Fall Creek Watershed Committee Minutes
January 10, 2002
Dryden Town Hall

Present: Yvette DeBoer, Phil Koons, Dave Bouldin, Joyce Gerbasi, Mona Barghout

Also present was an Ithaca Times reporter, who will meet with Yvette to get more information on the group for a possible article.

Yvette suggested that the main focus of the group for the next 3-6 months would be monitoring. This was agreed on by the group. This will required monthly chemical monitoring, and training in benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring. Although we have experienced trainers in the area, Phil states that the DEC may require training by them. All results must be read by a certified lab, and our training must lead to our being certified collectors as well, or the DEC will not accept our results. Phil pointed out that the bmi training session previously brought 40-50 people in, which could be a good recruiting tool. Yvette pointed out that Tier 2 level quality required replicate samples, and not the certified lab reading, but the DEC may not accept work below Tier 3, which does require certified lab readings. Trout Unlimited will probably join in any training sessions.

Phil is attempting to obtain the DEC document on BMI sampling in Fall Creek in the 80's.

Joyce suggested that more people could arrange training with Jose and Roxi on the portable hydrolab, as well as figuring out if we need to borrow or buy or be trained on a GPS reader. Yvette agreed that this should be arranged. Dave suggested that if our descriptions of sampling spots are well enough defined we may only need to do the GPS readings once.

Dave suggested that a situation ripe for study is the effect of the sediment drop off on and around the Virgil Dam impoundment area on the sediment being carried and deposited down stream. This will be given further consideration later.

Mona suggested that sampling and do fixing could be done in the field, and all other tests could be taken to a lab or other area and done then. Dave said that temperature and undisturbed samples were important for pH, alkalinity, and conductivity as well. It was decided if Steve was willing to let us in, or another place could be found, that the possibility is there for one group to go to the spots assigned, do the required tests there, and bring the rest to the lab and another group do the tests that do not require field conditions. This could be rotated among the group. This would require less time for the collecting group. It was decided that calibration of the tests be done at the beginning of the day only, but that two samples should be tested for each test. Dave suggested that for bringing the sample to another location that the bottle should be filled so that no air was in the bottle, and the temperature kept as close as possible to the sampling site temperature. For this Saturday, Phil and Yvette will start and do all tests, bring it to Mona, who will do the needed tests and get a sample, and bring this to Joyce who will do the needed tests on site and then do the other tests on both sample sets.

Yvette stated that the monies left do not have to be immediately spent. We have ordered another set of LaMotte kits, so we will have two to work with. Other possible expenditures might be a dissecting microscope or projection scope. There will also be expenses on the brochure.

Yvette stated that Steve has a chloride kit as well, which we should be starting to use by the next sampling date. Dave stated that his studies showed a near doubling of chlorides, possibly due to road salt, and that this is an important test for us to be involved with.

The stream clean up is on 5/4/02. Last year's clean up was organized by an intern for the Watershed, who is now gone. Some one is needed to do this job. Funds may be available from the state Trout Unlimited. It is hoped that retail establishments might be willing to donate trash bags, gloves, etc., which we purchased last year.

Dave is putting together a CD involving his long time monitoring of Virgil Creek, as well as some no-longer-in-print publications which are relevant to the subject. He is aiming this at groups such as ours, and would like to send them to us for our comments. He is having a great deal of trouble changing hard copy to CD for his Fall Creek results, and is seeking ways to do this without having to retype all tables, etc. The CD will not be ready for a few months. We all agreed we would be happy to see it.

The next meeting will be on 2/5/02 at 5:30 at Community Fly Fishing. Yvette will bring the refreshments.