Documenting algae for Harpeth Conservancy is invaluable to determine the health of the stream! Whether you’re a college student needing class credit, a Girl Scout / Boy Scout troop, a corporate team, or a concerned citizen, WE NEED YOU!
Check out this handy download sheet to get you all set up with the app and connected with Harpeth Conservancy.
Read through our Water Reporter Training Manual to see what types of issues to post, how to comment, how to use hashtags, and much more!
Have you noticed algae growing where you live, work, or recreate?
Open the Water Reporter app
Connect with Harpeth Conservancy’s Watershed Group
Take a photo of the algae
hold camera 4ft above for overview photos, 1ft for closeups
Add a caption type broad category of algae: film, mats, sludge, cyano, green filamentous, other filamentou
Determine size of algae occurrence: roughly how many square meters
Estimate percentage of substrate that is covered with algae
tell whah the algae is attached to: sand, gravel, cobble, boulder, bedrock
Take a picture of the canopy (or sky) directly above the algae
categorize the canopy cover: fully shaded, partially shaded, partially open, fully open
estimate distance of canopy opening: closest canopy on each side of the stream
Upload your picture to Water Reporter, and don’t forget to tag #algae and #harpethalgae!
For any questions or concerns about the app, feel free to email Dr. Ryan Jackwood at ryanjackwood@harpethriver.org. We hope you enjoy being a Water Reporter!
Many thanks to our sponsors for helping us to implement Water Reporter in our area!