Watchdogs of the waterways

When Muns Farestad, who lives in Bethany Beach, Del., retired from his position as a mechanical engineer, he went looking for a pastime that would be rewarding and challenging. He says he found both, in his own back yard, when he became a volunteer with the Inland Bays Citizen Monitoring Program.

The beauty alone of Delaware's Inland Bays, which consist of Rehoboth, Indian River and Little Assawoman bays and their tributaries, makes them desirable to protect. But, they also are a critical ecosystem, providing important nursery grounds for shellfish and finfish. Human activity increasingly is affecting the water quality of the Inland Bays, with a result that's potentially devastating to the fragile habitat.

The Inland Bays Citizen Monitoring Program was established by the University's Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service in 1990 to gather information on the water quality of this vital ecosystem. Approximately 30 trained volunteers collect water samples at designated sites in the Inland Bays. They work once a week from mid-April to mid-October and every two weeks the rest of the year, if weather permits.

Volunteers come from all walks of life, working individually or in teams. They spend approximately an hour at their site, using special equipment to analyze the water samples for such parameters as dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, depth and clarity.

"These data give scientists and resource managers a clearer picture of the health of the Inland Bays," says Joe Farrell, marine resource management specialist for UD's Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service and manager of the program. "Without this program and the volunteers who have embraced it, the data on the Inland Bays would be much more limited in scope."

Farestad and some of the other volunteers also are involved in sampling for phytoplankton, which are single-celled marine algae. During the summer, excess nutrients of nitrogen and phosphorus, much of which originates from human activities in the watershed, can trigger what is called an "algal bloom," when an algal species grows so fast it can choke the life out of the water.

According to Farrell, many volunteers live in places where blooms are likely to occur. As a result, the volunteers often are the first to notice water conditions that may signal an algal bloom and can collect valuable samples during the growth of a bloom.

"In fact, last summer, Muns was the first to identify a huge bloom of Chattonella in the South Bethany canals," Farrell says. "This algal species has been implicated in fish kills and may be of concern to human health."

Volunteers also participate in various mini-projects. In one project, which Farrell says was extremely popular, thumbnail-size clams were placed in sites throughout the bays and surrounded with netting to protect them from such predators as crabs and whelks. Volunteers made periodic measurements of survival and growth until the following summer, when the clams reached a harvestable size. Farrell says the project demonstrated the feasibility of growing clams at various sites around the bays and showed that seeding may provide a successful method of restoring clam stocks to both commercial and recreational fisheries.

"These special projects are a great way to invigorate monitors whose enthusiasm may be flagging after years of collecting baseline data," Farrell says. "It was pretty easy to recruit volunteers for the clam-reseeding project when the volunteers learned they would be feasting on the research subjects."

But, it's more than just the special projects that keeps Til Purnell, a lifelong advocate of the Inland Bays, interested in the monitoring program. Purnell, who has been a monitor since the beginning, says, "It is a fascinating program, which has allowed me to get involved in the scientific community. I have learned a great deal, and that's always a lot of fun."

The monitoring program employs Ed Whereat, who has a doctorate in plant ecology and physiology, as coordinator. He trains the volunteers and ensures that they have the necessary supplies. In addition, he conducts quality assurance programs to keep the volunteers informed about how to collect and run water analyses.

"Our data is used in several different ways," says Whereat, who was a volunteer monitor before becoming coordinator. "For example, it is included in a report that the state is required to submit to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which identifies what bodies of water are impaired."

In addition, information collected by the volunteers is being used by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) to build a water-quality model for the Inland Bays watershed, by the Delaware Office of Shellfish and Recreational Waters to determine areas safe for shellfish harvesting and by UD marine scientists in their own research on the Inland Bays.

"Since we initiated the monitoring program, we have trained more than 200 volunteers who, in turn, educate their family, friends and neighbors on water-quality issues through informal discussions," Farrell says. "It has extended the outreach mission of the Sea Grant College Program."

The Inland Bays Citizen Monitoring Program is a cooperative effort, linking state and local agencies, the University and citizens. Originally funded by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the program now receives its major funding from DNREC and the Center for the Inland Bays, in addition to its Sea Grant support.

"It's a lot of fun being a volunteer. I just really enjoy it," Farestad says. "It is a unique program, where we are able to not only contribute, but also learn on a scientific level. You don't find volunteer opportunities like this very often."

--Kari Gulbrandsen