Each year, Nisqually River Education Project (NREP) hosts two water quality monitoring days, engaging 40+ teachers and their students, ranging from grades 3-12. These events are designed to provide 2 things:
- Unique, hands-on experiences for teachers, students, community volunteers, and chaperones. By monitoring water quality and understanding the results, NREP aims to spark a ‘sense of place’ and inspire people to become better stewards of the watershed.
- Keep a database showing long term trends in water quality throughout the Nisqually Watershed, enabling NRC members and other partners to better understand hot spots in degraded quality. Water quality monitoring has been conducted for over 25 years, providing an in-depth examination on Nisqually river water.
The 2 monitoring events are held in the fall and winter, allowing for interesting comparisons between weather conditions, water levels, and other environmental variabilities.
The most recent event occurred on February 11, 2016, with classrooms visiting 33 sites throughout the watershed. NREP documented the event, including the impact it made on students.
