Meeting 1176 Minutes
Minutes from the 1176th Meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club
President Nate Edelman called the 1176th meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club to order at 7:35 pm on Tuesday, October 11th in MCZ 101. Approximately 19 members and guests were in attendance.
New business: Nate Edelman announced the Entomological Society of America’s meeting in Newport, RI in March 2017. It will feature an outreach program
“It’s a Bug’s World” to be held March 19. CEC members are encouraged to participate.
David Lubertazzi seeks volunteers to work with him at Harvard on ant diversity.
Old business: The CEC photo show photo show continues at Fresh Pond.
Jason Thompson was approved for membership. (?)
Katie Friedman and Elisabeth Cianciola, Charles River Watershed Association
Presented a talk entitled Benthic macroinvertebrates serve as biological indicators of water quality and aquatic habitat health.
Macroinvertebrates act as a general indicator of water quality, because certain groups are capable of tolerating higher loads of pollutants than others. Using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Stream Biotic Index, the Charles River Watershed Association coordinates biological monitoring through citizen science research in tributaries of the Charles River.
Trained volunteers, (currently 80+) collect monthly samples and measure water depth and temperature. Organisms are sampled using simple equipment: kick nets and multiplate “artificial habitats” where the water is too deep/swift for net collection.
Volunteers do preliminary sorting of macroinvertebrates using a three class system based on pollution tolerance. Efforts are underway to improve the reliability of the data collection through local educational initiatives and refined field techniques. Volunteers are being sought for the 2017 season, see the Charles River Watershed Association website for more information.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:50pm for discussion and refreshments.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrea Golden, CEC Secretary
