Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Join the Dragonfly Mercury Project

Volunteers and partners search for dragonfly larvae in the Nissitissit River.

Nancy Karuzis

Content submitted by: Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Wild and Scenic Stewardship Council

The Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers joined several other NPS Wild and Scenic Rivers in participating in the Dragonfly Mercury Project (DMP) in 2022. Led by the National Park Service, the US Geological Survey, and several other key partner organizations, the Dragonfly Mercury Project is a nationwide study that engages citizen scientists in collecting dragonfly larvae for mercury analysis.

Citizen scientists identify and measure dragonfly larvae on the Squannacook River.

Emma Lord

For the Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit River sampling, the Wild and Scenic Stewardship Council in partnership with the Nashua River Watershed Association and local volunteers collected dragonfly larvae on each of the three rivers to be analyzed for mercury levels.

Volunteers and partners search for dragonfly larvae in the Nashua River.

Emma Lord

The one-day sampling event was a big success, with lots of dragonfly larvae found as well as other interesting macroinvertebrates. The mercury results from the dragonfly larvae will be compared with other regional locations in the Merrimack River watershed and other locations across the country. Learn more about the DMP work in the Merrimack River watershed.

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Wild and Scenic River Currents

This article was featured in the 2023 edition of Wild and Scenic River Currents, the annual newsletter for the National Park Service Wild and Scenic Rivers Program.