What the Heck Happened to Our Biodiversity

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What the Heck Happened to Our Biodiversity?

• By West De Pere and East Green Bay Ecology Clubs

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Goals

• Short Term
• Raise awareness about our stream to local
  construction companies and individuals
• Increase stream protection from runoff from local
  construction projects
• Long Term
• Improve overall stream quality
• Make our stream suitable for more frog and
  macro-invertebrate species

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Frogs

• The only frog found at Ashwaubenon Creek
  (Creamery Rd. site) at the time of observation
  (6-4-06) was the Western Chorus frog.
• Other sites, although they have more data
  entries, show a larger and more diverse group of
  frogs.
• -Comparison Duck Creek shows two different types
  of frogs (gray tree, and green). Spring Brook
  shows a great diversity of frogs (N. Spring
  Peeper, Pickeral, American, and Wood).
• Frogs indicated stream quality, so since we dont
  have much, that means we have a poor stream.
• We figured that either the stream was
  uninhabitable, or their food supply was
  inadequate

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Macroinvertebrates

• 78.6 class 4 macroinvertebrates
• Only stream with blood worms
• No Crayfish
• Few class 1, 2, and 3 macros

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Macro Sampling
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Stream Condition

• Mucky Bottoms
• Steep Banks
• Flashy
• Extremely low Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L)
• Turbidity that lowers throughout the year

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Statistics
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Geographical Conditions

• Every Spring the melting snow floods the stream.
• Stream Depth increases by several feet
• All the sediment gets deposited on the bottom or
  flows to the Fox River
• Steep banks are carved out undercut
• The stream is constantly vulnerable to erosion

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Effect on Stream Quality

• Every time water floods the stream existing life
  is put under stress
• As water drains and sediment becomes more
  concentrated turbidity increases
• Plants die off, affecting the food chain.
• All the dead organisms decay consuming dissolved
  oxygen in the water
• A large majority of the macro invertebrates that
  survive are class 4 (poor habitat)

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Problems of Class 4

• Not enough predators to control their population
• They decay on the bottom of the stream when they
  die, and with so many that can die the living
  ones cant decompose it all

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Even Worse

• There are numerous construction projects along
  the stream
• Elementary School
• Park
• Residential housing
• When snow melts erosion will carry sod, dirt, and
  nutrients into the stream

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Effects

• Excess of nutrients
• Unwanted chemicals
• Severe erosion
• Destruction of life in the stream

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Towards our Goal

• Have good preventative measures against runoff
  from construction sites
• Continue to monitor Stream
• Awareness Programs
• Stenciling Sewer Drains
• Signs in Public Areas
• Look for any future dangers to the stream

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