Watershed Research

Facts about watershed research conducted by The Academy of Natural Sciences:

• The Academy of Natural Sciences has been a leader in watershed research and education for more than 50 years. The Academy's water research labs are the Patrick Center for Environmental Research located in Philadelphia, not far from the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, and the Estuarine Research Center on the Chesapeake Bay in St. Leonard's, Maryland.

• A watershed is an area of land, including all surface and ground waters within it that drains to a body of water such as streams, rivers and lakes. Academy scientists investigate not only the separate parts of a watershed, but the system as a whole.

• In 1947, scientific pioneer Dr. Ruth Patrick founded the Patrick Center for Environmental Research at The Academy of Natural Sciences to promote the research and monitoring of water quality. A recipient of more than 40 awards, Dr. Patrick was presented the 1996 National Medal of Science - the nation's highest science and engineering honor - by former president Bill Clinton.

• Knowledge about The Academy's water research is disseminated to museum visitors through grant-funded specialized educational programs and through museum lessons and exhibitions.

Here are some ongoing water-research projects conducted by The Academy:

• In one of the few projects of its kind, scientists are conducting physical, chemical and biological studies to determine the effectiveness of dam removal as a method of river restoration along Manatawny Creek near Pottstown.

• In the final year of a 5-year project, researchers are developing comprehensive master plans for the protection, management and restoration of each of the seven parks that comprise Philadelphia's Fairmount Park System, the nation's largest urban park system.

• Scientists are sampling and analyzing sections of 12 streams in southeastern Pennsylvania that have suffered from nearby development. The results will determine where planting trees along stream banks (streamside reforestation) and other management strategies will be most effective in improving stream health.

• Scientists are tracing the path of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) through ecosystems in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut in order to assess risks posed by consuming contaminated fish.

• One research project in Chesapeake Bay centers on whether changes in water quality are causing an abundance of jellyfish, leading to a decline in the rockfish and striped bass fish populations. These fish are an important commercial and recreational industry in the bay.

• In spring and summer 2001, scientists will be monitoring creeks and rivers along Maryland's Eastern Shore in search of microscopic organisms that are suspected in large fish kills.