At the heart of ALLARM’s mission is the goal of providing communities with the right tools and resources to collect and interpret data on their local waterways. It is this goal that drives ALLARM to connect with volunteer water monitors across the state and Chesapeake Bay watershed. When new community members express interest in ALLARM’s technical assistance, one of the first steps is meeting with them to understand the goals and priorities they have in mind, also known as a scoping meeting.
Students Marja Barrett (‘26), Emma Spinelli (‘25), and Water Quality Technician Lindsay VanFossen attended a scoping meeting for the Mountain Creek Trout Club (MCTC) where they met with President Mark Stahl and Vice President Michael Davis. During this meeting, they learned about MCTC as an organization and their motivations for a monitoring program. The organization is a 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2020 out of a passion for improving the water quality and recreational fishing opportunities in Mountain Creek. Marja and Emma provide their reflections on the event below.
Marja: Meeting with volunteers on day one of their involvement with ALLARM was a touching and valuable experience for me. In the past I have connected with volunteers through trainings and interviews, but never have I met with them before their start with ALLARM. President Mark Stahl and Vice President Michael Davis’s energy was contagious and their passion for conservation shone through the entire meeting. When asked about their goals they stressed monitoring and prevention for Mountain Creek, looking at the turbidity and pH of the water. Specifically, they were concerned about pollution coming from a local dam and paper mill. This group has already done so much for their community, such as creating Veterans Park, a peaceful green space for the entire town, and installing handicap fishing access with Mount Holly Heart and Soul. I’m excited to stay in touch with this wonderful group and see where this journey takes them!
Emma: This was my first scoping meeting that I had been a part of during my time at ALLARM, so I was unsure what to expect at first. We ended up meeting them right along the creek where they had already done a beautiful job so far with stream restoration efforts aimed at stopping bank erosion. During our meeting, we went from discussing their goals and accomplishments to understanding how ALLARM could best support them in their efforts to start water quality monitoring. Their interest in ensuring the health of the in-stream habitat and their proactive attitude in making sure there are no possible disruptions to it was very inspiring. One of my biggest takeaways was the commitment of the volunteers of this club, they truly have such determination and drive in making the creek a spot people can really enjoy and that can be home to a large variety of trout. Overall, this was a great opportunity for me to learn more about the choices that groups make in choosing study design and pursuing monitoring efforts.