BIOLOGICAL MONITORING
Assessing the Health of our Tributaries & Streams
Tracking the health of our ecosystem.
Each year, we bring together over one hundred volunteers to sample Benthic Macroinvertebrates (BMI) and conduct Habitat Assessments to better understand ecosystem health in our watershed.
Benthic Macroinvertebrates are small aquatic animals and larval insects that live at the bottom of our rivers, lakes, and streams that can be seen without a microscope. Some are more tolerant of pollution than others, so surveys of populations can indicate how healthy waterways are. Habitat Assessments evaluate the condition of physical features along riverbanks in streams such as channel type, amount of woody debris, bank stability, and vegetation type according to guidance from EPA.
Together, this vital data helps us better understand water quality across the watershed and identify priority restoration projects.
Become a Biological Monitor!
Want to recapture childhood memories of digging in the mud for critters? We have the perfect opportunity for you!
Become a BMI Monitor & Habitat Assessment volunteer to collect important data to help us understand water quality in our tributaries and streams.
Sign up below to receive volunteer alerts for future opportunities.