The project I took part in was the Water Quality Monitoring project, located at the Big Gulch, in Mukilteo. While there, in the rain, we checked, O2 content, pH, e.coli content, alkalinity, turbidity, and hardness of the water in the stream that cuts a swath through the gulch. We did this in order to asses the health of the environment as a whole, more specifically relating to the salmon that would frequent and spawn in the gulch. To complete this task, we had to run a series of different test's (one for each variable), most of which had us running our butts too and from the stream down a rocky outcrop. Needless to say it was a terrifying ordeal at times, but through the power of friendship and the flames of our youth, we collected the necessary samples for each test. All of the tests were qualitative, requiring only one run to complete, yielding our requisite information; so we could haul ass out of there and find warmth in the sweet bosom of the transit van's heating system. The goal of the organizers was simply to monitor any and all changes in the environment, so as to let the city know of any hazardous or illicit activity, that may harm the ecosystem, was occurring. It was fascinating to learn how fragile an ecosystem actually is, and how just one flux in a variable could wrought disastrous consequences. I gained a much larger appreciation for those scientists that actually do the field work, because the weather was uglier than a prom night in Dawn of the Dead.
Some questions raised were...
1. Why can't people just forgo cheap costs in lieu of keeping the environment happy?
2. How far are the ripple affects of pollution in such a small microcosm?
3. What is the pH of rain water, and does this play a role in our readings of the creek's pH?
4. How often does the area experience landslides?
Organizer: Kacie McCarty
kacie.mccarty@email.edcc.edu
Hours: 4
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