2012 Volunteer of the Year
Utah Water Watch is happy to announce that the 2012 volunteer of the year is Trixie
Williams.
Trixie lives in Utah County and monitors two sites on the American Fork River. She
was interested in monitoring above and below the Tibble Fork Reservoir to research
the effects of recreational users and the reservoir on water quality.
Trixie was chosen for her dedication to monitoring and passion for nature. In 2012
Trixie completed 22 monitoring events, more than any other volunteer. She monitors
twice a month during the warmer months and even braves the snow to continue monitoring
in the winter. Trixie often takes friends and family with her when she monitors so
others learn about the importance of water quality!
We asked Trixie some questions to share her insights.
Why did you decide to volunteer with UWW?
I heard about Utah Water Watch from the Utah Master Naturalist program. I love the
outdoors and serving my community, so it felt like a good fit.
Did you have any background in science or monitoring?
I am also a monitor with U.S.A. National Phenology Network-a program which monitors
local flora and fauna for seasonal changes. I have always loved science.
What have you learned about monitoring water quality?
One of the things that impressed me in the Water Watch training was learning how data
and restoration can be used to actually improve the quality of water in local streams.
For example, the teacher showed recycled Christmas trees that had been used along
a stream to capture sediment.
What do you enjoy most about volunteering with UWW?
I feel like UWW is a program with multiple benefits--I take different people with
me almost every time, so it is an opportunity to educate and get others excited about
preserving nature. And the Division of Water Quality can use the data for managing
the state's water resources.
What do you enjoy about your monitoring sites?
I love being more intimately involved with areas that I already hiked regularly.
It is fascinating to learn how to monitor and see how seasonal and recreational changes
affect the water. My particular sites are very interesting to me because one is above
a heavily used reservoir and the other is below it; I wanted to learn what impact
recreational users had on the water quality. I have found it to be fairly minimal.
The water below the dam has more sediment, is a bit cooler and has more algae (it
is also shadier) but does not have E.coli contamination, which I might have suspected with the number of youth swimming and
boating! This time of year monitoring is an adventure as I hike through deep snow
to access the sites. I have been surprised that there are still a few active macro-invertebrates
beneath the rocks at the lower site.