Our volunteers have been collecting chemistry and macroinvertebrate data since 2002 – that’s almost 25 years of data! Now we need volunteers to get into local rivers and streams to collect macroinvertebrate specimens to add to this historic dataset. Our spring field work sampling window is Sunday, May 3rd through Sunday, May 17th.
Macroinvertebrate volunteers conduct field work once in the two week window. They wade a 300 foot reach of the stream to collect and preserve macroinvertebrate specimens and make observations of the stream’s physical characteristics. This procedure takes two to four hours, and SRWA staff provide training and equipment to all volunteers.
The chemistry data gives us a snapshot of water quality at a monitoring site at a given point in time, kind of like an annual doctor’s check-up; the doctor takes your temperature and vitals to see what you look like on that day, but the information doesn’t determine what your health has been all year long. Similarly with chemistry monitoring, we get many assessments of the stream’s water quality. Only with enough long-term data collection do we begin to see trends and patterns emerge from the snapshots.
Macroinvertebrates help tell the whole story. Because they spend every day of their lives, from a few months to a few years, in the water, these organisms give us a peek into more long-term conditions. Each macroinvertebrate has a unique tolerance to “stress” in the water. “Stress” can mean many things, from pollution to warm temperatures to muddy or roiled water. The presence, abundance, and diversity of macroinvertebrates in a stream tells us what the water quality must have been like over their lifetimes.
Macroinvertebrate sampling is more like when the doctor takes a blood, saliva, or urine sample. They get a better idea of what’s been going on inside your body over a longer period of time and what might be the drivers based on what’s present or absent from the sample. With more macroinvertebrate data, we’re able to gain confidence of what baseline conditions are like in the stream and what might be the drivers of those conditions. Because of this, we call macroinvertebrates “biotic indicators”.
When our environment changes rapidly, it’s important to stay up-to-date on these baseline conditions and impacts to water quality. Our water quality indicators are crucial to doing that.
We are so grateful to the volunteers who have collected macroinvertebrates over the past 24 years, and we hope you’ll join us this spring!
Training Dates:
- Virtual Training: Friday May 1, 6-8 pm. Link will be emailed
- In-Person Training: Saturday May 2, 12-2 pm. We’ll meet at the Coaster Classroom in the Whittlesey Creek Wildlife Refuge Area.
