Weekly Update

December 10, 2009

Announcements

Happy Holidays…

Thank you, volunteers, for all of your hard work this year. We wish you the warmest and happiest holiday season. See you in 2010!

StreamWatch Facebook page…

Short on time but want to help? Here’s a quick and easy way for Facebook users to raise awareness about Rivanna streams and rivers:

  1. Become a fan of StreamWatch’s new Facebook page. Just Google “StreamWatch Facebook”, open the page, and click the “become a fan” button near the top of the page.
  2. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP! Recommend the page to your Facebook friends who live in or care about the Rivanna basin. The purpose of the page is to catch the attention of people who are not currently tuned in.
  3. Read our 70-word daily blogette for interesting, valuable, and sometimes entertaining information about the Rivanna, stream ecology, and water. A new blogette will post to your wall each weekday. At under one minute, we hope this read will be a painless (pleasant?!) way to expand knowledge!

December Bug Blog…

Go to the Bug Blog to read about this month’s bug, the invasive virile crayfish. Keep an eye on the website for a new bug each month.

December anniversaries…

Congratulations to the following volunteers, whose volunteer anniversaries are this month. Thanks so much for your work.

Janet Miller – 4 years
Susan Sleight – 5 years
Frank Wilczek – 3 years
Pat Wilczek – 3 years

Bob’s Bug Facts…

(brought to you by Bob Henricks)

Large Winter stoneflies appear in our samples from mid-October through the mid-March. Since we do not sample a lot in the winter, most volunteers rarely see them. There are only five genera of Large Winters in our part of the country, and most of the Large Winters we see belong to one of two genera: Taeniopteryx or Strophopteryx. Both have distinguishing features. Taeniopteryx have small finger-like gills that stick out from the base of each leg. Strophopteryx have a triangular plate at the end of the underside of the abdomen. Neither of these features is visible to the naked eye. When mature, they also differ by color. Taeniopteryx tend to be dark brown with a cream stripe down the middle. Strophopteryx tend to be brownish yellow with mottled wingpads and head.

Thank you for volunteering with StreamWatch!

Rose Brown, Program Manager
StreamWatch
434.962.3527
P.O. Box 181
Ivy, VA 22945
Email Rose
www.streamwatch.org