Scientific curiosity shapes Kathryn Mudica's journey down the Wabash River this summer.

Inspiration for her quest comes from a lifelong passion for river adventures, though.

"Water just comes natural to me," she said Tuesday.

Mudica and fellow researcher Katelyn Rusiniak are studying the water quality of the Wabash this summer. 他们乘独木舟在传说中的河流上旅行, kayak, 平底小船, and — when shallow waters make it necessary — by foot. 两人都是bc菠菜导航的学生. Mudica will use their findings for part of her dissertation as an earth science doctoral student. Rusiniak今年秋天将是大四学生, and is collecting samples as a summer undergraduate research project.

两人, assisted by Mudica's significant other Nick Braun, 打算徒步穿越整个沃巴什山脉, 近500英里. They're tackling the journey in stages, boating about 50 miles at a time, once a week. Mudica and Rusiniak gather water samples and core samples of the riverbed every five miles. They've already explored the river's origins in western Ohio, 从亨廷顿划到洛根港, and boated multiple times from Clinton in Vermillion County to the Darwin Ferry in southern Vigo County.

他们打算完成最后阶段, reaching the Wabash's confluence with the Ohio River at the southern tip of 印第安纳州, 在8月.

Preparation for a day on the river resembles training for an athletic event, Rusiniak said. The 21-year-old tries to eat well and drink lots of water the night before, then awakens at 3:30 a.m. to meet Mudica, drive to that day's launch site and start paddling or motoring.

Rusiniak's goal, "first and foremost, is to finish all 500 miles."

她和一位经验丰富的搭档搭档.

Mudica grew up in Elkhart, a northern 印第安纳州 city situated along the St. 约瑟夫河. She started kayaking, whitewater rafting and canoeing at age 10 with her dad. Thus, navigating a river is a "natural thing" for her.

Earth science neatly dovetails with Mudica's love for water activities, 间接导致她搬到了特雷霍特, 在国际州立大学继续深造, 现在来探索沃巴什, 54岁时.

她于2008年从埃尔克哈特搬来, when unemployment during the "great recession" peaked at nearly 20% there. Mudica had a degree in graphic design, but found that job market limited. 一个朋友告诉她在特雷霍特有工作. Mudica found one at a call center and stayed with it, 在最终决定重返大学之前. 在考虑护理之后, she opted instead to study her primary interest — biology — at ISU, and also got a job working in a research lab at the university, 分析鱼类体内的金属污染.

Mudica获得了学士学位, 然后是硕士学位, and now serves as a graduate assistant instructor while pursuing her doctorate — on the river, 至少部分是这样.

Her aim is for the Wabash research to also educate other folks about the waterway's virtues.

"I just really hope to bring a lot of awareness to water quality," Mudica said. "We've come a long way, but there's a lot more we can do to improve water quality here in 印第安纳州."

She spoke by cellphone Tuesday afternoon while sitting in her kayak, after she and Rusiniak paddled from Peru to Logansport. Their equipment reflects Mudica's background with water travel. She and Rusiniak are supplied with a variety of watercraft, 包括很久以前制作的白水独木舟, 她祖父用过的小船, and a scout boat Braun bought her for the project.

Mudica and Rusiniak also got some expert advice during a stop in the town of Wabash, 印第安纳州, where they and Braun met John and LaNae Abnet — a couple who in 2015 kayaked the length of the Wabash River and then continued on to New Orleans, a 1,600英里的旅行.

拥有所有这些资源, Mudica and Rusiniak are sampling the water and riverbed with a specific twist. They're collecting samples every five miles in less accessible locations, some from the heart of the stream and others outside the current. Such a variety could reveal contaminants that may not show up in samples taken continuously from the same spot, such as pulses of mercury or metals that can sink to the bottom.

They'll also collect samples ahead of and after logjams, 它们会过滤掉一些污染物, Mudica解释. They're checking levels of dissolved oxygen — a good indicator of strong aquatic life — and also look for phosphates and nitrates from farm runoff. And, the women are studying the types of freshwater mussels present in varying locations. Places with only the most common mussels may reflect a more polluted area, 比另一个品种.

"When you are physically on the river, you see those things," Mudica解释.

Rusiniak got prepared for the 2021 venture last year, when she and Mudica boated several times from Clinton to Darwin Ferry. It was Rusiniak's first experience on a major river. 她出生在蒙大拿州，和她的家人搬到了圣. 约翰在印第安纳州的童年. 高中毕业后，她进入了国际州立大学.

"I had no idea about the Wabash River before I came to Terre Haute," Rusiniak said.

She does now, thanks to the project alongside Mudica.

“我学到了很多关于野生动物的知识. You see a ton of eagles and all sorts of birds out there," Rusiniak said. “我已经学会了如何划桨和驾驶独木舟. 我现在有更好的方向感了, 而且不只是来自沃巴什, 还有去哪里获得服务."

一旦他们完成了最后的阶段, ending at the expansive point where the Wabash empties into the Ohio, they hope to have a clearer idea of the river's water quality. That aspect of the Wabash should matter to all Hoosiers.

“这是我们最大的资产，”穆迪卡说.

联系马克·班尼特，电话:812-231-4377或 mark.bennett@tribstar.com.