Company Profile

Watershed Assessment Associates
28 Yates St.
Schenectady, NY 12305

Phone: 518.346.0225
E-mail: info@rwaa.us

Watershed Assessment Associates (WAA) is an environmental consulting and education firm located in Schenectady, NY. WAA has been providing stream biology and taxonomy services to state and county agencies, environmental organizations, institutions, and private consulting companies since 1998.

WAA also offers environmental educational services to students, volunteers, environmental organizations, and environmental professionals. The Lotic Scene Investigation™ program provides college students with training and experience in biomonitoring research. WAA is the founder of, and consultant to, the Environmental Study Team™, a youth development program for middle and high school students. The company also offers regular educational workshops in biomonitoring, macroinvertebrate taxonomy, and related environmental topics.

WAA's facility provides complete stream biomonitoring and benthic macroinvertebrate taxonomy services and is equipped with appropriate collecting nets, GPS units, mobile mapping units, Hydro Lab and YSI multi-probes, digital cameras, Lecia, Nikon, and Swift dissecting and compound microscopes (including bright-field, dark-field, and phase contrast), fiber optic lighting sources, all necessary equipment for benthic macroinvertebrate taxonomy, and an extensive library of appropriate aquatic keys and references.

Stream surveys and benthic macroinvertebrate taxonomy are performed by North American Benthological Society certified taxonomists.

Professional Staff

Dr. Christine Murphy is the owner of Watershed Assessment Associates. She manages the company's daily operations and personnel. She is also the company's senior scientific editor, writing or reviewing scientific documents produced by WAA. She oversees educational services, develops educational programs and seminars, and teaches at the company's environmental workshops.

Mr. J. Kelly Nolan, a Senior Aquatic Taxonomist and the Director of Environmental Services. He manages all environmental field operations and oversees taxonomy services. He is a North American Benthological Society certified eastern and western Group 2 (EPT) and eastern and western Group 3 (Chironomidae) taxonomist. He is also the course coordinator and an instructor for the annual Aquatic Benthic Macroinvertebrate Identification Program. Mr. Nolan has over 10 years of aquatic biology and taxonomy experience.

Christopher Fishel, a Senior Aquatic Taxonomist. Chris is responsible for macroinvertebrate identification, laboratory organization, maintenance of the WAA reference collection, and field collection. Chris studied under Dr. Barbara Peckarsky, and is a North American Benthological Society certified taxonomist in eastern and western Group 1 (General Arthropods) and eastern and western Group 2 (EPT) and Group 4 (Oligochaeta).

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