Clean Water

Stream Team: David Silvey

Stream Team #: 3131
Date formed: Aug. 12, 2006
Location: Salt Creek
For more info about Stream Teams: see link listed below.

“I have always valued Missouri’s natural resources and want to be a steward for future generations’ sake.” That is how David Silvey describes the motivation behind his formation of Stream Team 3131. Asked why he settled on Salt Creek, the New Franklin resident said, “It’s a beautiful and diverse biological location with no current water monitoring activity. It seemed a perfect location to check the quality of water flowing out of that watershed before it enters the Missouri River.”

To achieve that goal, he, Vanessa Melton and Charles Pugsley completed advanced courses in water-quality monitoring. They feed findings from periodic water tests into the Department of Natural Resource’s water quality monitoring database. Silvey said it is gratifying to know the data they collect will provide the basis for detecting and addressing water-quality problems that might arise in and around Davisdale Conservation Area. “This is one way we all give back,” he said.

Livestock Fencing

Healthier streams and forests

Letting cattle graze in forests and wade in streams often leads to soil loss, stream bank erosion and reduced stream and forest health. It takes 40 acres of forest to equal the nutritional benefits of one acre of quality pasture. Furthermore, forest grazing can make cattle sick. Running livestock in losing streams also can contaminate groundwater. Fencing that allows limited access to water and shady areas reduces risks, enhances forest vigor and improves water quality. For information about cost-share programs for fencing and alternate watering solutions, contact a private lands or fisheries biologist at a regional office.

Water Quality Monitoring

Training empowers citizen stewards.

If you have ever wondered if a stream near you is healthy or polluted, the Conservation Department has a way for you to satisfy your curiosity and contribute to the body of scientific knowledge about stream health. Individuals and groups with an interest in stream conservation can participate in the Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring (VWQM) program, a statewide network of thousands of citizen conservationists, some of whom have been submitting data for more than a decade. They receive training and equipment needed to check stream health. There are four levels of training. Introductory workshops focus on indirect measures of water quality such as visual observations, general watershed evaluation and examining the number and variety of aquatic animals present in a stream. More advanced workshops teach volunteers to conduct direct, technical tests that check for pollutants. Most of the day-long workshops include hands-on field work. Introductory-level workshops are offered in the spring, so now is a good time to sign up. For more information, visit the link listed below, or call (573) 522-4115, ext. 3167.