The impact of the Dragonfly Mercury Project on Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust volunteers and community partners 

How much do you know about mercury in our environment?

This was the question posed to several women before and after they volunteered to help us with the Dragonfly Mercury Project (DMP) as part of an ongoing “Women In Stewardship” project.

But what do dragonflies and mercury have to do with each other?

Mercury is a heavy metal found in the environment. It’s in the air and it’s deposited on land and water. Natural sources of mercury include the ocean, volcanic eruptions, and the weathering of rocks.

Mercury is more pervasive in the environment, however, due to human activities such as the burning of coal and mercury-contaminated waste. This element can travel long distances in the air before its deposited by rain or snow. Mercury undergoes a chemical change when microbes convert it to a toxic form known as methylmercury. These microorganisms are active in natural areas, especially wetlands with decomposing plant material and organisms, where nutrient cycling takes place.

Dragonflies spend most of their lives in the water as larvae (up to five years for some species), eating smaller insects. Toxins like mercury can bio-accumulate (build up) in their systems, which makes them excellent “bio-indicators”. This means they are effective indicators of contamination in their habitat, including rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and wetlands.

p.c. nationalgeographic.org

As an important part of the food chain, dragonfly larvae are eaten by other animals including fish and birds. Fish are eaten by many animals up the food chain, including humans, which is how mercury can go from water pollution into the food chain.

Volunteers around the country are working with national parks and other land managers (like LP&CT) to collect dragonfly larvae. The data that’s collected from analyzing the larvae can be compared to known toxicity levels for both humans and wildlife.

So, how much did our volunteers know about mercury prior to this project? What did they learn from the field work? Here are the responses from three of them:

“I would say that I definitely had an awareness of mercury in the environment and the harmful effects it can have; however, I had never heard of the DMP project. I did not realize scientists were collecting data from dragonfly larvae for mercury analysis to better understand its contamination and risk in the environment.” – Haillie M., former Community Volunteer Ambassador for the Lowell National Historical Park

“I knew that mercury accumulation was a hazard, but that is where my knowledge ended. I did not understand the ways in which air and water systems transport the toxin around the country. Through the program, I gained a better understanding of what a ‘bioindicator’ is, and the qualities that make dragonfly larvae a good one. I definitely learned a lot more regarding the dragonfly life cycle, and overall felt more aware of the different types of research possibilities by the time the program ended.” -Valerie M., UMass Lowell student and LP&CT intern

“I knew mercury was poisonous, but I never thought about it being something that’s measured in the natural world. I thought of it related to manufacturing and in things like thermometers and CFL light bulbs. It was fascinating to me that you can scoop up a little guy [dragonfly larva] to have it analyzed and do this all over the country to compare areas of impact.” -Lynn A., LP&CT volunteer

LP&CT volunteers have been contributing to this research in the Merrimack River watershed since 2021, along with other local organizations, including the Lowell National Historical Park, the Tsongas Industrial History Center, and the Appalachian Mountain Club. By participating in this community science project, volunteers and students are able to:

• Practice real-world science skills and help build their understanding of the world around them.
• Connect to natural spaces and learn how mercury affects food webs with hands-on science in local waters.
• Use the data to explain to their community, family, and decision-makers how mercury could be an issue where they live, thereby helping to protect the ecosystem of the Merrimack River Watershed.

The Merrimack Dragonfly Mercury Project has created a multilingual, interactive StoryMap to connect Lowell’s history to the research. View the StoryMap here: https://bit.ly/Merrimack-DMP.

For even more DMP information visit: go.nps.gov/dragonflymercury.

We greatly appreciate the time and effort made by our volunteers and community partners. Please contact us if you’re interested in helping with this important research!

Source: www.nps.gov