User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
I have 20 replicates over a 2km stretch of creek and waterfall at Peterson Creek Park in Kamloops BC. I struggled to get my sample sizes as measuring across the creek was tricky and anything I would place in it would float away. Staking posts would damage the creek walls as I hoped to get the full range of creek for most samples. I ended up enlisting help and painting measurements on a stick then marking the edges with flagging tape. I noticed after my first walkthrough that my hypothesis could have varying results based on pollutants and human traffic which made me reevaluate. I also noticed there was virtually no wildlife which suggested the area may have underlying pollutants effecting multiple habitats. Soil and water sampling would be ideal if the resources to do so were available.
