THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2006

Topic: Biological Assessment of Rivers and Streams in the Penobscot River Basin

In 1986, the Maine Legislature passed the Water Classification Law (1986), which established four classes (AA, A, B, and C) with different levels of environmental expectations for streams and rivers. The Legislature assigned every river and stream segment in the state to one of the four classes. MDEP's Biological Monitoring Unit is responsible for evaluating the condition of aquatic communities from Maine's streams and rivers and determine if they attain designated criteria. Biomonitoring results will be presented for rivers and streams in the Penobscot River Basin.

Speaker: Tom Danielson, Biomonitoring Unit, Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection

Tom is an Aquatic Biologist with Maine DEP and formerly worked for the U.S. EPA Wetlands Division in Washington, D.C. He has a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Business Administration from UMASS-Amherst, a Master of Environmental Management and Master of Public Policy from Duke University, and is currently working on a PhD with UMaine’s EES program.