A Research Tech’s Perspective, Pt.1

It was a windless 20 degree morning in mid February when I met Dr. Brendan Wiltse (or Dr. Brendy as I call him) on South Meadows Road in the High Peaks Wilderness. A per diem Research Tech position had just opened with the Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) at Paul Smith’s College and I was volunteering for the day while my application was being processed. The day’s task: collecting water samples from Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden, almost 16 miles round trip. As Brendan began loading me up with gear, including quite a few empty collection bottles, I realized that no matter how much water I drank on the trail that day, my pack was never going to get any lighter. Thankfully, snow conditions were ideal and so we set off on skis which made for a quicker and more exciting day than snowshoes would’ve afforded.

As we skied along I asked a lot of questions. When I agreed to apply for the position all I knew was I would be getting paid to visit many different remote backcountry ponds and lakes, an activity I was doing with my free time anyways. As an avid paddler I was always willing to get behind causes that would help protect the watersheds where I enjoyed recreating. Though I knew the work I’d be doing was for a good cause, I didn’t yet understand how or why. I would be helping with the Adirondack Long Term Monitoring (ALTM) Program which collects data to study how lakes and ponds across the Adirondack Park are recovering from acid rain. Before I knew it we were at Marcy Dam shedding a layer and slugging some water before continuing on. The sun was starting to come out in full force and black capped chickadees quickly fluttered from tree to tree. The sound of skis hissing on the snow underfoot was music to my ears.

I was impressed with the depth of Brendan’s knowledge, not that I expected any different, as he talked about the history of the program and what exactly the water was being tested for. More than 20 chemical parameters are being tested in each sample, including: sulfate (SO42-), nitrate (NO3-), acid neutralizing capacity (ANC), pH, toxic inorganic monomeric aluminum (Al) and dissolved organic carbon. In a healthy lake/pond ecosystem the water is actually murkier, Brendan explained. That is because of all of the dissolved organic carbons which give it a tea like color. Often the clearest waters, especially further from shore hint at greater acidification; great for swimming but not aquatic life.

This was my first time through Avalanche Pass on skis and it was an exciting descent from the height of land down to the lake. As we zipped across the frozen lake we both agreed it was much quicker than the trail along its perimeter. Before long we were passing the Lake Colden outpost and skiing back out onto the hard water towards the outlet at its southern tip. As we reached our sampling location, we were greeted by the DEC’s Lake Colden Caretaker out patrolling on skis. We stopped a safe distance from the outlet, dropped our packs and started to get out the field gear we hauled all the way out there. I augered a hole through the ice and we scooped out the slush. Brendan showed me how to use the Kemmerer, a device used for collecting water below the surface and the proper rinsing of collection bottles to avoid contamination. While I put my newly learned skills to use, he recorded things like water temperature, air temperature, weather conditions, etc. The real work would be done back at the lab by scientists like Brendan using high tech equipment that I still have very little understanding of. Wearing just vinyl gloves throughout the sampling process and being out on an exposed frozen water body, I was very glad my first experience was on such a nice day. The sunny, balmy temperature and lack of wind really allowed me to absorb everything Brendan was teaching me.

We were making good time and after a quick bite to eat, were already skiing back towards Avalanche Lake by noon. We repeated the same process there and before we knew it we were skiing back past the towering rock cliffs to the top of the pass. As the day warmed, the snow became a little faster and we had a real hoot dashing back down to Marcy Dam. After another hour or so we were back at our vehicles sorting out gear. I was tired, good tired, slight sunburn on my face, I knew I would sleep well tonight. I could not wait for the next trip, my first official day on the job.

Funding for the Adirondack Long-Term Monitoring program is provided by NYSERDA. NYSERDA has not reviewed the information contained herein, and the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of NYSERDA or the State of New York.