Two dozen scientists, students, activists and Master Naturalists met in Gilbert on Aug. 18 for a half-day workshop on conducting an algal survey on the Buffalo National River. Reports of nuisance algae in unprecedented amounts, including limited areas of cyanobacteria. Recent designation of impairment along portions of the river by Arkansas Dept. of Environmental Quality provided the impetus for this science-based effort to gather data.
Teresa Turk [Ozark River Stewards] explained that a similar survey conducted on the Shenandoah River in Virginia was of similar size and in an area of karst geology, so it provided the model for their protocol.
On Aug. 19, nine teams were deployed to six different stretches of the Buffalo National River, starting at Baker Ford and ending at Rush. Teams documented a suite of data including percent benthic algal coverage, and collected GPS locations and photo documentation of observations. The study was designed to remove observer bias and simplify research questions to provide meaningful, replicable baseline data.
Results will be analyzed and displayed through interactive maps on White River Waterkeeper’s website. This volunteer effort paves the way for routine studies for long-term monitoring, and the quality of information will provide valuable data to help inform management decisions and additional research goals.
Anyone interested in participating in future surveys should contact Jessie@WhiteRiverWaterkeeper.org