Assessing watershed health after Hurricane Helene
with stream ecologist Jason York.

   Fact: A bit more than 70% of Earth’s surface is covered by water, which is nice if you (like all living organisms) need water to survive.
   Other fact: More than 97% of that water is in the oceans and thus saltwater. That’s nice if you are a marine animal (or weirdly obsessed with songs about pirates). The rest of us, however, must make do with the relatively tiny amount of freshwater that is available in lakes, rivers, and streams.

So … now that we care deeply about freshwater systems (you’re welcome), it’s reasonable to want some method for determining their health. But quantifying an ecosystem’s “health” (a frustratingly vague abstraction) is, at best, challenging. And, after any natural disturbance (say, for discussion’s sake, a cataclysmic clown show coyly named Helene), where do we even begin? Some would say, “ask the bugs”.

At the February salon, float downstream with environmental scientist Jason York and investigate Hurricane Helene’s impact on our watersheds, rivers, and streams. Jason specializes in biological monitoring of freshwater ecosystems and their benthic macroinvertebrate populations (translation: he keeps an eye on streams and their dependents, using the local bug community to assess water quality). In addition to environmental assessment work with Michael Baker International, Asheville, he is Executive Director of The Whiterock Research, Education and Nature Center (WREN), which promotes ecological study, public awareness, and conservation of the Laurel River watershed in Madison County.

Doors at 5:00 PM. Have a drink with old friends, meet new ones, and get ready for some serious science in a seriously un-serious setting. Presentation starts at 7:00. Then, stick around for Q&A, discussion, and general mingling.