{"id":39861,"date":"2025-07-16T08:00:35","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T12:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/?p=39861"},"modified":"2025-07-31T11:48:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T15:48:09","slug":"partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm","title":{"rendered":"Partners for Clean Streams: Monitoring Water Quality in Northwest Ohio and Fostering Community Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Growing up around a highly frequented yet often-polluted state lake in his hometown, Jesse Stock learned early on that the protection of freshwater resources and stewardship of the natural world build stronger, more connected communities united by shared goals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dow Lake, located in Strouds Run State Park, was a man-made lake used primarily for recreation and flood control, and drained in the winter. Stock\u00a0 recalls seeing all of the litter and waste that ended up in the lake each year when it was drained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fortunately, he was not the only person who noticed these issues and a collaborative, community-wide initiative to clean up the lake was started.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Twice a year, locals invested in protecting the lake would clean up the lake, roadways, and surrounding shoreline.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhile it wasn\u2019t a large-scale effort, it had a big impact on me personally. It motivated me to continue to take responsibility for that space. And it was really rewarding emotionally for me as a resident and a leader within the community to say, \u2018Look, it\u2019s such a better place when it is more pristine and clean and we\u2019re aware of the issues,\u2019\u201d states Stock.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He continues, \u201cI didn\u2019t just want to talk about the problem\u2014I wanted to be the change and take meaningful steps to fix it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This early lesson is what led Stock to become involved in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/partnersforcleanstreams.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Partners for Clean Streams<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a Northwest Ohio-based nonprofit that organizes water cleanup projects, manages a water quality monitoring program, and shares environmental data with the community to improve public knowledge of issues in the region.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_39863\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39863\" class=\"size-full wp-image-39863\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb.jpg\" alt=\"Several sampling locations are adjacent to schools, allowing for direct partnership with K-12 teachers and students to participate in water monitoring.\" width=\"940\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-39863\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Several sampling locations are adjacent to schools, allowing for direct partnership with K-12 teachers and students to participate in water monitoring. (Credit: Kat Kieffer \/ Partners for Clean Streams)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Evolution of Partners for Clean Streams\u2019 Water Quality Monitoring Program<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Partners for Clean Streams has been cleaning up Lake Erie\u2019s western basin and the surrounding waters for decades, the organization\u2019s volunteer-led water quality monitoring programs started just four years ago when they joined the Cleveland Water Alliance\u2019s Lake Erie Volunteer Science Network (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clevelandwateralliance.org\/lake-erie-volunteer-science-network\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LEVSN<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Partners for Clean Streams helped establish <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Community Water Action Toledo (<a href=\"https:\/\/partnersforcleanstreams.org\/projects\/community-water-action-in-toledo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CWAT<\/a><\/span>)<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0to bring together local organizations and leverage their existing volunteer pools for community water monitoring.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CWAT program was made possible through funding from the Greater Toledo Community Foundation. Their support enabled CWAT to launch its involvement with LEVSN and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/lake-erie-volunteer-science-network-building-trust-in-citizen-science-programs.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">established standard operating procedures<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for sampling, ensuring consistent data collection across the network<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like other LEVSN partners, Partners for Clean Streams uses <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/ysi-prodss-multi-parameter-water-quality-meter.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">YSI ProDSS<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> multi-parameter meters to collect conductivity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and pH measurements.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_39867\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39867\" class=\"size-full wp-image-39867\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_CWAT-sampling-kit-PCS_ForWeb.jpg\" alt=\"Water monitoring sampling kit used by volunteers.\u00a0\" width=\"940\" height=\"940\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_CWAT-sampling-kit-PCS_ForWeb.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_CWAT-sampling-kit-PCS_ForWeb-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_CWAT-sampling-kit-PCS_ForWeb-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_CWAT-sampling-kit-PCS_ForWeb-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_CWAT-sampling-kit-PCS_ForWeb-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-39867\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Water monitoring sampling kit used by volunteers.\u00a0(Credit: Kat Kieffer \/ Partners for Clean Streams)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first year of the CWAT program was staffed by over 50 volunteers from partner organizations, including The Toledo Zoo, Metroparks Toledo, and TMACOG, who collected data from 19 sites along the Maumee River, Ottawa River, and Swan Creek.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The program&#8217;s initial goal was to build a multi-year database of baseline stream health data, while engaging community members in a rigorous, community-science effort and connecting them to waterways.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The following year, the same locations were sampled as well as a few new sites, including the addition of sites on the Portage River. That same year, Partners for Clean Streams released a report documenting and analyzing their findings from the sampling program, drawing some conclusions about the health and stressors of various waterways.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They also contribute to the larger, basin-wide <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1QVmcee06M8eCM0NcOY5-1qTnPn75xRnd\/view\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LEVSN Reports<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the health of the Lake Erie watershed as a whole.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_39871\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39871\" class=\"size-full wp-image-39871\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Kat-Sampling-at-H2Ohio-Site-in-Oak-Openings-April-2023-PCS_ForWeb.jpg\" alt=\"PCS staff sampling\u00a0at Oak Openings wetland site.\" width=\"940\" height=\"940\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Kat-Sampling-at-H2Ohio-Site-in-Oak-Openings-April-2023-PCS_ForWeb.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Kat-Sampling-at-H2Ohio-Site-in-Oak-Openings-April-2023-PCS_ForWeb-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Kat-Sampling-at-H2Ohio-Site-in-Oak-Openings-April-2023-PCS_ForWeb-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Kat-Sampling-at-H2Ohio-Site-in-Oak-Openings-April-2023-PCS_ForWeb-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Kat-Sampling-at-H2Ohio-Site-in-Oak-Openings-April-2023-PCS_ForWeb-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-39871\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Partners for Clean Streams staff sampling at Oak Openings wetland site. (Credit: Kat Kieffer \/ Partners for Clean Streams)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Initially, Partners for Clean Streams\u2019 sampling program was equipped solely with six LEVSN loaned ProDSS meters. However, the organization has recently been able to purchase three of their own, which they use for sampling at their designated sites as well as for loaning out to select projects and outreach initiatives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, Partners for Clean Streams collaborates with local municipalities to monitor stormwater runoff and other nonpoint source pollution\u2014something that is already required for permitting, but can be augmented with volunteer sampling.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, there are 19 core volunteers from Partners for Clean Streams who work to collect monitoring data each month, along with continued participation from other CWAT partners.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_39869\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39869\" class=\"size-full wp-image-39869\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_IMG_6210_ForWeb.jpg\" alt=\"Volunteers getting hands-on training at PCS's 2025 CWAT Kickoff Event.\" width=\"940\" height=\"940\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_IMG_6210_ForWeb.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_IMG_6210_ForWeb-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_IMG_6210_ForWeb-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_IMG_6210_ForWeb-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_IMG_6210_ForWeb-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-39869\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Volunteers getting hands-on training at Partners for Clean Streams&#8217; 2025 CWAT Kickoff Event. (Credit: Mary Winkle \/ Partners for Clean Streams)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though this is a smaller team than when the program started, returning volunteers offer consistency and are dedicated to collecting this data.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thanks to a partnership with the University of Toledo\u2019s Environmental Sciences department, Stock\u2014currently serving as the organization\u2019s Executive Director\u2014plans to expand water quality monitoring by adding a probe to test for chloride levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Northwest Ohio, brine is commonly used to keep roadways safe during winter weather, but the runoff can significantly alter water chemistry. By tracking chloride concentrations, the organization hopes to better understand the impact of road salting and salt storage on the lake and surrounding waterways.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He also mentioned some future opportunities for youth to become involved in the program and learn more about the environment, by lending out their meters to local schools and hosting community events that allow young people to interact with the waterways and become more informed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the water quality monitoring program has evolved over the years, the goal of creating an engaged community that is aware of the watershed\u2019s issues has remained the same. Stock believes that the best way to achieve this is by inviting them into natural spaces and using data to show that the environment is in need of protection.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_39868\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39868\" class=\"size-full wp-image-39868\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_IMG_2695_ForWeb.jpg\" alt=\"PCS Staff engaging middle schoolers from Delta, OH in a wetland and waterway connectivity activity at Delta Water Celebration Day 2024.\" width=\"940\" height=\"705\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_IMG_2695_ForWeb.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_IMG_2695_ForWeb-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_IMG_2695_ForWeb-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_IMG_2695_ForWeb-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-39868\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Partners for Clean Streams Staff engaging middle schoolers from Delta, OH in a wetland and waterway connectivity activity at Delta Water Celebration Day 2024. (Credit: Kat Kieffer \/ Partners for Clean Streams)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Data Collection in the Maumee River Watershed<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data is collected by volunteers at 27 sites using a YSI ProDSS throughout the year. Volunteers are trained and then can check out sampling kits that travel from site to site with them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While sampling occurs at each site at least monthly, a few sites are sampled more frequently, depending on the availability of volunteers and sampling kits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most volunteers sample a few sites per outing, collecting water in a bucket for sampling or spot sampling directly in the stream, depending on site conditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Measurements are recorded on an included data sheet. A few additional items, like a first aid kit, site maps and routes, and gloves, are also packed in the kits, ensuring that volunteers have everything they need in the field.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All of the collected data is synthesized and quality checked by Water Quality Analysts at Partners for Clean Streams and then shared publicly for community members and researchers to view on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/maps.waterreporter.org\/cpiA0h7oPO2n\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Water Reporter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though samples only take a few minutes to collect, the data can have far-reaching impacts, such as informing policy and environmental planning.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_39866\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39866\" class=\"size-full wp-image-39866\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Wildwood-Jennifer-Elsworth-Metroparks-recording-data-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb.jpg\" alt=\"Metroparks Toledo staff recording water data from the Ottawa River at Wildwood Preserve.\" width=\"940\" height=\"940\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Wildwood-Jennifer-Elsworth-Metroparks-recording-data-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Wildwood-Jennifer-Elsworth-Metroparks-recording-data-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Wildwood-Jennifer-Elsworth-Metroparks-recording-data-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Wildwood-Jennifer-Elsworth-Metroparks-recording-data-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Wildwood-Jennifer-Elsworth-Metroparks-recording-data-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-39866\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Metroparks Toledo staff recording water data from the Ottawa River at Wildwood Preserve. (Credit: Kat Kieffer \/ Partners for Clean Streams)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #808080;\">The Importance of Public Involvement in Water Quality Sampling<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Partners for Clean Streams has a staff of just three people, and Stock notes that collaboration with community members is essential for the program\u2019s success. Additionally, when residents are out collecting data, they have a greater knowledge of what\u2019s happening in the waterway.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cCommunity members are often the key decision-makers when it comes to water issues,\u201d says Stock. \u201cIf they\u2019re not aware of the problems affecting our waterways, it becomes easy to overlook the choices that could lead to meaningful change and improve the overall health of the water system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He continues, \u201cWe\u2019re using this as a way to start conversations, educate the community about what we\u2019re seeing in the waterways, and support municipalities by building public awareness and community involvement.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_39865\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39865\" class=\"size-full wp-image-39865\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Toledo-site_ForWeb.jpg\" alt=\"CWAT volunteers monitor a wide variety of sites, inclduding urban locations like Glass City Metropark in downtown Toledo.\" width=\"940\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Toledo-site_ForWeb.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Toledo-site_ForWeb-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Toledo-site_ForWeb-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Toledo-site_ForWeb-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-39865\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">CWAT volunteers monitor a wide variety of sites, including urban locations like Glass City Metropark in downtown Toledo, pictured here. (Credit: Kat Kieffer \/ Partners for Clean Streams)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the involvement of stakeholders of all ages is important for enacting change in the watershed, Stock notes the role of young people in particular\u2014specifically their existing knowledge on how to improve the environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He explains, \u201c[Young people] know what individual things they can do in their own household that will contribute to the quality of the water long term. There are times where I\u2019ve gone out and talked to them, and I\u2019m like, \u2018I\u2019m not smarter than that fifth grader.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stock continues, \u201cI\u2019m so impressed with the conversation and their awareness, and that really gives me hope and inspires me to think that maybe they\u2019ll think about the environment differently than how we\u2019ve handled it during my lifetime\u2014that the future decision makers will be better for the natural world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_39862\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39862\" class=\"size-full wp-image-39862\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Kids-adult-_ForWeb.jpg\" alt=\"CWAT has connected volunteers of all ages with local waterways: family sampling at Highland Park in Toledo.\u00a0\" width=\"940\" height=\"940\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Kids-adult-_ForWeb.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Kids-adult-_ForWeb-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Kids-adult-_ForWeb-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Kids-adult-_ForWeb-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Kids-adult-_ForWeb-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-39862\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">CWAT has connected volunteers of all ages with local waterways: family sampling at Highland Park in Toledo.\u00a0(Credit: Kat Kieffer \/ Partners for Clean Streams)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Working Together to Serve a Larger Purpose<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While individual contributions and business outputs have certainly had an effect on the environment, most of the issues impacting Northwest Ohio are related to agriculture, and Stock stresses that a conversation needs to be had about how everyone can contribute to protect the environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He explains, \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be a conversation that\u2019s adversarial. There\u2019s a clear history of pointing fingers, and yet, have we done enough? Have we done enough community building and community organizing in a way that doesn\u2019t create barriers for future work?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All members of the public, from business-owners, to farmers, to average-day workers, need water to survive and keep their livelihoods, and Stock stresses that there just aren\u2019t enough funds in the region to fix the environmental issues here\u2014he says, \u201cWe can\u2019t policy our way out of this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_39870\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39870\" class=\"size-full wp-image-39870\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Joan-in-action-Providence-Dam-CWAT-PCS_ForWeb.jpg\" alt=\"CWAT volunteers collecting\u00a0data at Portage Metropark on the Maumee River.\" width=\"940\" height=\"705\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Joan-in-action-Providence-Dam-CWAT-PCS_ForWeb.jpg 940w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Joan-in-action-Providence-Dam-CWAT-PCS_ForWeb-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Joan-in-action-Providence-Dam-CWAT-PCS_ForWeb-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Joan-in-action-Providence-Dam-CWAT-PCS_ForWeb-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-39870\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">CWAT volunteers collecting\u00a0data at Portage Metropark on the Maumee River. (Credit: Kat Kieffer \/ Partners for Clean Streams)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The solution, according to Stock, requires coming together over the understanding that water is a shared resource under threat. \u201cThere is no way that we\u2019re going to be able to address the quality of our water without partnership and collaboration in the space.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Working with groups to foster amicable but important conversations about the state of the region&#8217;s water is vital to preserving life on Lake Erie\u2019s western shore. This is one of the founding reasons that Partners for Clean Streams emphasizes community members being the people who go out and make the measurements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stock explains, \u201cI really believe that people are the solution to issues that we\u2019re having. We were the cause, but we\u2019re the solution as well. Because it was a human-created problem, humans can be the solution. And in order to get there, what we need is participation, understanding, and spaces that invite people into this work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are interested in joining the Partners for Clean Streams volunteer program, please contact <\/span><\/i><\/span><a href=\"mailto:admin@partnersforcleanstreams.org\">admin@partnersforcleanstreams.org<\/a><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for more information or visit them online at www.partnersforcleanstreams.org<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Growing up around a highly frequented yet often-polluted state lake in his hometown, Jesse Stock learned early on that the protection of freshwater resources and stewardship of the natural world build stronger, more connected communities united by shared goals. Dow Lake, located in Strouds Run State Park, was a man-made lake used primarily for recreation [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":39863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,32,7,8,49,510],"tags":[122,2638,20,125,181,2560,346,500,62,1830,103,2639,348,1887,1068,503],"class_list":["post-39861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-articles","category-lakes-reservoirs","category-news","category-newsfeed","category-rivers-streams","category-water-quality","tag-citizen-science","tag-cleveland-water-alliance","tag-dissolved-oxygen","tag-great-lakes","tag-lake-erie","tag-lake-erie-volunteer-science-network","tag-lakes-reservoirs","tag-monitoring","tag-monitoring-gear","tag-monitoring-streams","tag-news-2","tag-partners-for-clean-streams","tag-rivers-streams","tag-stream-monitoring","tag-streams","tag-water-quality"],"remote_post_permalink":false,"remote_post_featured_image":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Partners for Clean Streams: Monitoring Water Quality in Northwest Ohio and Fostering Community Engagement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From grassroots cleanups to high-impact, volunteer-driven data collection, Partners for Clean Streams is stepping up in Northwest Ohio.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Partners for Clean Streams: Monitoring Water Quality in Northwest Ohio and Fostering Community Engagement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From grassroots cleanups to high-impact, volunteer-driven data collection, Partners for Clean Streams is stepping up in Northwest Ohio.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Environmental Monitor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-16T12:00:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-31T15:48:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"940\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"529\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Samantha Baxter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Samantha Baxter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Samantha Baxter\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/341002b379397e09112d3edcefc25a50\"},\"headline\":\"Partners for Clean Streams: Monitoring Water Quality in Northwest Ohio and Fostering Community Engagement\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-16T12:00:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-31T15:48:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm\"},\"wordCount\":1931,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.fondriest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"citizen science\",\"Cleveland Water Alliance\",\"dissolved oxygen\",\"Great Lakes\",\"Lake Erie\",\"Lake Erie Volunteer Science Network\",\"Lakes &amp; Reservoirs\",\"monitoring\",\"monitoring gear\",\"monitoring streams\",\"news\",\"Partners for Clean Streams\",\"Rivers &amp; Streams\",\"stream monitoring\",\"streams\",\"water quality\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Featured Articles\",\"Lakes &amp; Reservoirs\",\"News\",\"Newsfeed\",\"Rivers &amp; Streams\",\"Water Quality\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm\",\"name\":\"Partners for Clean Streams: Monitoring Water Quality in Northwest Ohio and Fostering Community Engagement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.fondriest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-16T12:00:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-31T15:48:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/341002b379397e09112d3edcefc25a50\"},\"description\":\"From grassroots cleanups to high-impact, volunteer-driven data collection, Partners for Clean Streams is stepping up in Northwest Ohio.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.fondriest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.fondriest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb.jpg\",\"width\":940,\"height\":529,\"caption\":\"Several sampling locations are adjacent to schools, allowing for direct partnership with K-12 teachers and students to participate in water monitoring. (Credit: Kat Kieffer \\\/ Partners for Clean Streams)\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Environmental Monitor\",\"description\":\"Application and technology news for environmental professionals\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/341002b379397e09112d3edcefc25a50\",\"name\":\"Samantha Baxter\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8e97f39daccd348464e975668c310d7f7a93150e1d47044f68a24f83153c25e8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8e97f39daccd348464e975668c310d7f7a93150e1d47044f68a24f83153c25e8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8e97f39daccd348464e975668c310d7f7a93150e1d47044f68a24f83153c25e8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Samantha Baxter\"},\"description\":\"Samantha M. Baxter is a Writer and the Managing Editor for Fondriest Environmental. She received B.A. degrees in Integrated Language Arts Education and Political Science at Wright State University. She was hired as an intern in the spring of 2022 and has continued to work as a writer and editor for the Environmental Monitor, FishSens Magazine and other Fondriest Environmental pages. As a writer, Samantha works with researchers from across the country to craft stories that highlight their work and its impacts. As an editor, Samantha works with graphic designers, fellow writers, and various environmental professionals to create unique content for Fondriest Environmental. Samantha enjoys swimming, running, reading and playing video games in her free time.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/author\\\/samanthab\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Partners for Clean Streams: Monitoring Water Quality in Northwest Ohio and Fostering Community Engagement","description":"From grassroots cleanups to high-impact, volunteer-driven data collection, Partners for Clean Streams is stepping up in Northwest Ohio.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Partners for Clean Streams: Monitoring Water Quality in Northwest Ohio and Fostering Community Engagement","og_description":"From grassroots cleanups to high-impact, volunteer-driven data collection, Partners for Clean Streams is stepping up in Northwest Ohio.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm","og_site_name":"Environmental Monitor","article_published_time":"2025-07-16T12:00:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-31T15:48:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":940,"height":529,"url":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Samantha Baxter","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Samantha Baxter","Est. reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm"},"author":{"name":"Samantha Baxter","@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/341002b379397e09112d3edcefc25a50"},"headline":"Partners for Clean Streams: Monitoring Water Quality in Northwest Ohio and Fostering Community Engagement","datePublished":"2025-07-16T12:00:35+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-31T15:48:09+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm"},"wordCount":1931,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb.jpg","keywords":["citizen science","Cleveland Water Alliance","dissolved oxygen","Great Lakes","Lake Erie","Lake Erie Volunteer Science Network","Lakes &amp; Reservoirs","monitoring","monitoring gear","monitoring streams","news","Partners for Clean Streams","Rivers &amp; Streams","stream monitoring","streams","water quality"],"articleSection":["Featured Articles","Lakes &amp; Reservoirs","News","Newsfeed","Rivers &amp; Streams","Water Quality"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm","url":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm","name":"Partners for Clean Streams: Monitoring Water Quality in Northwest Ohio and Fostering Community Engagement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb.jpg","datePublished":"2025-07-16T12:00:35+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-31T15:48:09+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/341002b379397e09112d3edcefc25a50"},"description":"From grassroots cleanups to high-impact, volunteer-driven data collection, Partners for Clean Streams is stepping up in Northwest Ohio.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/partners-for-clean-streams-monitoring-water-quality-in-northwest-ohio-and-fostering-community-engagement.htm#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stock_Northview-High-School-Sara-Guiher-TMACOG-4-19-23-PCS_ForWeb.jpg","width":940,"height":529,"caption":"Several sampling locations are adjacent to schools, allowing for direct partnership with K-12 teachers and students to participate in water monitoring. (Credit: Kat Kieffer \/ Partners for Clean Streams)"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/","name":"Environmental Monitor","description":"Application and technology news for environmental professionals","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/341002b379397e09112d3edcefc25a50","name":"Samantha Baxter","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e97f39daccd348464e975668c310d7f7a93150e1d47044f68a24f83153c25e8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e97f39daccd348464e975668c310d7f7a93150e1d47044f68a24f83153c25e8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e97f39daccd348464e975668c310d7f7a93150e1d47044f68a24f83153c25e8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Samantha Baxter"},"description":"Samantha M. Baxter is a Writer and the Managing Editor for Fondriest Environmental. She received B.A. degrees in Integrated Language Arts Education and Political Science at Wright State University. She was hired as an intern in the spring of 2022 and has continued to work as a writer and editor for the Environmental Monitor, FishSens Magazine and other Fondriest Environmental pages. As a writer, Samantha works with researchers from across the country to craft stories that highlight their work and its impacts. As an editor, Samantha works with graphic designers, fellow writers, and various environmental professionals to create unique content for Fondriest Environmental. Samantha enjoys swimming, running, reading and playing video games in her free time.","url":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/author\/samanthab"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39861"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39874,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39861\/revisions\/39874"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}