UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — With a background as a neuropsychologist and cognitive neuroscientist, Carol Armstrong joined the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward program to address her growing concerns about the environment. In 2019, she became the first Master Watershed Steward statewide to surpass 1,000 volunteer hours.
Initially, Armstrong volunteered with research projects on coastal restoration and climate change impacts in Massachusetts, including at the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. However, due to distance limitations, she shifted her focus to freshwater ecosystem restoration closer to home. This led her to apply to the Master Watershed Steward program in Chester and Delaware counties.
“The coordinator created a highly enriched program with teachers from academic stream studies, watershed restoration and government wildlife agencies that helped to provide that initial scientific understanding of our freshwater ecologies,” she said. “The coordinators remain open to our own interests and ideas, and I really appreciate the work they do.”
As part of her early work with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Stroud Water Research Center, Armstrong visited Amish farms to monitor tree survival. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program incentivizes farmers with federal and state funding to support environmental goals. This includes transitioning pasture land through tree planting and installing livestock fencing to preserve stream quality. She learned about the critical need to increase forestland to support stream habitats and healthy drinking water.
Armstrong emphasized the urgent need to protect the Chesapeake Bay, citing substantial declines in fish, crustaceans and essential grasses, with the oyster population plummeting to just 1-2% of its historical level due to habitat loss, disease and overharvesting.
One of Armstrong’s key areas of focus is addressing plastic pollution, which prominent scientists view as a planetary disturbance threatening biodiversity and ecosystem balance.
“Wildlife is exposed to huge amounts of plastic with great consequences such as intersex fish, reduced reproduction, altered feeding behavior and starvation, strangling, and death,” Armstrong said.
She noted that efforts to combat plastic pollution involve both individual and governmental actions. For example, individuals can avoid synthetic clothing and single-use containers and utensils, and they can consume less meat. Armstrong has advocated for local businesses to curb plastic pollution by eliminating polystyrene food packaging and plastic utensils and bags.
On a governmental level, Armstrong pointed out what she believes is insufficient funding for research on microplastics despite mounting concerns. Microplastics, found in air, water, soil and human bodies, pose significant health risks, with studies linking them to increased cardiovascular disease risk, rising colorectal cancers, and doubling rates of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases in recent decades.
In addition to her advocacy efforts, Armstrong participates in on-the-ground conservation projects, such as planting riparian buffers and monitoring stream chemistry. She collaborates with the Stroud Water Research Center to monitor streams and support research efforts, and she works with watershed organizations and environmental advisory councils to collect data, conduct research and implement conservation initiatives.
Through her time in the Master Watershed Steward program, Armstrong has learned about the crucial role forests play in ecosystems. She pointed to the research of Suzanne Simard, professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia, who mapped the root systems of trees in a forest and found that every tree is connected to every other tree through a complex network. Trees rely on the mycorrhizal network for nutrients and defense against pests and diseases, and the loss of these connections can have severe consequences for the forest ecosystem.
“Trees seem like the strongest living things in the world, but they’re fragile and we need to protect them,” Armstrong said.
If a tree needs to be cut down or dies, Armstrong suggested preserving as much of the trunk as possible to help protect the forest underground ecosystem. Even after death, trees contribute to the environment by providing nutrients and oxygen to other trees through their roots and by maintaining soil structure.
In addition to learning more about topics such as tree-root connectivity, freshwater thermal pollution and invasive plants, Armstrong expressed her appreciation for the social connections she has made through the program.
“Spending time with people who care as much as you do about the environment has been the best way of dealing with a sense of grief, frustration and anger at losing biodiverse environments,” Armstrong said. “Collaborating with like-minded people and networking with agencies and educators is perhaps the most valuable aspect of the Master Watershed Steward program.”
The Penn State Master Watershed Steward program provides extensive training in watershed management to volunteers who, in return, educate the community about watershed stewardship based on university research and recommendations. The program was established to strengthen local capacity for management and protection of watersheds, streams and rivers by educating and empowering volunteers across the commonwealth.
Anyone interested in becoming a Master Watershed Steward can learn more about the program on the Penn State Extension website.