Have you ever looked at the water in Silver Lake or in a nearby stream in the Dover area and wondered how polluted it was, or why it looked that way?  Would you like to know how to help improve the health of the river and its tributaries?

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is seeking volunteers interested in these questions to conduct an assessment of the St. Jones Watershed.  DNREC is teaming up with Duffield Associates and the Center for Watershed Protection on the project to organize teams of local volunteers to collect basic stream quality/habitat data.  Due to the size of the watershed, teams are needed to examine the visual quality of these streams.

The St. Jones Watershed Stream Assessment will begin with volunteer training on November 10, 2007 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. followed by the assessment, ending mid-afternoon. The training will be held at Dover Park off White Oak Road in Dover.   Refreshments will be provided.  If the weather doesn't cooperate, the rain date for the event is November 17.

The St. Jones River Watershed is the major body of water that runs through the heart of Dover and surrounding nearby towns. In order to help clean this water system, we need to take a closer look into its problems.  To improve water quality in the St. Jones River, an assessment of the stream as well as the developed portions of the watershed is being conducted this autumn.

Volunteers will be looking for aquatic life such as insects and fish, stability of stream banks and their ability handle storm events.  Teams will also inspect areas where streams maybe clogged with soil or debris.  Based on the observations and data gathered by volunteers, Duffield staff will then return to the St. Jones to identify potential solutions to address the problems discovered. 

To be a volunteer, all you need is appropriate walking shoes and the ability to hike/walk at length, over the course of a few hours.  The data collected at the stream assessments will be similar to the information gathered by Adopt-A-Stream Programs, Stream-Watchers or other environmental volunteer groups.

If you are looking for an opportunity to spend some time outdoors, learn more about the watershed in which you live, work or play, please consider spending a Saturday walking a few tributaries and streams of the St. Jones River.  No technical training is required – all able bodied volunteers from all walks of life are welcome, including 4-H members, garden clubs, retirees, ROTC, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Rotary club members and all others with a common interest in the environment and preserving the St. Jones Watershed.

If you are interested in learning more about the stream assessment, would like to spend a day hiking the St. Jones streams, or would enjoy doing something “green” for the local environment, please contact Brenda Zeiters or Sharon Webb at the Nonpoint Source Program at 302-739-9922 between 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. After 4:30 p.m., please call 302-739-9172 to leave a message and someone will return your call. Please respond soon so that the St. Jones Stream Assessment may be planned accordingly.