Join Us at Along the AuSable

Gahagan is more than a nature preserve. Twice a year we organize volunteers to wade into the AuSuble River to collect samples of macro inverebrates (mostly aquatic bugs) to measure the quality of the water. We do this at 6 different points in the upper AuSable splitting in teams of 4 or 5 people. Collection points include

• the Mainstream upstream from Stephan Bridge
• the South Branch upstream of Watter's Edge near Steckert Bridge
• the East Branch on the south edge of Hartwick Pines State Park
• the North Branch near dam 4
• the Big Creek of the North Branch upstream of North Down River Road
• the Big Creek near Luzerne upstream of Randall Road

It is a fun day. It takes no experience as you will be paired with a knowledgeable collector. You learn about the river environment. The next collection day is June 5 meeting at Noon at the Kirtland Community College Biology Lab. We will go over a few instructions there, have lunch (provided) and head to the stream. We should be done by 5 pm. We have the equipment but if you prefer your own waders, bring them. We hope to extend our collection reach in the future but we need more caring volunteers to do so. Please join us!.

For more information, go to www.GahaganNature.org and click on AuSable Monitoring link. It will give you details about the project, the collection day and contact points for more information.