Student Research Reports
Ten-year Study of Piledriver Slough
Organization(s):Ben Eielson Jr/Sr High School
Country:United States of America
Student(s):Teslin Brannan, Rusty Baker
Grade Level:Secondary School (grades 9-12, ages 14-18)
GLOBE Teacher:Tori Brannan
Contributors:Salcha Elementary School students and staff
Report Type(s):Standard Research Report, U.S. Student Research Symposia (SRS)
Protocols:Water Temperature
Language(s):English
Date Submitted:04/22/2022
In 2011 work began on the Northern Railroad Extension Tanana Crossing bridge and levee, effectively cutting off the head of the local Piledriver Slough. Tanana Valley Watershed Association (TVWA), in partnership with Salcha Elementary (K-6) students and staff, conducted a 10-year impact study monitoring fish passage, habitat, water quality, beaver activity, invasive plants, and riparian changes. Current and former Salcha students collected data three times a year at eight sites through the use of minnow traps, juvenile fish identification, water quality sampling (DO, pH, temperature, turbidity), and habitat mapping from 2012-2022. Preliminary data of just one water quality measurement (water temperature) from 2012-2019 has demonstrated an increase of approximately 6 degrees Celsius during the months of June which may have a significant impact in relation to preferred temperatures for specific fish species.