INTEGRATING LOCAL WATERSHED ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES TO AUGMENT STUDENT RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

Historical and current threats to freshwater resources are in the forefront of residents’ minds in southwestern Pennsylvania. Coal mining has left a legacy of pervasive Abandoned Mine Drainage problems and current natural gas drilling operations have citizens concerned about impacts from “produced water.” Watershed associations are an outlet for concerned citizens to learn and mobilize, to monitor and protect streams and groundwater resources. In the region, the Washington County Watershed Alliance (WCWA) is an important administrative organization that aids and coordinates local watershed associations. The County is naturally divided into fourteen watersheds of varying size and impact levels from population and development. California University of PA (CALU) is located in Washington County on the shores of the Monongahela River, and adjacent to one of the tributaries, Pike Run. The geology program at CALU, consisting of one tenure track faculty, a full-time temporary faculty, and approximately 50 majors, has seen a rapid increase in student interest in undergraduate research. Though the program lacks significant equipment or resources, recent collaboration with the WCWA has provided a mutually beneficial program to increase undergraduate research opportunities, as well as augment courses throughout the curriculum. A recent grant awarded to the WCWA has allowed the watershed associations to deploy twenty-two data loggers to monitor stream temperature, water level, and conductivity, a common indicator of stream contamination in the region. Several of the watershed associations lack the expertise and volunteer numbers to fully participate on their own. CALU, in addition to their participation with Pike Run, with which the Geology Club has long been associated, has had our student researchers assist with installation and monitoring of the data logger network. As a result, student opportunities have presented themselves through access to data, experience with equipment and software, and the process of scientific data collection and analysis. These projects, and the resulting data, will contribute to local and regional understanding of the impacts to streams and groundwater. But they will also enhance the Geology curriculum through real-time data availability, along with access to those data sources.