Upper Merced River Watershed Council

Our river, our land, our future
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CITIZEN WATER QUALITY MONITORING
 
We're pleased to welcome eleven new monitors who joined our veteran teams following a lively morning of training on November 14, 2009. If you are interested in becoming a monitor, contact us and let us know.  It's a great way to experience your watershed!
 
 
 
Citizen water quality monitors are people just like you. Anyone who cares about the watershed can become a water quality monitor. All training is provided. No science background is required. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
View the data our citizen monitors have collected from 2004 to present. 
 
Four times each year, families, couples, and individuals collect important data at their adopted sites. The data is compiled to tell an ongoing story of conditions in the watershed. Currently, 14 sites from Yosemite National Park to the north fork of the Merced River are being tested for air and water temperature, pH level, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, turbidity, and nitrate levels.  Release your Inner Chemist and join us in preserving water quality in the watershed! More volunteers are needed! To get started, contact us.
 
 
 
   

 HITES COVE DOCENTS 

 
Each spring, hundreds of wildflower enthusiasts visit Hites Cove to view Mother Nature's magnificent display of color. Upper Merced River Watershed Council volunteer docents are on hand to help them identify the wildflowers, discover the area's rich gold mining history, and learn how to be good stewards in this fragile canyon. 
  
If you'd like to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning or two at the Hites Cove trailhead in March and April, this may be the volunteer opportunity for you. Contact us to get started.
 
 
 
 
CONSERVATION LANDSCAPING PROJECT
 
Brochures to guide you through the features in each area are now available at the site. You can visit any time or view a brochure online. Watershed coordinators will be on hand to answer questions during the Agri-Nature Tour, April 24-25.
  

This project demonstrates Best Management Practices (BMPs) such as erosion control, water conservation and native plant gardening techniques that community members can observe and then implement on their own property. The project was funded by the Sierra Nevada Alliance. 
 
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy and Mariposa County Fairgrounds allowed us to use their building and space at 5039 Fairgrounds Road as the "model home." Rain gutters and catchment tank have been installed, terraces and retaining walls built, and a dry creekbed and stone steps completed. Approximately 50 native plants are in the ground. 
 
Workers recently installed a sign at the entrance to the project, where you can pick up a free brochure that explains the features of this project and provides sources of detailed information about how to create your own conservation garden.  Watch for information on a workshop in the spring where you can design your own home landscape based on the concepts demonstrated at the project.
 
Funding for this project has been provided in full or in part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund through an agreement with the State Water Resources Control Board. The contents of this brochure do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the State Water Resources Control Board, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. Mariposa County Resource Conservation District acknowledges the Sierra Nevada Alliance for funding and support of this project. For more information on the Alliance, visit www.sierranevadaalliance.org.