The Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association is gearing up to begin its 22nd year of monitoring the waters of the Sheepscot River and its tributaries. It is looking for a few new volunteers interested in collecting water samples at two of its northern sites in Windsor.

While the majority of the volunteers are adults, this is an opportunity for high school students to gain valuable experience practicing real science while meeting requirements for community service or an independent project, according to a news release from the association. Several students have volunteered over the years.

Volunteers take two types of water samples every other Tuesday morning from May 5 to Sept. 22. One, a bacterial sample, is dropped off at a local store by 8:30 a.m. to be shuttled to the lab in August for testing. The second sample is tested for dissolved oxygen by the volunteer using a test kit. This fairly simple chemical test reveals the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, which is one of the most important water quality factors and absolutely essential for the survival of all aquatic organisms.

Backup monitors are always available which means new monitors do not need to be able to sample on every date. For more information, contact the SVCA office at 586-5616 or email svca@sheepscot.org. A training session for all monitors is planned from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 26, at the SVCA office, 624 Sheepscot Road in Newcastle. To attend, contact the SVCA office.

For more information about volunteer opportunities, visit the website sheepscot.org.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.