The Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association is gearing up to begin its 22nd year of monitoring the waters of the Sheepscot River and its tributaries. We are looking for a few new volunteers interested in collecting water samples at two of our northern sites in Windsor.

While the majority of the volunteers are adults, this is a great opportunity for high school students to gain valuable experience practicing real science while meeting requirements for community service or an independent project. Several students have joined us over the years.

Volunteers take two types of water samples every other Tuesday morning from May 5 to Sept. 22. One, a bacterial sample, is dropped off at a local store by 8:30 a.m. to be shuttled to the lab in August for testing. The second sample is tested for dissolved oxygen by the volunteer using a test kit. This fairly simple chemical test reveals the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, which is one of the most important water quality factors and absolutely essential for the survival of all aquatic organisms. 

Backup monitors are always available which means new monitors do not need to be able to sample on every date. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Kristin at the SVCA office 207-586-5616 or email svca@sheepscot.org. There will be a training session for all monitors on Sunday, April 26 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the SVCA office, 624 Sheepscot Road in Newcastle. Please contact us if you would like to attend.