Watershed Monitoring and GIS Project Kicks Off
October 2020 - Stillwater Valley Watershed Council released its latest project aimed at monitoring the health of streams and developing geographic information system (GIS) mapping capability in the watershed. An impressive array of partners have come together for this project including the Stillwater Conservation District (DNRC), Natural Resource Conservation Service Columbus office, the DNRC’s Conservation District’s Grant Program, the FWP, the Ucross Foundation-Yale School of the Environment, and Tom Osborne, a local retired hydrologist. The project is called the Stillwater-Rosebud Water Quality Initiative.
The project involves monitoring basic water quality parameters like dissolved oxygen, nutrients and sediment levels at about nine sites in the Stillwater-Rosebud drainages roughly monthly over a two-year period beginning October 1, 2020. Other than at certain facilities like the Stillwater Sibanye Mine and community wastewater plants, there have not been routine water quality monitoring in the watershed since the United States Geological Service dropped their monitoring program eight years ago. “Our streams are such a valuable asset to our lives we can’t afford to neglect their health either”, said to Tom Osborne who has volunteered to take the lead on this project with support from the SVWC board and local volunteers.
The companion GIS effort involves mapping key natural resource features in the watershed from the large bank of data sources available from state, federal and local agencies. The SVWC has at its disposal a graduate research assistant located at Yale University who, working remotely under local supervision, will pull various data layers together into a system usable by the SVWC and other local entities.
The project’s moving parts came together this summer after the SVWC was approached by Tom Osborne of Absarokee, who volunteered to help lead the work on the ground. Tom is a retired professional hydrologist who has worked on water resource projects around Montana for the past 45 years. He says that the project is looking for local students and adults interested in getting involved.
For more information, contact Lindsey Clark at [email protected]; or Tom Osborne at 406.698.4120.
The project involves monitoring basic water quality parameters like dissolved oxygen, nutrients and sediment levels at about nine sites in the Stillwater-Rosebud drainages roughly monthly over a two-year period beginning October 1, 2020. Other than at certain facilities like the Stillwater Sibanye Mine and community wastewater plants, there have not been routine water quality monitoring in the watershed since the United States Geological Service dropped their monitoring program eight years ago. “Our streams are such a valuable asset to our lives we can’t afford to neglect their health either”, said to Tom Osborne who has volunteered to take the lead on this project with support from the SVWC board and local volunteers.
The companion GIS effort involves mapping key natural resource features in the watershed from the large bank of data sources available from state, federal and local agencies. The SVWC has at its disposal a graduate research assistant located at Yale University who, working remotely under local supervision, will pull various data layers together into a system usable by the SVWC and other local entities.
The project’s moving parts came together this summer after the SVWC was approached by Tom Osborne of Absarokee, who volunteered to help lead the work on the ground. Tom is a retired professional hydrologist who has worked on water resource projects around Montana for the past 45 years. He says that the project is looking for local students and adults interested in getting involved.
For more information, contact Lindsey Clark at [email protected]; or Tom Osborne at 406.698.4120.