As Fall Semester 2016 comes to end, this blog has no intentions of doing the same. What was started as a class project, the hope is to continue as a resource for anyone needing information on the Sinking Creek watershed, or, more generically, watershed resource management and related topics. Over the past three months, the Sinking Creek Watershed has been mapped out and many of the most pressing conservation issues threatening the watershed discussed. The majority of these threats come from human causes, ranging from direct water pollution to non-point source impacts, such as agricultural runoff and risks from deforestation. Though not in as much detail, some methods to combat these threats have addressed as well. In similar fashion, the President of the New River Conservancy was interviewed about current and future efforts in the overarching New River watershed... and the In-Situ SmarTROLL real-time water quality monitoring probe was highlighted as a result of this interview.
In the future, some of the above issues will be revisited and approaches for remediation will be discussed in more detail. There will also be more in depth studies on the Sinking Creek Valley, ranging from historical facts and events to land use changes over the past several decades. One of the most critical components required for the full protection of a watershed is that all aspects of the watershed are addressed, including physical, chemical, and cultural components. It is also important to keep in mind that all of these are ever changing, and so must any successful plan to conserve any watershed, including that of Sinking Creek. One can only hope that this blog will assist in such efforts to keep the Sinking Creek watershed intact and healthy.