Weekly Update
January 28, 2010
Rainbow Darter, from rifflefish.com
Announcements
Interesting stream related websites…
Click here for a website with video footage of critters found in and around riffles. For a nice summary of stream ecology, click here
Tolerance Values…
If you’ve ever wanted to know the tolerance values of our various macroinvertebrates, now we have a quick reference guide (thanks to Bob Henricks!) Go to our Forms and Documents page and click on the PDF called Tolerance Values. The guide also lists whether the macroinvertebrate burrows, swims, collects, shreds, etc.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
January Bug Blog…
Go to the Bug Blog to read about this month’s bug, the common netspinner. Keep an eye on the website for a new bug each month.
January anniversaries…
Congratulations to the following volunteers, whose volunteer anniversaries are this month. Thanks so much for your work.
Vince Dish – 1 year
Brendan Ferreri-Hamberry – 1 year
Nicola Mcgoff – 1 year
Cindy O’Connell – 1 year
Killian O’Connell – 1 year
Nat Rogers – 1 year
Bob’s Bug Facts…
(brought to you by Bob Henricks)
One of the ways to recognize a Brushlegged mayfly in the tray is to note how they hold their front legs in front of their heads forming a “U,” looking like a referee indicating a field goal. This is actually how they eat. With their arms held in this way, the fine hairs on the inside of the femur and tibia mesh together forming a net which filters micro organic matter out of the water (in feeding classifications, the Brushlegged mayfly is called a collector: filterer). The fine hairs on their tails, on the other hand, mesh together forming a flat paddle, which helps to propel the nymph forward in swimming. Brushlegged mayflies are very strong swimmers and tend to be found in fast-flowing riffles. Of the mayflies, they are one of the least tolerant of stream impairment.
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