It was a chilly day amidst that sunny week. There I was sitting in assembly quietly waiting. The day was just another boring day at school, except for one thing. We had a field trip. Me and the entire AP Environmental Science class, as well as its devilishly handsome teacher, were going to inspect the environmental conditions of the legendary Blackwater River and Pleasant lake.
Our first stop was down the road shown above, just west of proctor on a small trail, that lead to a nice rocky spot on the side of the river. At this spot we looked at a topographical map of the area, so as to get a general idea of the watershed of blackwater. Blackwater, being a small river, is merely has a sub-watershed of the Merrimack River Watershed, which eventually feeds into the ocean around Boston.
The next thing that we looked at related to both the abiotic and biotic categories of the ABC's.
(A= abiotic, B= biotic, C= cycles, D= Diversity, E= energy, and Evolution) Allen pointed out that the river was called Blackwater for a reason. Even thought the water was perfectly clear, and could be seen through to the bottom, that bottom of the river was nearly completely black. He said that this was due to a black colored algae that clings to the rocks in the water. This is a fantastic thing for the life in the river, because the algae creates oxygen in the water, which of course is helpful for the respiration of all sorts of animals.
One of these animals we encountered first hand. We were lucky enough to catch an innocent dragonfly nymph (Shown Above). In their form of larvae, dragonflies are known as nymphs, which are able to breath underwater through their rectums (Ew).
At all sections of the river we tested the Temperature of the water, the pH of the water, and the turbidity of the water. As Allan had told us: "Turbidity is the amount of particles suspended in a column of water." Here are the measurements at the first stop.
Temperature: 13.9 degrees C (57 degrees F)'
pH: 7 (neutral)
Turbidity: 0 JTU (Clear)
Second Stop
We ran into this feller at the second stop. Which was located further west down the same road away from proctor, off of a nice trail in the woods that ran along the side of the river. This part of the Blackwater river was part of the Eagle Pond. He/She is a green frog. We also found a Freshwater Mussel shell amongst the rocks.
We spoke about the difference in the natural habitats surrounding the different sections of the river. Because the river was running faster in this section, due to the curves in the river's structure, there was seemingly less algae clinging to the rocks. The grove surrounding the river was also different, consisting of different species of trees. There was also several spots of grass growing in this part of the river.
Alan, noticing the sheer amount of life surrounding us at that moment, decided to point out that not that long ago this land was completely covered in glacier. Which also explains the large rocks scattered amongst the trees and in the river.
Here are the measurements for the second stop.
Temperature: 16.8 degrees C (62.3 degrees F)
pH: 7 (neutral)
Turbidity: 0 JTU (Clear)
Third Stop
Our third stop was the beautiful Pleasant Lake, which lived up to its name when we were blessed by the chimed tunes of the church bells. We stayed here the shortest, and did not talk to much, but among the things we did talk of, the amount of houses surrounding the lake far exceeded that of either section of the river, which didn't have any houses directly near the water. Pleasant lake however, had a whole caboodle of houses directly on the water. This matters for a number of reasons, most of which are forms of direct pollution, including laundry detergent waste, and especially yard care products which are especially harmful because they throw off the natural balance of the ecosystem. Note that the pH (8) is higher in this body of water, which makes sense, because of the amount of cleaning products that are highly basic (Alkaline). If humans decide to live so close to such a beautiful and delicate system of natural process, they should have to make sure that all of the byproducts of their comfort and aesthetic needs are disposed of elsewhere. This would mean that laundry water would have to be either treated before released into the ground, or moved somewhere else. They could also all grow citrus trees, which, when the fruits rotted, would possibly return some acidity to the water (Wild Card Idea). This would also mean that people would have to take care of their yards and gardens using minimal fertilizers, especially synthetic fertilizers, which tend to be especially harmful.
Here are the Measurements for the third stop.
Temperature: 20.5 degrees C (69 degrees F)
pH: 8 (Slightly Alkaline)
Turbidity 0 JTU (Clear)
Temperature: 13.9 degrees C (57 degrees F)'
pH: 7 (neutral)
Turbidity: 0 JTU (Clear)
Second Stop
We ran into this feller at the second stop. Which was located further west down the same road away from proctor, off of a nice trail in the woods that ran along the side of the river. This part of the Blackwater river was part of the Eagle Pond. He/She is a green frog. We also found a Freshwater Mussel shell amongst the rocks.
We spoke about the difference in the natural habitats surrounding the different sections of the river. Because the river was running faster in this section, due to the curves in the river's structure, there was seemingly less algae clinging to the rocks. The grove surrounding the river was also different, consisting of different species of trees. There was also several spots of grass growing in this part of the river.
Alan, noticing the sheer amount of life surrounding us at that moment, decided to point out that not that long ago this land was completely covered in glacier. Which also explains the large rocks scattered amongst the trees and in the river.
Here are the measurements for the second stop.
Temperature: 16.8 degrees C (62.3 degrees F)
pH: 7 (neutral)
Turbidity: 0 JTU (Clear)
Third Stop
Our third stop was the beautiful Pleasant Lake, which lived up to its name when we were blessed by the chimed tunes of the church bells. We stayed here the shortest, and did not talk to much, but among the things we did talk of, the amount of houses surrounding the lake far exceeded that of either section of the river, which didn't have any houses directly near the water. Pleasant lake however, had a whole caboodle of houses directly on the water. This matters for a number of reasons, most of which are forms of direct pollution, including laundry detergent waste, and especially yard care products which are especially harmful because they throw off the natural balance of the ecosystem. Note that the pH (8) is higher in this body of water, which makes sense, because of the amount of cleaning products that are highly basic (Alkaline). If humans decide to live so close to such a beautiful and delicate system of natural process, they should have to make sure that all of the byproducts of their comfort and aesthetic needs are disposed of elsewhere. This would mean that laundry water would have to be either treated before released into the ground, or moved somewhere else. They could also all grow citrus trees, which, when the fruits rotted, would possibly return some acidity to the water (Wild Card Idea). This would also mean that people would have to take care of their yards and gardens using minimal fertilizers, especially synthetic fertilizers, which tend to be especially harmful.
Here are the Measurements for the third stop.
Temperature: 20.5 degrees C (69 degrees F)
pH: 8 (Slightly Alkaline)
Turbidity 0 JTU (Clear)
