ZOOPlankton Monitoring Studies

Zooplankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, ponds; in salt water and in freshwater. The amount and types of zooplankton present give us information about food web interactions and water quality. Data from the zooplankton project and water quality data help us understand food web and habitat interactions, deepening our understanding of the ecology of Otter Point Creek.

Because zooplankton are not visible to the unaided eye, their importance can be overlooked. We know that other "unseen" factors that influence life in the Bay can have devastating effects if they are out of balance. For example, water with low levels of dissolved oxygen "looks" perfectly normal yet can cause fish kills.

Research projects:

Development of a micro-culturing technique
The effect of changing salinity on species
Community composition in response to water quality parameters

Volunteer Corps

Joanne Mattson
Claire Hauer
Frank Mannone
Clarke Romans
Peggy Mannone
Nancy Newman Zooplankton volunteer
Madeline Lovera
Patrick Matejka

Past Volunteers

Trey Morton
Samantha Castillo
Katie Soltysiak
Brittany Long
Helene Klair
Linda Romans
Jeff Griffin
Heidy Blumenschein
Megan Gaesser
Jacob Corselius
Bill Roberts
Gayanne Basham

zooplankton

More Information

Calendar of EventsView all

Clams - Can You Dig It?08/24/2019 @ 10:00 am-12:00 pmClams are environmental heroes and gastronomical treats! Dig into the mud of Otter Point Creek to harvest clams, use those clams in a demonstration of their superhero filtering capacity, and then dig into the finer points of steaming and consuming clams!
Tails and Tots08/25/2019 @ 2:00 pm-3:00 pmStory time with a natural twist! Listen to stories, learn new songs, and move like the animals.
Build-a-Boat Float08/31/2019 @ 1:30 pm-3:00 pmSearch the forest and shoreline for the perfect materials to design and construct a rustic natural boat. How well will your boat float? Test it out along the shoreline of Otter Point Creek!
Sunday Trail Running09/01/2019 @ 10:00 am-11:00 amLog your miles while enjoying some beautiful scenery and some fellow nature enthusiasts! All skill levels/paces welcome. The course is an out and back, single track, approx. 2 miles long (but you can run it more than once if you choose).
Wild Rice Canoe09/07/2019 @ 1:00 pm-3:30 pmWander through the waving stalks of wild rice within the marsh. Taste what was once a staple of Native American diets and remains an important food source for migrating birds.