Across the Watershed - Spring 2001

It’s spring! The sun is shining, the weather is warm and the world is green with new growth. Nature beckons living things to get up, get out and get active. After a long, cold winter it’s time for the RATs and BATs to come out of hibernation. Look for them along the brooks and streams that feed into Great Swamp and the tributaries of the Passaic River. Although generally active on weekends they may also be astir during weekdays and can be identified by their characteristic D-frame nets, kick-seines and rubber wading boots. Surprise! These kinds of RAT and BATs are not the objects of a nature study, rather, they are the ones doing the nature study.

Back in November when the initial training session was given, a number of hardy souls came out to the NJ Audubon Scherman-Hoffman Sanctuaries in Bernardsville for basic training as volunteer RATs, or River Assessment Teams. Participants were instructed on how to do visual stream assessments, what kinds of precautions to take while doing field work, determining land use in the area and noting possible causes of non-point source water pollution. After the lecture, participants went outside to practice their "ratting" skills by visually assessing a nearby stretch of the Passaic River.

As for BATs, or Biological Assessment Teams, it’s now open season for volunteers and basic training sessions will begin soon. The BATs program serves as a basic assessment of water quality by utilizing benthic macroinvertebrates (bottom-dwelling insect larvae) as indicator species. A survey of these creatures serves to determine the general health of the stream, taking into account both the amount and variety of organisms found. For volunteer assessment, biological sampling is preferred over direct chemical testing of the water. Different types of organisms thrive under different conditions, thus, sampling the types of organisms present gives an account of water quality over a period of time. Chemical testing only gives a "snapshot" of the water quality at the particular moment the sample is taken. Plus, The Izaac Walton League of America’s volunteer assessment protocol, used in the BATs program, is geared towards beginners. So, with a little training and a benthic macroinvertebrate identification key, the neophyte can immediately begin gathering data.

Why get involved in volunteer RATs and BATs? Since the implementation of the state plan the Division of Watershed Management has been paying particular attention to identifying and controlling non-point source (NPS) water pollution. This concern about the causes and effects of NPS water pollution has prompted the NJDEP to ask for volunteer groups to become trained in performing stream and biological assessments in their communities. Data collected by volunteers now engaged in the RATs and BATs programs are being accepted by the NJDEP for the purposes of identifying severely impaired "hot spots" and mapping general watershed health throughout the state.

To assist with public education on watershed issues, and promote the formation of volunteer assessment teams, the NJ Watershed Ambassador Program (NJWAP) was created. The NJWAP program is a joint project between AmeriCorps, a national service organization, and the NJDEP Division of Watershed Management. Watershed Ambassadors not only perform RATs and BATs, but also train and organize volunteer assessment groups. Watershed Management Area 6 (WMA-6) needs volunteers at this time to help with assessments not only in the Great Swamp Watershed, but also in the Upper Passaic, Whippany and Rockaway River watersheds. Training sessons are now being held in preparation for the summertime, when volunteer groups are most active.

This summer, enjoy the great outdoors while gathering valuable information about water quality in your vicinity. Now is the time to "get your feet wet" in the local and statewide watershed management process.

For more information on the volunteer RATs and BATs programs in WMA-6 contact: Louisa Lubiak, NJ Watershed Ambassador for WMA-6 LLubiak@greatswamp.org or phone 973-966-1900

Louisa Lubiak is an AmeriCorps member of the NJ Watershed Ambassador program

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