Archive for the ‘Adopt-A-Stream’ Category
Help us Read a River in August – Learn on July 31st
July 2nd, 2010 | 
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Volunteers enjoy summer fun while mapping the Huron River
We need your help to “read” the characteristics of our streams by mapping a site anytime in August. We train you to measure and map the site on Saturday afternoon, July 31st and then you choose a date in August to spend 4 hours in a shady stream with three other people mapping a site near you. (No prior knowledge is necessary.)
We “read a river” by characterizing the stream bed, the banks and other indicators of stream health. People are placed in teams with similar schedules to map a site on a later date selected by you and your teammates. You will not get wet at the training but when you map your site you will walk IN the stream and possibly over uneven terrain.
HOW: Register online by July 15 to be put on a team.
WHERE: Train in Ann Arbor, then measure one of the stream sites in the list below.
WHEN: Saturday, July 31st from 2 to 5 PM. Plus 1/2 day in August.
More information from Joan or (734) 769-5123 X600
Posted in Adopt-A-Stream, Monitoring, Study Nature | 
Tags: huron river, Monitoring, volunteer, volunteer training | 
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150 Volunteers Check the Huron’s Health
The collectors and leaders of the River Roundup team attentively listen to last minute directions prior to heading out to the rivers and streams of the Huron River Watershed.
150 people gave the Huron River its six-month check up on Saturday, April 24. Families and other residents fanned out over the 900 square mile watershed to find indicator bugs in 58 sites on the river and its streams.
Some were struck by the beauty of their surroundings, others were amazed at the numbers and variety of underwater bugs they found, and many enjoyed the comradery of team members, but all were proud of the work they were doing for the river. HRWC uses the resulting data to help watershed communities make decisions about how best to protect and restore the Huron.
Our thanks go to all the volunteers who participated. River RoundUp is part of the Adopt-a-Stream program, which has been collecting indicator bugs to look at trends in the health of the Huron River watershed since 1992. The event happens twice a year, in the spring and fall. Volunteer with us for the October RoundUp and you too can give the Huron a check-up!
Huron River Spring Cleanup
Saturday April 17, 9am-2pm
Ann Arbor Huron River
Cleanup Workday
All are invited to join crews from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab and the EPA to clean up debris while canoeing targeted areas of the Huron from Barton Dam to Gallup Park. Bring your own canoe or use one of the city’s. Walkers are also needed for some areas. Rubber boots or waders are especially nice if you have them, but sturdy shoes are adequate for most areas.
Meet at 9am at the Gallup Park canoe livery, 3000 Fuller Rd. (west side of Huron Pkwy.) or Argo Canoe Livery, 1055 Longshore (north off Moore from Broadway at Maiden Lane). Free. To participate, call David Fanslow at (734) 741-2353.
Other cleanup events:
You can find and post cleanup event listings for the Great Lakes region at www.findmycleanup.org, a new website sponsored by Great Lakes United.
The National River Cleanup program at American Rivers also has event listings and a free downloadable toolkit and video on how to organize a river cleanup in your area.
River studies organized by HRWC:
HRWC focuses its resources on conducting scientific studies of the Huron River. Go to our volunteer page if you would like to help out at one of our upcoming spring or summer river monitoring events or help assess natural areas for our Bioreserve Project.
Posted in Adopt-A-Stream, Bioreserve, Cleanups, Events, Uncategorized |
Tags: Cleanups, trash, volunteer |
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HRWC’s River Roundup Needs YOU on April 24
Volunteers find creatures in material netted in the River
Come out for Earth Day and help us find the river bugs that tell how healthy the river is. Join the River RoundUp on Saturday, April 24. Please register here by April 6!
A trained leader will take you to the stream where you search through rocks, leaves, and sand. You will be amazed at the amount of life you find in our fresh water! The activities are suitable for all ages, from children (each with their own adult) to retirees. Only our leaders go in the water, so you will not get wet. HRWC volunteers make the Huron the best studied river in Michigan!
The Roundup will take about five hours on April 24 and you choose whether to start at 8:45 or 10:00 AM. You must register by April 6th in order to be put on a team. The event is free.
Want to help in other ways? Email Joan ONLY if you can help with set-up (10am on April 23), posting fliers (now) or welcoming people (8:30am on April 24) to this event.
IMPORTANT! Register by April 6!
Abundant stoneflies found in the Huron and its creeks!
Noemi and Jenny find lively stoneflies under the ice in Fleming Creek on a cold, sunny day in January 2010.
The Huron River was crawling with volunteers and stoneflies on Saturday, January 31. 130 people searched for these small insects in the frozen streams despite the frigid January temperatures. HRWC volunteers split up in small teams and spread out to 48 sites in the Huron River Watershed, from White Lake to Flat Rock (near Lake Erie), in order to give the river system its annual check-up. The instruments for this kind of check-up included pickaxes to break through the ice and nets to scoop up the bugs. Many of the volunteers were surprised at “… the amount of life in a frozen stream.” More photos are here. Go here to read an account of the day.
Posted in Adopt-A-Stream, Events, Monitoring, Study Nature, Water Quality |
Tags: Stonefly Search |
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Join Us for the Stonefly Search!
Relaxing after the Stonefly Search
Monday is your last chance to sign up for the January 30 Stonefly Search !
Join a small team led by a Stonefly Hunter who goes in the river so you don’t have to. You will be amazed at the lively creatures living under the ice.
Help HRWC collect data for a long-term study of our watershed. Aquatic insects are sensitive to their surroundings and can tell us about problems in the river and its streams.
Reserve your place at http://www.hrwc.org/volunteer/stonefly/ by January 11. No prior experience needed.
This event lasts 5 hours, is FREE and the activities are suitable for all ages, from responsible children to seniors.
How cool were the fish this summer?
Jack Carter made weekly trips to the Huron River near Flat Rock Dam with his great-aunt, Lois, in order to make water temperature measurements.
What a cool summer we had this year! Fifty-four of our Adopt-a-Stream volunteers have the data to prove it. Every week, these volunteers visited their assigned stream sites to record the weekly minimum and maximum water temperatures.
These measurements were analyzed to produce an average minimum and maximum temperature for the entire summer for each site. Overall, the maximum temperatures at the 21 stream sites were 5 °F colder than they had been in previous summers.
Families found it fun and interesting to visit the stream once a week during July and August. “We had the best time checking the thermometers (often followed by Root Beer Floats). Jack wanted me to tell you that ‘the weather appears to have a dramatic effect on the depth of the water’. We were absolutely amazed at how it fluctuated.” – Lois J.
Next year’s study will be even more interesting as we continue to watch for changes in the temperature of the streams in the Huron River Watershed.
Give to Adopt and Upton will match it!
Measuring temperature
HRWC’s Adopt-A-Stream Program has collected monitoring data on the Huron River for seventeen years, and it ranks among the premier water-protection programs in the nation. With our volunteers, we produce a body of respected scientific data that is utilized by governments and citizens alike. This data motivates and convinces decision-makers to take the best actions to protect the watershed. Additionally, the volunteers become our strongest stewards leading their governments and neighbors in river stewardship. The direct outcomes of our Adopt-A-Stream program result in better habitat and cleaner water.
Thanks to the generous support of the Upton Foundation, we have a way for you to help and double your donation. The Upton Foundation is matching all gifts, dollar for dollar, given to support Adopt-A-Stream received before 12/31/2009. All contributions received through this special appeal will be dedicated to river monitoring and stewardship, which protect the future of our fresh water. Our goal is to raise $40,000 for Adopt-A-Stream and with your help, we can achieve this goal.
To make a gift today click here. Matched by the Upton Challenge Grant, you will help sustain one of the most effective river monitoring programs in the United States.
On behalf of the Huron River,
Laura Rubin, Executive Director and Joan Martin, Director Adopt-A-Stream
HRWC contributes creek data to City of Ann Arbor report
The City of Ann Arbor uses HRWC Adopt-A-Stream data for its “State of Our Environment Report.” An article in the Ann Arbor Chronicle highlights the work done by the City over the past several years to create this citizen’s reference tool. The report focuses on environmental issues and management strategies underway that are intended to conserve and protect our environment. In particular the City has developed a series of environmental indicators that gauge the quality of our air, water, resource use, climate, natural ecosystems, and many others. Most of the information for the City’s river and creek indicators come from data collected by HRWC Adopt-a-Stream volunteers and analyses done by HRWC staff.
Crack Team to Measure Flow
Volunteers prepare to practice flow measurements in November
HRWC trained an elite team of volunteers to measure stream flow on a lovely day in November. HRWC staff and eight volunteer trainers led 14 people through the steps of precise flow measurements in preparation for a study to commence with the early large storms next Spring.
This is the first step in measuring the change in runoff since numerous rain gardens and rain barrels were installed in the Millers Creek Watershed in the past 2 years. The gardens and barrels will hold the stormwater and help to reduce surging flows.
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