The River Mile Network
An Education Program of the National Park Service
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Happy Autumn!
It is now officially autumn. The amount of daylight grows shorter, the temperature is dropping, and the leaves are falling. Now is the time to plan for your spring field expeditions! Join us for crayfish sampling or water quality monitoring training and prepare your students and staff to collect and share data.
Have a great day!
Janice Elvidge
Executive Director
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The River Mile Community Gathering |
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An Introduction to The River Mile Network
Wednesday October 27, 2021
3:30 to 4:30 PM Pacific Time
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Presenter:
Janice Elvidge
Executive Director, The River Mile Network
Education Specialist, NPS Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
The River Mile Network (TRM), is a participant driven approach to investigation and understanding of the Columbia River Watershed to explore the essential question: How do relationships among components of an ecosystem affect watershed health? Educators, students, resource managers and scientists throughout the watershed document and share scientific data in a collaborative network The River Mile network supports K-12 students in real-world STEM. Field activities such as studying crayfish and water quality testing enable students to consider the effect of invasive species and water quality on watershed health
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Agonistic behavior between the native pilose and non-native virile crayfishes
Wednesday November 17, 2021
3:30 to 4:30 PM Pacific Time
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Presenter:
Doreen Cabrera
PhD Candidate at Brigham Young University
Pilose crayfish (Pacifastacus gambelii) are endemic to the western United States, however, this little-known species is facing threats by the non-native virile crayfish (Faxonius virilis). We sought to study the competitive interaction between these crayfish to understand whether virile crayfish have an aggressive advantage over pilose crayfish and thus leading to their displacement.
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Using Citizen Science to Support Resource Management
Monday, October 18 from
12:15-1:15 pm ET
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Department of the Interior
Office of Policy Analysis
Learn how citizen science supports the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mission. Click on Microsoft Teams Live Event to join or view the recording after the event has completed. The public is welcome.
Department of the Interior Employees seeking training credits must preregister via DOI Talent.
Closed captioning is available.
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Recharge: Partnering Educators with Drought Scientists to Create a More Buoyant Idaho
4-part interactive webinar series
Wednesday October 27th, 4-5 p.m. MT
Thursday November 4th, 4-5 p.m. MT
Thursday November 18th, 4-5 p.m MT
Monday November 29th, 4-5 p.m MT
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Would you like to learn how to incorporate local climate science into your education programs? Join Idaho's Earth to Sky team as we speak with scientists and land managers on drought impacts in Idaho. We will explore innovative responses to water scarcity and speak with researchers on how to effectively have climate change conversations with your audience and students.
Recharge is a 4-part interactive webinar series. The series will be solution-oriented, and discussions will include adapting our agricultural and urban systems to drought and using new lenses to examine how we value water out West. Earth to Sky-Idaho is a partnership with NASA, the National Park Service, the City of Boise, and the University of Idaho Confluence Lab. The webinar will be from 4:00-5:00 Mountain Time.
- Wednesday October 27th, 4-5 p.m. MT:
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Keeping Idaho's Head Above the Water : Cloud Seeding, Aquifer Recharge, & Innovative Water Approaches with Idaho Department of Water Resources Hydrologist Dr. David Hoekema
- Thursday November 4th, 4-5 p.m. MT
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Parched: Can We Create Drought-Adapted Agriculture? with Dr. John Abatzoglou, University of California Merced professor "interested in the hows and whys of climate and weather, and also the so whats."
- Thursday November 18th, 4-5 p.m MT
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Refreshing our Perspectives : Old & New Ways of Water Management with Stefanie Krantz, Climate Change Coordinator for the Nez Perce Tribe
- Monday November 29th, 4-5 p.m MT
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Staying Buoyant in a Sea of Climate Anxiety: with Dr. Sarah Ray, professor of Environmental Science and author of A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet
Registration is free
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Pacific Northwest Citizen Science Summit
October 26 and 27, 2021
9:00 am to Noon Pacific Time
Virtual
Calling all citizen scientists and program managers! Several regional agencies and organizations have partnered to convene the first-ever Pacific Northwest Citizen Science Summit.
Do you participate or manage a project or program that engages community members to collect and analyze information? Whether it is a small or large effort and regardless of the focus we want you to attend a landmark event to discover opportunities to collaborate and amplify cumulative impacts.
The overall objective of the summit is to connect citizen science practitioners and managers for the purpose of creating partnerships and synergies between projects. By working together, we will be more effective than working alone. Specifically, the summit has the following goals:
- Bring awareness of existing programs and share successes
- Enhance communication and collaboration between programs
- Share strategies and tools for starting and maintaining a program or project, participant retention and the benefits of launching new programs
- Highlight best practices and data standards
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Facilitate a discussion about formalizing PNWCitSci.org as an organization to host future summits
The event will be held between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on October 26th and October 27th, 2021 via Zoom webinar.
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Investigating Crayfish
+ Freshwater Ecosystems
Science Educators Training
Save the Date!
February 2, 2022
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Learn to engage grade 2-12 students in fascinating crayfish studies in this hands-on STEAM workshop. Rick Reynolds, veteran educator and author of Investigating Crayfish + Freshwater Ecosystems, will team up with other partners from The River Mile Network to step you through student activities including scientific investigations in your local watershed. Gain confidence to participate with The River Mile's Crayfish Study to support important research by scientists and wildlife managers. |
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Your source for the latest research news |
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Team Discovers Invasive-Native Crayfish Hybrids in Missouri
Issue Date: October 8, 2021
Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau
Summary:
In a study of crayfish in the Current River in southeastern Missouri, researchers discovered -- almost by chance -- that the virile crayfish, Faxonius virilis, was interbreeding with a native crayfish, potentially altering the native's genetics, life history and ecology.
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In a study of crayfish in the Current River in southeastern Missouri, researchers discovered -- almost by chance -- that the virile crayfish, Faxonius virilis, was interbreeding with a native crayfish, potentially altering the native's genetics, life history and ecology. Reported in the journal Aquatic Invasions, the study highlights the difficulty of detecting some of the consequences of biological invasions, the researchers say.
"The virile crayfish is probably the widest-ranging native crayfish in North America," said study co-author Christopher Taylor, a curator of crustaceans at the Illinois Natural History Survey. Even though it's native to North America, F. virilis is considered invasive in many parts of the U.S. because it quickly dominates new habitats when introduced -- for example, by fishermen moving crayfish from one stream to another in a bait bucket, he said.
Taylor conducted the research with Eric Larson, a professor of natural resources and environmental sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Zachary Rozansky, a graduate student who led the research. Read More...
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Signs of ecosystem collapse in significant PNG wetland
Issue Date: September 28, 2021
Source: Australian National University
Summary:
A new study has identified warning signs of ecosystem collapse at a wetland of international significance in Papua New Guinea. Read More
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EPA Scientists Develop Interactive Tool that Provides Water Quality Information about U.S. Freshwater Resources
Published August 10, 2021
Freshwater is essential for life on our planet, providing drinking water and supporting agriculture, industry, and aquatic life. This lifeline connects humans and ecosystems with the resources they need to prosper, so when freshwater degrades, it can have significant consequences. To better understand the quality of our freshwaters, EPA scientists have developed Freshwater Explorer, an interactive web-based mapping tool that provides information about background and observed salt and mineral content for freshwater streams, lakes, and wells in all 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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Historical changes in plant water use and need in the continental United States
By
Published: September 2, 2021
Abstract
A robust method for characterizing the biophysical environment of terrestrial vegetation uses the relationship between Actual Evapotranspiration (AET) and Climatic Water Deficit (CWD). These variables are usually estimated from a water balance model rather than measured directly and are often more representative of ecologically-significant changes than temperature or precipitation. We evaluate trends and spatial patterns in AET and CWD in the Continental United States (CONUS) during 1980–2019 using a gridded water balance model. Read More....
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Pacific Education Institute
is Hiring!
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Recruitment Announcement: Eastern Washington FieldSTEM Coordinator
Recruitment Closes: Open until filled
Start Date: Negotiable
Job Description:
The FieldSTEM Coordinator, Eastern Washington region, is the point of contact for PEI, coordinating the implementation of FieldSTEM. This position is responsible for creating and maintaining partnerships with school districts, educational leaders, nonformal educators and local agricultural, natural resource and environmental science professionals to facilitate planning and implementation of FieldSTEM. This is a home or field-based position requiring travel within, but not limited to, the Eastern Washington region identified as Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Adams, Whitman, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties. PEI is a statewide organization headquartered in Olympia, Washington
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The River Mile Network Opportunities |
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Join the Crayfish Study and Contribute Valuable Data!
The River Mile Network under the supervision of Dr. Eric Larson, University of Illinois, is pleased announce that our new online data collection forms are ready for use!
Data from this project will help inform researchers about the species distribution throughout the Columbia River Watershed and beyond.
The project leaders are especially interested in locating and identifying species below Dry Falls in Eastern Washington AND in the Okanogan River region. They believe there is an undescribed species of crayfish in those places which have not been documented (geolocated and photographed for identification). You and your students may be the first to record new species of crayfish!
Join the study by completing the on-demand virtual crayfish training. For those in Washington, Oregon or Idaho, once you have completed the virtual on demand training you can be added your state permit. The permit allows for year-round data collection.
Without the research permit data may be collected May 1 to October 31 in Washington with a valid state fishing license and in waters open to crayfish fishing.
Anything you can do to help researchers will be of benefit!
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Crayfish Study Data Collection Forms are Live! |
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We use Survey123, a tool in the ArcGIS suite of mapping software and applications for the collection and storage of data. The purpose of this technology is to collect real-time data without the need for additional GPS equipment.
We have 2 forms from which to choose. One form is shorter and requires less data. The other form is longer and has more required data and a variety of optional data choices.
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Practice Crayfish Data Collection and Submission
There is also a training data submission form for the Crayfish Study; it looks nearly identical to the real form, but data is not stored in the same database or map. You can use this form yourself and share it with your students so they can practice collecting and submitting data.
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Volunteer Opportunities with The River Mile Network
There are a number of volunteer opportunities to help The River Mile Network. As the network continues to grow it is getting harder for a few people to make everything happen.
- 2022 Crayfish Conference Chair
- Washington State Coordinator
- Watershed Facilitators
- Development Assistant--Finance
- Development Assistant--Online Library
- Development Assistant--Website
- Newsletter Editor
In addition, we are looking for persons or groups that are willing to test new materials.
If you are interested in helping The River Mile in any of the above opportunities, please E-mail us!
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Practice Crayfish Data Collection and Submission
Use this form yourself, share it with your students and have them “collect” practice data and practice submitting using this Survey123 Training Form.
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Have an upcoming event
you'd like us to promote?
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Our network partners are always on the move. If you would like to see your next event in our quarterly newsletter, please email us at Newsletter Submissions
Want to see it on The River Mile's website?
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