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The Ripple: Engaging as Citizen Scientists Along the River

Last week an energetic group of Hilltown Families citizen scientists and Kurt Heidinger, Executive Director of Biocitizen, conducted our fourth annual rapid biotic assessment of the Westfield River in West Chesterfield. This month in Kurt’s post, “The Ripple,” hear all about it, what we found and images from the afternoon…

Category: Citizen Scientist, Community Based Education, Contributing Writer, Ecology, Kurt Heidinger, Nature Based Education Tags: Adopt a River, Benthic Invertebrates, Citizen Scientists, community engagement, Connecticut River, Ecology, Environment, Environmental Steward, Massachusetts, Nature, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, Rapid Biotic Assessments, rba, Rivers, rivers and streams, Watershed, western massachusetts, Westfield River

The Ripple: Families Work as Citizen Scientists for the Westfield River

Families Learn about the Relationship Between Benthic Invertebrates and River Ecology with Hilltown Families & Biocitizen Halloween’s upon us and the leaves are almost down—and for river lovers that means it’s time to do Rapid Biotic Assessments (RBA), which involves capturing and cataloging the bugs—benthic invertebrates —that live on the riverbed. Certain bugs like stonefly-nymphs need lots of oxygen to survive, and when you find a bunch of them, it’s a sign… Read More

Category: Citizen Scientist, Contributing Writer, Ecology, Kurt Heidinger Tags: Adopt a River, Benthic Invertebrates, Citizen Scientists, Connecticut River, Ecology, Environment, Environmental Steward, Massachusetts, Pioneer Valley, Rapid Biotic Assessments, rba, Rivers, rivers and streams, Watershed, western massachusetts, Westfield River

Volunteer as a Citizen Scientist on the Westfield River with Hilltown Families

Hilltown Families Event Volunteer Opportunity: Citizen Scientist Wednesday, October 17th @ 3:30pm West Branch of the Westfield River For the third year in a row, Hilltown Families will be partnering with Biocitizen in collaboration with the MA DEP in our long-term commitment to their stream monitoring project. Families with kids interested in science, including biology and ecology, are invited to join us on the banks of the Westfield River on Wednesday, October… Read More

Category: Science, Suggested Activity, Volunteer Opportunity Tags: biotic citizens, Citizen Scientist, Ecology, Hilltown Families Event, rba, Science, Service, Volunteer Opportunity

Citizen Scientists Discover Effects of Hurricane Irene on Local River Ecology

As You’d Expect, Hurricane Irene Drastically Altered Local River Ecology Kurt Heidinger, Executive Director of Biocitizen School of Westhampton, MA writes: The past Wednesday afternoon, Biocitizen teamed up with Hilltown Families to do our annual rapid biotic assessment of the Westfield River downstream of the Route 143 bridge in West Chesterfield, MA. Thank you volunteer citizen scientists! Before we began, our hosts Sienna, Jim and Persephone described how scarily high the river… Read More

Category: Chesterfield, Ecology, Hilltown Families Event, Science, West Chesterfield Tags: Berkshires, Biocitizen, Biology, biotic citizens, Citizen Scientist, citizenship, deep biotic immersion, Ecology, endosymbiosis, Hilltowns, rba, River Ecology, Sustainability, Westfield River

Volunteer as a Citizen Scientist on the Westfield River with Hilltown Families

Hilltown Families Event Volunteer Opportunity: Citizen Scientist Wednesday, October 12th @ 3:30pm West Branch of the Westfield River For the second year in a row, Hilltown Families will be partnering with Biocitizen in collaboration with the MA DEP in our long-term commitment to their stream monitoring project. Families with kids interested in science, including biology and ecology, are invited to join us on the banks of the Westfield River on Wednesday, October… Read More