Dolphin Quest Corporate Office Supports Stream-Monitoring Project
Dolphin Quest’s corporate office in Virginia is proud to support a stream-monitoring project of Goose Creek, a 22-mile upper watershed located between the towns of Linden and Middleburg, Virginia.
This research project monitors insect populations along the watershed, with the purpose of identifying indicator species. Indicator species are particular organisms used as environmental alarm signals to alert biologists about the health of the watershed. In this case, certain insects are known to require cleaner water. When these insects are not present, researchers can infer a decline in the health of the watershed. The goal of this project is to locate “higher order” insects to establish baseline criteria of water quality. Continuous insect monitoring will provide long-term data to help researchers identify water quality declines as quickly as possible.
Marcia Woolman, project manager, reports that preliminary results indicate the stream and several other tributaries are in good health. Investigations into sample sites that scored poorly are still in progress. For more information, click here to view their Web site.
