Welcome to the BRWP Riverwatch Blog!

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Jessica. I am the lead Stream Assessment Surveyor in the Riverwatch team. I am relatively new to this area, but so far I’m thoroughly enjoying the natural beauty of the Ottawa Valley, as well as meeting its friendly and interesting people. The other half of our stream sampling duo is Virginia. She is a summer student and her role is to provide support through the stream sampling season. Virginia is a dedicated and extremely valuable member of this team, and like most sidekicks she ends up doing most of the work and getting me out of all sorts of sticky situations. I would be completely lost in the field without her.

You may find us out and about throughout Renfrew County, climbing down steep banks, trudging though scrub and tall vegetation, or sitting on the side of the road counting benthic macroinvertebrates. It is not uncommon that we find ourselves in situations where we need to rely on the kindness of strangers. The cooperation and understanding of landowners is crucial to the success of our sampling efforts in the Bonnechere River Watershed.

If you happen to see us on a field day (in Virginia’s bright yellow SUV with our logo on the side), feel free to stop and say hi, check out what we’re doing, and ask any questions you may have. If we don’t have the information you’re looking for on hand, give us your contact information and we will be happy to find out the answers and get back to you!

So stay tuned to this Blog! As they unfold I will be sharing updates on the stream assessment journey as we explore the various reaches of our watershed. Interesting findings, tales of natural beauty, and strange or humourous occurrences will be reported on a regular basis.

Sincerely, The Riverwatch Team