Mountain Studies Institute (MSI) is seeking volunteer water samples for the summer of 2022. MSI is partnering with Fort Lewis College and the US Forest Service for the second year of E.coli monitoring in our alpine waterways and we need your help.

Why measure E.coli levels? E.coli is an indicator of fecal matter. Since 2020, visitation and trail use has increased dramatically, as much tripling in some areas like Ice Lakes Basin. We want to understand how humans are impacting the water, and to use this data to teach people about the importance of proper waste management. Furthermore, domestic sheep graze in the alpine, and we are interested in their impact on our watersheds.

Who can help? Anyone can help. No prior experience is required. Volunteer training will provide you with all you need to know.

When? We will collect samples during four different date ranges and volunteers can sign up for 0-4 of these events. We will also try to opportunistically collect samples after rain events. Since these cannot be scheduled, we will reach out to everyone at those times to see who is available, so even if you can’t make one of the four scheduled events, you might be able to sample after a rain.

Scheduled Sample Dates

• July 1-5

• July 25-28

• August 19-23

• Sept 9-12

How do I start? The first step will be to attend a volunteer training on June 29th from 6:00 – 7:30 PM. If you participated last year, please attend again as a refresher.

Register for the free training here.

If you would like to help and cannot attend the training, please email Jewell at jewell@mountainstudies.org to express your interest.