Quality Assurance for Volunteer Stream Monitoring

Capstone students will coordinate and implement all aspects of the Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for the Student Watershed Research Project (SWRP)'s volunteer monitoring program.  Ensuring data quality for the 25 high school groups involved in SWRP requires training, classroom and field support, known/unknown sample analysis, verification of chemical, physical and biological parameters, as well as data management.  This course will integrate chemical, biological and physical watershed analysis skills, since students will be responsible for verifying macro invertebrate and plant samples, performing field/lab analysis of duplicate water quality samples, and mathematically determining whether the accuracy and precision goals of the QAPP are being met.  Students will also be responsible for data management, auditing of student data, providing feedback to data collectors, and evaluating the impact of SWRP on participating students.

The SWRP program works to develop awareness, knowledge, skills, and commitment leading to responsible behavior and constructive actions with regard to water quality and watershed resources.

Goals are to:

• Engage high school students in the scientific analysis of local stream health;
• Challenge students to interpret local stream impacts as a means to understand the larger watershed;
• Ensure that student findings are accurate and have a high level of reliability;
• Manage student-collected data in a regional watershed database;
• Share student findings with interested parties including local, state, and federal agencies, friends conservation groups, and watershed councils;
• Foster stewardship of natural areas and resources by students, teachers, and the community; and to
• Maintain a model and provide training for volunteer monitoring that can be replicated in any community.