NALMS Supports Secchi Day on Beaver Lake

On Saturday, August 17, 2019, Beaver Water District held their 14th annual Secchi Day on Beaver Lake! We were very excited for NALMS to have such a significant presence at this year’s event. Our President, Sara Peel, was able to attend to show our support. In addition, the NALMS/Secchi Dip-In booth was manned by our Past President, Reed Green, and past Region 6 Director, Brad Hufhines.

This year’s event was the largest ever with over 800 participants. This number represents participants at the festivity (723), plus a record number of volunteer science teams (38) that collected water quality data, including secchi depth and water samples for chlorophyll-a, total phosphorus, and total nitrogen analyses.

The NALMS/Secchi Dip-In booth taught children and adults alike how to utilize a secchi disk. With one barrel of very turbid water and one with very transparent water, participants used a secchi disk (made from recycled CD’s) to interpret secchi depth measurements and discuss the factors that affect water transparency.

This event wouldn’t have been possible without the many incredible organizations in Northwest Arkansas that participated, including NALMS’ members and partners: Beaver Watershed Alliance, Northwest Arkansas Land Trust, Ozarks Water Watch, and our friends at the Source Water Collaborative.

This is a unique event that incorporates the goals of both Lakes Appreciation Month (even though it’s a month late) and the Secchi Dip-In, and we couldn’t be prouder to be a part of it. The science festival is a fun, engaging, and educational way to celebrate Lakes Appreciation Month with kids and families, while the volunteer water quality participants collect data to be uploaded to the Dip-In database. We can’t wait for next year!