Dragonfly Mercury Project Returns to Millville with August Sampling Events

CU Maurice River is once again proud to participate in the Dragonfly Mercury Project—a nationwide study of mercury deposition coordinated by the University of Maine, the National Park Service, and the USGS. Conducted in national parks and natural areas across the continental U.S., this project has become the largest mercury contamination assessment in the country.

In the U.S., the primary human-driven sources of mercury emissions are coal burning and mining. Once released into the atmosphere, mercury travels via wind currents and is deposited into ecosystems through precipitation. In aquatic environments, mercury can be transformed by microorganisms into methylmercury—a potent neurotoxin that accumulates through the food web. Methylmercury poses serious risks to wildlife, ecosystems, and human health, making monitoring efforts like this critical.

Dragonfly larvae, which can spend up to six years in aquatic habitats before maturing, serve as excellent indicators of ecosystem health. As top predators in the aquatic food chain and because they are easy to collect and analyze, they are ideal for measuring mercury levels in the environment.

On August 8th and 15th CU Maurice River will engage volunteer community scientists to collect dragonfly larvae within the Wild and Scenic Maurice River Watershed. Participants will meet at the CU Maurice River office for a brief orientation on the project before carpooling to the sampling sites. Specific locations will be shared closer to the date.

When

Friday, August 8, 9:00 a.m.

Friday, August 15, 9:00 a.m.

Family- Friendly Friday: August 22, 2025, 6:00 p.m.

Where

Meet at CU Maurice River office

17 E. Main Street

Millville, NJ 08332

Registration Required

You can sign up for this event by clicking here.