Dragonfly Mercury Project
The Stewardship Council participated in a nation-wide study sponsored by the National Park Service and USGS to determine the level of mercury in rivers based on the level found in Dragonfly larvae and skeletons. In September 2022, twenty or more larvae samples were collected from one site on each of our three Wild & Scenic Rivers.
Members of the Stewardship Council, NRWA staff, and volunteers sampled at the West Groton Water Supply District land on the Squannacook River, the Millie Turner dam site on the Nissitissit River, and the boat launch at the Marion Stoddart Conservation Area on the Nashua River. Samples were packed in dry ice and sent to a laboratory in Oregon for analysis of mercury levels, with results expected in spring or summer 2023.
NPS and USGS also tests for mercury in dragonflies on the Merrimack River in Lowell/Lawrence area and the Merrimack’s headwaters in the White Mountains.
For more information on the Dragonfly Mercury Project.
Anyone interested in participating should email Emma Lord at the National Park Service.
Members of the Stewardship Council, NRWA staff, and volunteers sampled at the West Groton Water Supply District land on the Squannacook River, the Millie Turner dam site on the Nissitissit River, and the boat launch at the Marion Stoddart Conservation Area on the Nashua River. Samples were packed in dry ice and sent to a laboratory in Oregon for analysis of mercury levels, with results expected in spring or summer 2023.
NPS and USGS also tests for mercury in dragonflies on the Merrimack River in Lowell/Lawrence area and the Merrimack’s headwaters in the White Mountains.
For more information on the Dragonfly Mercury Project.
Anyone interested in participating should email Emma Lord at the National Park Service.
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