River Watch Update

Over the past five months, Jesse and volunteers have been collecting water quality data on Tomichi Creek at Coldharbour ranch. This is located in a beautiful fluvial valley just East of Gunnison where there is a wetland easement on the property to protect local and migrating birds. The information that is collected is input into the River Watch database which can be accessed by the public, volunteers, students, and organizations throughout. It has been a great experience so far and there has been a lot of variability in the different parameters that are tested. Each month it has been exciting to collect, test, and see the results and important to understand what this data represents. Some of the largest variability has been in dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, and hardness. We also measure pH, temperature, and flow of the river. These all interact, and as testing continues and River Watch expands, the opportunity to understand and monitor Colorado’s waters continues to grow. If you are interested in volunteering please reach out to Jesse at [email protected]

Written by Jesse Bryan, Clark Fellow and River Watch Educator  

Jesse's interests lie in aquatic restoration and he currently facilitates the Coldharbour River Watch volunteer program, which establishes monthly water quality data on Tomichi Creek utilizing a citizen science approach. Jesse hopes to pursue postgraduate education after he graduates from WCU to study with a watershed science program.