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Summer 2002 Currents

Interning at SRWC by Mike Marino Soon after working for the Environmental, Health, and Safety Department at General Electric in Lynn, I landed a job as an intern for the Saugus River Watershed Council in March of 2001. Mike Marino, Saugus River, 2002 Since that time, I worked on projects such as developing a new membership database, collecting water quality samples, analyzing water quality data, helping to develop a new fish spotter program, and creating a Quality Assurance Performance Plan (QAPP) for the Council’s water quality monitoring programs. I enjoyed working for the council because it was both a learning experience and an enjoyable organization to work for. Any job getting your hands a little dirty and working outside is great, especially this one. The thing I loved most was collecting samples on beautiful days. I remember collecting those samples and thinking to myself ‘what job is better than this?’ I also gained first hand knowledge of work at an environmental non-profit organization and learned about the local, state, and federal regulatory processes associated with protecting the environment. During the summer of 2001, I took some time off to volunteer as a Fisheries Biological Technician for the Bureau of Land Management in Fairbanks, Alaska. The chum salmon escapement and run timing project, which I worked on, took place about 350 miles northwest of Fairbanks on a remote river, which was eyed as a potential mining area. This pristine environment produces one of the largest chum salmon populations in the Yukon River, important to commercial fishing and subsistence fishing by Alaska natives. I counted chum salmon, collected biological information from a sub-sample of the fish, and gathered daily weather and water quality information. After returning from Alaska, I began work on my senior project at Merrimack College. I evaluated the extent to which a created wetland constructed in Brentwood, NH, exhibited characteristics of a natural wetland. The study objectives were: 1) to compare the vegetation and soils between a created wetland and an existing natural wetland in the same region; 2) to assess the plant and soil characteristics of mound and pool microtopography within the created wetland; and 3) to determine if there was a change in plant diversity over time at the created wetland site. Based on field research and analysis, I concluded that the created wetland was only partially effective in representing a natural wetland, and that additional scientific research is needed to more fully develop effective wetland restoration techniques. One of our concerns is the significant potential for increased stormwater pollution associated with the oil and grease from vehicles that will run off the land after every rainfall. The potential for a spill during truck re-fueling operations is an even greater concern. There is currently much debate among scientists reviewing the project regarding the delineation of wetlands boundaries that will determine the possible scope and final size of the project. The Saugus River Watershed Council is working to ensure that the riverfront area, wetlands, and wetland buffer zones are fully protected. Other potential negative impacts of this project include truck traffic, noise, and air pollution Mike graduated Cum Laude from Merrimack College in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science. He was awarded second place in the 2002 Yassini Senior Research Scholarship for his wetlands research project. In June 2002, he left SRWC to pursue graduate work at the University of Massachusetts - Intergraduate School of Marine Sciences and Technology, based out of the UMASS - Dartmouth marine station in New Bedford. Mike was awarded a research assistantship and will be conducting research out of the Georges Bank Sea Scallop program, studying the effects of closed management areas on the harvested stocks of Georges Bank scallops. We at the Council appreciate all of Mike’s great work as an intern and wish him the best of luck in all his endeavors!

Summer 2002 Currents

Viewing the Watershed by Canoe
2002 Environmental EducationWorkshops
Steve Angelo Announces Retirement
Urban Coyote Field Study
"Alewife" finds Home at Saugus Iron Works
Volunteers Clean up Riverfront
Editorial: Rumney Marsh Threatened by Clean Elections
Learning About the Watershed
SRWC 2002 Annual Picnic
RESCO Seeks Expansion
Potential Trucking Facility Threatens Watershed
Interning at SRWC
Around the Watershed
Saugus River Watershed Council 2002 Canoe Trip Schedule