Home Museum Hours Education and Outreach Conservation Biological Monitoring Databases
Biological
monitoring can be defined as long term, repetitive, and standardized
study of impact from environmental stressors on ecosystems
and the determination of whether impact has led to impairment (a
negative change) to the species, populations, or communities of the
study ecosystems. Biological monitoring provides data for natural
resource managers, conservation biologists, and stakeholders to use in
managing ecosystems such as lakes, prairies, or streams.
The A. Jewell Schock Museum of Natural History sponsors, supports, or organizes biological monitoring activities in Northeast Nebraska including:
Biological monitoring of IKES Lake. This project began on World Water Monitoring Day (September 18) 2008 with third grade
students
from Wayne Elementary School performing a biological assessment of the
Wayne Chapter Isaak Walton League Lake. The third graders were
assisted in their assessment by students from the Wayne State College
Biomonitoring Class. Click here to see some of their initial
results and photos of the event.
The A. Jewell Schock Museum of Natural History sponsors, supports, or organizes biological monitoring activities in Northeast Nebraska including:
Biological monitoring of IKES Lake. This project began on World Water Monitoring Day (September 18) 2008 with third grade
students
from Wayne Elementary School performing a biological assessment of the
Wayne Chapter Isaak Walton League Lake. The third graders were
assisted in their assessment by students from the Wayne State College
Biomonitoring Class. Click here to see some of their initial
results and photos of the event.Wayne State College students in Advanced Ecology. Biological Assessment class performed a biological assessment of South
Logan
Creek for the City of Wayne. The goals of this Service-Learning
project were to edify students on the methods and interpretation of
biological assessment and to provide a report to the City of Wayne on
any possible impact from the city's wastewater effluent into South
Logan Creek. The results of the study indicated that the effluent
had little to no impact on the macroinvertebrate communities in South
Logan Creek. See pages 124-135 here to see a copy of the project. The Bazile Creek Volunteer Stream Monitoring project. Bazile Creek, in Northeast Nebraska, is a beautiful, sandy-bottom stream that drains the hills lining the Missouri River. Local residents expressed an interest in monitoring portions of the stream to members of the Northeast Nebraska Resource Conservation and Development organization. A single sampling event took place in 2004. Click here for a report on the initial efforts of volunteer stream monitoring of Bazile Creek.