As you walk along the trail behind the athletic field, you find yourself surrounded by a serene landscape of rustling leaves, towering trees and a narrow stream running through the midst of it all.
Looking down into the river, you may not see much besides some limestone rocks and pebbles. If you are lucky, you may see a family of ducks paddling into the rising sun.
However, if you take a step closer, you will find that there is a whole world in the stream filled freshwater macroinvertebrates and aquatic plants.
Freshwater macroinvertebrates are animals without backbones that live in or near the bottom of freshwater ponds, lakes, streams and rivers serving multiple functions in our ecosystems. They are important indicators of water quality and habitat conditions.
Many species of aquatic macroinvertebrates have evolved highly specialized feeding structures and behaviors in order to adapt to their existing environment and to stay within competition. These animals shape a large part of the freshwater macroinvertebrate community, accounting for up to 90 percent of the bottom organisms in a stream, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Because different types of macroinvertebrates can tolerate different levels of pollution, their presence or lack of can help us understand the river ecosystem.
Monitoring the macroinvertebrates in the Mill River is important because it is a part of our Smith community.
“Clean water is vital to ALL life. If our rivers are impaired, there are many possible ramifications for humans including negative effects on our health,” said Marney Pratt of the Biological Sciences Department.
Paradise Pond and the Mill River are also important to Smith College for many reasons. Paradise Pond is used for recreation, education and many iconic photos of Smith College.
The Outdoor Adventure Program is keen to keep Paradise Pond navigable by boat so they can continue using it to teach various boating skills. The College is keen on keeping Paradise Pond looking beautiful for aesthetic and cultural reasons. Alumnae and current students have strong feelings of affinity for their times walking or running by the pond.
The Northampton community also values Paradise Pond as a beautiful piece of nature accessible by all from downtown.
It is important that we don’t let Paradise Pond fill up with sediment, and it is Smith College’s responsibility to figure out the best way to manage the sediment without hurting the downstream environment.
“Learning how to manage this wonderful resource we have on our campus is an important responsibility that it is good for students to understand. It is a lesson we can all bring to other areas in our lives where we want to enjoy nature while still protecting it from damage,” Pratt said.
Sampling the macroinvertebrates in the Mill River upstream and downstream helps us understand possible impacts human actions can have on the river.
Some macroinvertebrates are more sensitive to changes than others, and by seeing how the population of different macroinvertebrates change over time we can have some insight on the consequences of actions we take in our management of Paradise Pond.
Getting students involved in the monitoring of the river is also useful as an educational tool. Students get to collect real data to be used by the college, while also seeing a wide diversity of live organisms found right on our campus, as well as using quantitative skills to analyze the data.
“It is also useful from a conservation standpoint, as it helps students to become more aware of their impact on the environment right here on campus, and hopefully they will take that awareness with them beyond just their time here at Smith,” said Pratt.
Students can get involved in multiple ways. If they want to be involved in collecting the data, they can take the Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation Lab in the fall semester or apply to work with Professor Pratt as a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow for the summer.
There are also geologists working on the problem that students can work with, including Robert Newton.
This Fall, Niveen Ismail from the Engineering Department had students looking at water quality in the Mill River, with Pratt sampling locations so they can test the abundance of certain bacteria and check to see if filter feeding animals in the river could be used to help clean the water.
Pratt also has students use her macroinvertebrate data for projects in their statistics courses. Gaby Immerman from the Botanic Garden has been working with students to remove invasive plants from along the edges of the Mill River and replace them with native plants.
Students can also take initiative to do a Special Studies projects or projects within courses to look at, such as the history of the river, its cultural significance or how climate change may be affecting the river. Finally, there is always room for informal conversations within the Smith community to raise awareness of how we impact the Mill River and how we can try to protect it.
