FEBRUARY 2009 EVENTS

Stonefly Search

- Join the Winter Stonefly Search, part of our long-term study of Huron River, and discover the vibrant life teeming underwater. You are probably familiar with the aquatic insects that fly fishers imitate in their spectacular hand-made flies. They include the "winter stoneflies," which thrive in the cold, oxygen-rich waters of winter, where they can feed, grow, and reproduce relatively free from competition and predation. These stoneflies are inactive during the warmer months, when seasonal such as stormwater runoff or excessive plant growth and decomposition limit oxygen levels. Since stoneflies are very sensitive to environmental conditions, if we cannot find them in January, it is a sign that pollution may be degrading the stream.

- Join us on Saturday in the middle of the day for about four hours. You will be part of a 5-member team with trained leaders, and you will not go into the water. Your team will investigate two sites that have different conditions, so you can see the impacts that we have on streams.

- No prior knowledge or training is required and children are welcome is each one is accompanied by an adult. Meet regardless of the weather and dress to be outdoors.

- You must pre-register for this event. Email Joan at jmartin@hrwc.org or call 734/769-5123 x11 at least 10 days prior to the event to sign up, be assigned to a team, and learn the meeting location.

Leadership Training

- Learn how to be a Collector or Team Leader/Educator for the River RoundUp! This training is designed for those who have participated in a prior River RoundUp and would like to take a leadership role this year. It also is offered to teachers or other group leaders who would like to do stream monitoring with other groups.

- You must pre-register for this training. Email Joan at jmartin@hrwc.org, or call 734/769-5123, x11 at least 10 days prior to the training to sign up and learn the meeting location.

River RoundUp

- Help us collect a sample of the creatures (benthic macroinvertebrates) that live in our streams, and be a part of the best stream monitoring program in the state! The community of creatures that live in each stream is a strong indicator of its quality. Volunteers meet at a central location. After brief instruction, volunteers will gather with their teams and head to the streams!

- You must pre-register for this training. E-mail Joan at jmartin@hrwc.org, or call 734/769-5123, x11 at least 2 weeks prior to the event to sign up, be assigned to a team, and learn the meeting location.

ID Day

- Help identify and count the creatures collected during the River RoundUp, and be the first to learn our latest monitoring results! You may choose to help us from either 12–3pm or 2–5pm.

- You must pre-register for this event. Email Joan at jmartin@hrwc.org or call 734/769-5123 x11 at least 4 days prior to the event to sign up for your preferred time period and learn the meeting location

Stream Measuring and Mapping Training

- Learn how to measure and map a stream in the Huron River watershed in order to assess its ecological habitat quality! You will learn techniques for assessing the physical qualities of the creeks in the watershed: the structure of the banks, the channel and streambed, as well as read patterns of flow and measure the speed and discharge (volume) of water in the stream.

- At the end the training workshop, dates and locations for the actual measuring and mapping will be determined. Mapping teams will be formed and will be assigned a creek to map during August, September or October. Participants should bring their calendars. You must pre-register for this event. Email Joan at jmartin@hrwc.org or call 734/769-5123 x11 at least 10 days prior to the workshop. They will advise you of the meeting location at that time.

Last Updated: December 2008