Bioassessment
Using aquatic insects as indicators of water quality, volunteers learn more about the health of their neighborhood creeks and identify potential problem areas. While water samples yield a detailed identification of the water at the time of sampling, the density and diversity of bugs in our creeks yield a watershed-level perspective of water quality and habitat viability. Community members, local college students, and volunteer groups can help collect specimens for identification.
The 2008 Bioassessment was a great success! Thank you to everyone who participated!
Thank you to everyone who gave their time and dry feet to join us in this year's Bioassessment surveys. We had a blast, as you can see from all these smiling faces. I will let you all know when the results are available. Until then, each coordinator will be receiving a CD with photos of all the group members in action and any great creek or wildlife shots from the watershed. If you are not yet active in a group, you should have received an email with copies of your photos (along with the name of your local coordinator!). If you have not, please let me know.
If you are interested in volunteering with us soon, we are starting our GPS Creek Surveys this summer through the end of October. Check the calendar for details and dates. Otherwise, we hope to see you back in the creeks next spring! |
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Volunteers collect biological samples... |
...and transfer them to specimen jars for later analysis. |
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In 2008 we sampled in:
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Why choose Bioassessment?
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, contact your local creek group or |
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Creeks are complex ecosystems that are home to many varieties of aquatic life, including fishes, invertebrates, and plants. In order to assess the impacts of our everyday actions to local creeks and watersheds, we use aquatic insects as indicators, a practice known as bioassessment. Some organisms are very pollution tolerant, while others are very intolerant. By looking at the populations and diversity of organisms, scientists can learn a lot about the quality of the creek. Unlike chemical water testing, which may be expensive and gives detailed information about the conditions only at the time of sampling, bioassessment integrates overall conditions of the creek over time.
(Mayfly photograph by John Gooderham and Edward Tsyrlin)