A Nitrate Experiment: The Effect of Light on Color
Which light environment should we test for nitrate in? Nitrate is an important indicator of stream health. At ALLARM, the LaMotte Nitrate-Nitrogen Tablet Kit is used to measure the concentration (mg/L) of nitrate-nitrogen in water. Nitrate- nitrogen (NO3-N) measures the amount of nitrogen in the nitrate ion (NO3-) (1). Nitrate ions are a major form of dissolved nitrogen in water due to high solubility (2). Although nitrate is a necessary nutrient…
Congratulations to the Class of 2026!
This post consists of four separate senior reflections written by ALLARM's 2026 seniors: Crosby, David, Max, and Marja. Please join us in congratulating them on this astounding accomplishment! [caption id="attachment_1219" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Spring Letort Monitoring with seniors Crosby, David, Max, and Marja![/caption] Crosby: Working with…
A Soap Experiment: Alconox vs. Alconox-Liquinox
ALLARM received an interesting question from one of our partner monitoring groups: Does the Alconox-Liquinox soap used to wash sample analysis glassware affect the value of orthophosphate, since some products sold by Alconox contain phosphate chemicals (SDS)? Alconox and Alconox-Liquinox are detergents used when washing…
ALLARMies take on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Forum!
On Saturday, November 8th, nine ALLARM Watershed Coordinators took to Shepherdstown, West Virginia to attend the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Forum. As each person was able to choose their own schedule, everyone's day looked slightly different, but one sentiment rang true for everyone - this was…
A Day in the Life of a New ALLARMie – Summer Edition!
This summer, I started working at ALLARM as a brand new ALLARMie along with two returning co-workers, David and Kristin, and four full-time staff, Isabel, Jill, Lane and Olive who allowed me to gain new experiences. Besides the big events addressed in the past posts…
More Macros: Summer Camp Style!
Last year, ALLARM had the privilege of visiting the East Pennsboro Summer Camp to teach students about macroinvertebrates and their importance in aquatic ecosystems. We were fortunate enough to be invited back to host a similar event this year on July 21st, where we once…
Data Interpretation with OCCA
On July 9th, the ALLARM team took a trip to Otsego County in New York for a long-awaited data interpretation workshop for the Otsego County Conservation Association (OCCA). During this two-part event, we gave an initial presentation on water quality influencers, state standards and policy,…
Kicking off the Summer Experience with Macros!
On June 14th, the ALLARM team packed up and headed north to Tunkhannock for a macroinvertebrate workshop with the Northern Tier Stream Team. There, we trained community members on our macroinvertebrate identification and collection protocol. The workshop kept its participants busy in the stream all…
Full-Circle Class Visits
After a relaxing and rejuvenating Spring Break, ALLARM’s student watershed coordinators sprung back into action by visiting Professor Benka-Coker and Professor Douglas’ ENST 162 classes to give presentations on ALLARM’s community science efforts. During the presentation, we introduced ALLARM as an organization to the students…
A Day in the Life – Outreach Team!
One of the overarching goals of our Outreach Team is to make the work that ALLARM does, and resources for community science, accessible and relatable. In each project the team works on, we endeavor to share all of the wonderful things our employees, volunteers, and…
