.

STARS provided a way for SACN to work with partners to continue to develop and deliver programs for students of high school and college age. STARS also addressed several of the strategic science goals of the NPS; it promoted science literacy and it engaged the broader scientific community to promote the use of parks for science.

acKnoWledgmentS

Thanks to everyone who assisted with and supported the STARS program during this pilot year. Thanks to Chris Stein, Julie Galonska, Byron Karns, and the staff at SACN; David VanderMeulen, Michelle Prosser, and Brenda Moraska Lafrancois at NPS; Paul Labovitz, Lark Weller, Steve Johnson, Gordon Dietzman, and the staff at MISS; Katie Nyberg and Anna Waugh at the Mississippi River Fund; Robby Callahan Schreiber at SMM; Ron Lawrenz at Warner Nature Center; Andy Weaver at Stillwater High School; Jerald Dotsch at Macalester College. Thanks to Dan Engstrom, Sharon Mallman, and the staff at SCWRS for support of the program. And thanks to Alaina Fedie (SCWRS), Gordan Dietzman (NPS), and the STARS interns for photos.


A1

Appendix A. St. Paul Pioneer Press article by Mary Divine which ran on July 12, 2010.


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Appendix B. Aaron DeRusha’s final research paper, written for credit at his home institution during the fall of 2010.

MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES OF THE SIDE

CHANNELS, BACKWATERS, AND RICE LAKE OF THE ST.

CROIX RIVER

Aaron DeRusha1, Vinai Vang2, Toben LaFrancois3

1. Watershed Management Student, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, 2010 STARS Intern, SCWRS

2. Geography and Environmental Studies Student, Gustavus Adolphus College, 2010 STARS Intern, SCWRS

3. St. Croix Watershed Research Station. 16910 152nd Street North, Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047


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Abstract

This project was part of the Science Training And Research Skills (STARS) program at St.

Croix Watershed Research Station (SCWRS) and was funded by the National Park Service (NPS).

This project aims to help assess macroinvertebrate communities in the backwaters and side

channels of the St. Croix River and provide preliminary work for future NPS projects. A total of

ten sites were selected for this study in four separate habitats. The backwater, side channel,

and Rice Lake habitats all had three sampling sites to give the most comprehensive view of all

subhabitats in the area, while the stagnant backwater habitat was very small, allowing only one

sample to be taken. The samples were taken from 6/30/10 to 7/6/10 under stable weather

conditions. The main channel was not sampled due to the high water in July and its

overwhelming number of subhabitats. Each site was sampled using two people with 500 micron

D frame dip nets for 10 minutes in a 10 square meter area. The samples were bottled in 95%

alcohol and sorted to taxonomic family under a dissecting microscope. Water quality readings

were also taken at each habitat with a YSI handheld sonde 1.0 meter (m) under the surface.

This project found that all habitats sampled were dominated by macroinvertebrates in the

collector/gatherer feeding group. Rice Lake had the most macroinvertebrates, but also the

highest variance. Rice Lake had the highest percent Ephemperoptera, Plecoptera, and

Trichoptera (EPT) orders compared to other taxonomic orders, indicating a high habitat quality

compared to other sites. Diversity was highest in the stagnant backwater, but almost all the

other habitats had a variance that could easily put them above the stagnant backwater site.


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Macroinvertebrates are known to be an essential component of any aquatic ecosystem.

They are the main source of food for many species of fish and help break down detritus that

settles out of water bodies (Wallace, J.B. and J.R. Webster, 1996). Some families of

macroinvertebrates, such as Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera, are also good

indicators of water quality (Bouchard, R.W., 2004). Even though we understand these functions

are important to the well being of an aquatic ecosystem, relatively little is known about the

composition of these communities in the backwaters, side channels, and Rice Lake of the St.

Croix River near Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota. Several projects had been started to assess

these communities, but few were ever completed. An earlier project on the upper St. Croix near

St. Croix State Park found that habitats with intermediate flow seemed to support a high

diversity of organisms, especially ones requiring a high water quality to survive (DeGuire, C.A.

et. al 2009). This project aims to provide preliminary research for future National Park Service

projects by assessing the composition of macroinvertebrate communities near Marine on St.

Croix, MN in the backwaters, side channels, and Rice Lake, and compare them to water quality

readings taken at those sites. Samples were taken from 6/30/10 to 7/6/10.

Methods

Each habitat (backwater, side channel, etc.) was sampled in three areas to give the most

comprehensive view of all subhabitats present in the area (weed beds, sand bars, etc.), except

the stagnant backwater which was only sampled once due to its very small size. The backwater

was sampled on 6/30/10, the side channel and stagnant backwater were sampled on 7/2/10,


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and Rice Lake was sampled on 7/6/10. The samples were taken around 1:00 PM each day

during a period of fair weather during which no precipitation fell and river flow and depth were

relatively constant. The sites were marked by GPS (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Map of habitats and sample sites on the St. Croix River near Marine on St. Croix, Washington

County, Minnesota.

Each site was sampled by two people using 0.3m x 0.18m D frame 500 micron mesh dip

nets for 10 minutes in a 10 square meter area. The nets were worked vigorously through weeds

and substrate, as well as under the banks to capture any organisms present. As the nets were

filled they were periodically dumped into a 5 gallon bucket with water to rinse the net. Once

the area had been sampled and all organisms were in the bucket two filters with mesh sizes less

than 500 microns were used to drain excess water from the organisms and organic

matter/substrate that had been collected. The organisms and other debris were then put in

bottles and whirl packs with 95% alcohol and sorted to taxonomic order in a sorting pan at the

lab. Each order was placed in its own jar with 95% alcohol. The orders were then sorted with a


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Leica MZ8 dissecting microscope with 16x/14B eyepieces and a 1.0X Planapo objective lens to

taxonomic family (Bouchard, Jr. R.W., 2004). The feeding functional groups for each family were

then determined from the identification manual (Bouchard, 2004).

Water quality readings for temperature, specific conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and

percent dissolved oxygen using a YSI 6820 multiprobe handheld sonde. The readings were

taken 1.0m under the surface of the water in the most integrated point of the sample area.

During sampling, the sonde was kept away from macrophytes in order to prevent skewed

dissolved oxygen readings from the oxygen producing plants. Flow readings were taken by

placing a neutrally buoyant flask 1.0m under the surface and recording the time it took to travel

2.0m.

Results and Discussion

Sample sites were aggregated into average values for their respective habitats. This

project found all habitats were dominated by collector gatherer feeding groups. Scrapers were

the next most abundant group. Predators were relatively constant throughout the habitats. All

other groups present occurred in very small amounts, usually less than 1% of the total amount

of organisms in the sample (Fig. 2)


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Figure 2. Average percent functional group found per habitat.

The stagnant backwater had the highest diversity, perhaps because of the relative

stability of a closed backwater compared to other river sites. The stagnant backwater floods

only in the spring and during rare high water events. This allows organisms to establish stable

communities in the backwater. However, other sites had a variability that goes well above the

stagnant backwater diversity. Rice Lake had one sample site that was extremely high in

diversity, but was undercut by relatively low diversity in other sample sites, resulting in a high

variance (Fig. 3). The side channel also had a high variance, most likely due to the large number

of subhabitats resulting from the high water in July.

Figure 3. Mean diversity per habitat based on number of taxonomic families observed.

0.00%10.00%20.00%30.00%40.00%50.00%60.00%70.00%80.00%90.00%

100.00%

Back Side Stag Back Rice Lake

Mean Percent Functional Groups

Collector/GathererScraperPredatorFiltererShredderParasite

05

10152025


Mean Diversity

Number ofFamilies


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Rice Lake had the highest mean abundance, most likely due to the inflow of nutrients to

provide food for macroinvertebrates, as well as the stability of a lake style ecosystem. Some

subhabitats in Rice Lake had extremely high numbers of organisms, while others had moderate

numbers of organisms, allowing for a high deviation between sample sites. All other habitats

were close to one another in terms of numbers of organisms observed (Fig. 4).

Figure 4. Total number of macroinvertebrates observed per habitat.

Rice Lake had the highest ratio of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT)

orders to non EPT orders by far, which may again be due to the flow and relatively stable

ecosystem of a lake. The presence of these orders indicates a high quality habitat for the

organisms as well as the potential for high water quality. One sample site in Rice Lake had an

extreme amount of EPT orders, primarily Ephemeroptera (Fig. 5).

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600


Mean Abundance

Abundance


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Figure 5. Mean percent Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera orders compared to all other orders

observed for each habitat.

The flow readings taken show the backwater and stagnant backwater had no observable

flow, which was to be expected. The flow of the side channel was estimated at 0.088m/s and

the flow of Rice Lake was estimated at 0.053m/s. This means in the context of this study the

side channel is a high flow habitat, Rice Lake is an intermediate flow habitat, and the two

backwaters are no flow habitats (Table 1).

Table 1. Flow estimates taken by placing a neutrally buoyant flask 1.0m under the surface and recording

the time it took to travel 2.0m.

Flow Estimate m/s T1 T2 T3 MeanSide 0.100 0.077 0.087 0.088 Back 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 Stag Back 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 Rice Lake 0.050 0.040 0.070 0.053

Rice Lake was the warmest habitat which was surprising because the backwater has no

flow, which should allow the sun to heat the water without cool water coming in. However, the

backwater is partially shaded, and there is the probability of springs introducing cool water

under the surface. Conductivity was highest in the backwater, which provides evidence that

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%


Percent EPT

Percent EPT


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there are springs feeding water high in minerals into the backwater. PH was highest in the

backwater which is likely due to the macrophytes that live there in great masses. These

macrophytes also give the backwater the greatest dissolved oxygen (DO) and % DO because of

the extra oxygen they put in the environment (Table 2).

Table 2. Water quality readings for each habitat taken 1.0m under the surface with a YSI 6820 multiprobe

handheld sonde.

Mean Temp oC Spec Con mS/cm DO mg/L pH % DO

Back 23.79 0.242 8.88 8.26 115.57Side 23.98 0.166 6.07 7.47 73.50Stag Back 23.26 0.139 3.17 7.24 43.2Rice Lake 26.08 0.176 4.76 7.39 72.19

Conclusions

Our most notable conclusion was intermediate flow supported macroinvertebrates that

generally require higher quality water such as the EPT orders (Fig. 5). These organisms require

high amounts of oxygen in the water and low pollution to survive (Merrit, R.W. et. al 2008). The

greater the percentage of these organisms the higher the habitat and water quality are. This

was surprising because the side channel with the greatest flow should have the most nutrients

and dissolved oxygen available, similar to a true riffle (Table 1). The high ratio of these

macroinvertebrates in Rice Lake could be due to the fact that the intermediate flow allows

organic particles to be captured and consumed by the organisms before they are washed by. A

similar conclusion was found on the upper St. Croix in 2009 (DeGuire, C.A. et. al 2009).

Collector/gatherer feeding groups dominated all habitats (Fig. 2). These organisms

collect organic matter passing by in the water and consume them. Scrapers were found to be


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most abundant in the side channel, which is good habitat for them because they cling to rocks

in high flow areas and scrape the algae from them (Merrit, R.W. et. al 2008). Predators were

essentially constant throughout all habitats in terms of percentage (Fig. 2).

Taxonomic diversity and abundance seem to be related to the stability of the

ecosystem, allowing the highest diversity and abundance in stable areas, such as Rice Lake and

the backwater habitats (Fig. 3,4). The stability of these ecosystems allows communities to

become well established, rather than having constant flooding or drought reducing the welfare

of one taxonomic family and increasing another organism’s welfare.

Total abundance and diversity seem to be related to levels of dissolved oxygen in the

habitat. Habitats with higher dissolved oxygen had higher diversity and abundance of

organisms, except in the case of the stagnant backwater which is likely skewed due to low

sample size (Fig. 3,4, Table 2).

The conclusions found in this study will be used as preliminary work for the National

Park Service. The NPS plans to carry out more in depth studies in future years and this project

will provide a base for monitoring programs that focus on observing biological changes in the

St. Croix River.

This project was carried out on a very limited timeframe. The time restraints were such

that only one set of samples could be taken during only one point in time. Had more time been

allotted, this study would have covered the summer months of 2010. Small sample sizes,

especially in the case of the stagnant backwater, undoubtedly had an effect on the data

collected. Also, this study focuses on a single transect of the St. Croix River. With more time and


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funding, a study could be carried out covering many more transects where these habitats are

present.


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Literature Cited

Bouchard, Jr. R.W. Identification manual for students, citizen monitors, and aquatic resource

professionals. Minnesota: Regents of the University of Minnesota; 2004.

DeGuire, C.A., C.M. Kuecker, M.A. Wiederholt Meier and T.D. Lafrancois. 2009. Preliminary

assessment of functional and family diversity of macroinvertebrates in the main stream,

side channel, and backwater areas of the St. Croix River, June 2009. St. Croix Research

Rendezvous, Warner Nature Center, October 2009.

Merrit, R.W., K.W. Cummins and M.B. Berg. An introduction to the aquatic insects of North

America. 4th Ed. Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.; 2008.

Wallace, J.B. and J.R. Webster. 1996. The role of macroinvertebrates in stream ecosystem

function. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 41:115 39.

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