Streams
Streams are the life blood of island ecosystems and a major focus of our work. Our sole source aquifer feeds our streams and is our only source of clean fresh water so it is crucial that we steward our watersheds well.
Storm Water
Our Storm Water Action Group (SWAG) volunteers are trained to gather samples from salmon- bearing creeks during high water flows. Storm water run-off often has negative impacts on organisms living in our creeks, and large storm events can wash out stream invertebrates, salmon eggs, and even juvenile salmon while also potentially introducing pollutants from roads, parking lots, and agriculture into our streams. Learning what our creeks experience in storms will help us create watersheds more resilient to climate change. This data also helps us better understand issues impacting salmon runs to encourage positive land-use changes.
What starts in the streams ends up in the Sound! So, we also participate in Stormwater Toxin assessment of Puget Sound, a WDFW sponsored program to deploy mussel cages in the nearshore areas of Puget Sound and use the mussels as indicator species to assess toxin levels. VNC volunteers help deploy these cages and pick them up. Protocol available here.
Storms Sampled
Access our Water Wellness Toolbox for resources on education, watershed stewardship and how to run stormwater and watershed community science projects.
Related Projects
