Archive for the ‘Adopt-A-Stream’ Category

Stonefly Search 2011

Beautiful Mann Creek boasts an outstanding diversity of stoneflies! Credit: Max Bromley

Our 157 volunteers arrived back safely, turned in their nets and waders, drank some coffee and thawed their toes. Thus ended the 2011 Stonefly Search.  And now, the results are in!

Stoneflies are special organisms because they are only found in very clean water, and are indicators of a healthy stream. By tracking stonefly populations over  time, HRWC is able to track the health of a stream.

Click  here to see the results for every site monitored in the 2011  Stonefly Search.

Mann Creek- a local treasure

Mann Creek is  located in Livingston County just northeast of the US-23/I-96 interchange. There must be something unusually good about this creek, and at HRWC we want to figure out what that is.

For the past 5 Stonefly Searches (since 2007), our volunteers have found 4 families of stoneflies in Mann Creek. This includes 2 stonefly families that can be found in creeks year round (Perlidae & Perlodidae), and 2 stonefly families that are normally only found in the winter (Capniidae & Taeniopterygidae). Even in the Huron’s healthiest streams, it is unusual to find more than 2 families of stoneflies during the Stonefly Search.  So, Mann Creek is special indeed.

Mann Creek flows through a residential neighborhood- but one really interesting thing about Mann Creek is that there is a very wide natural riparian zone surrounding the creek.  This riparian area provides habitat and food for stoneflies as branches and leaves fall into the creek. To see Mann Creek and its impressive riparian zone, click here.

Warning- Missing stoneflies on the north branch of Mill Creek!

This year, our volunteer teams failed to find stoneflies on two study sites located on the north branch of Mill Creek (Fletcher Road and Ivey Road). Stoneflies have been found at these sites in every sample taken since 1996, so the sudden absence of these bugs indicates a potential problem. Both teams reported that the stream seemed very mucky; perhaps there is an erosion problem upstream? HRWC plans to send other volunteer teams out to these sites in the next week to take more samples and look for water quality problems.

One of the best aspects of volunteers and stonefly monitoring is the speed of the results. Within a week, we have sampled 54 sites, identified two sites with potential problems, and now know where to focus our resources and follow-up.  Thanks to everyone for your efforts!

Can you tell us about the history of your creek? How it got its name or any interesting stories that occurred there?

HRWC needs your help to produce engaging descriptions of the current conditions of our streams. 

We produce “health reports” that present the results of the monitoring studies.  Here is an example. These “health reports” can be more interesting if they include a colorful but brief story that characterizes the creek.

Please email Joan Martin or phone her at (734) 769-5123 x 600 with your stories.

Students are learning about their community creek at Pinckney New Technology High School. In September HRWC introduced them to the fascinating creatures living in Honey Creek that flows past their school. They learned that the Creek is a fragile living system that requires care in the way we use land to keep it healthy.

An Oct. 10th article featured the first Creek exploration. Supported by a grant from TOYOTA the study will be expanded and continue for three years.

Judy and Paul collect river life in a net.

See fall colors and help us find the river bugs that tell how healthy the river is. Join the River RoundUp on Saturday, Oct. 2. Please register here by Sept. 15! Details about the event are here.

A trained leader (see photo) will take you to the stream where you search through stones, leaves, and water. Only our leaders go in the water, so you will not get wet. 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.  HRWC volunteers make the Huron the best studied river in Michigan!

The Roundup will take about five hours on Oct. 2 and you choose whether to start at 8:45 or 10 AM. You must register by Sept. 15^th in order to be put on a team. The event is free.

Learn about the river creatures at ID Day on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 10.

Want to help in other ways?  Email Joan ONLY if you can help with set-up (10am on Oct.1), posting fliers (now) or welcoming people to this event (8:30am on Oct. 2).

IMPORTANT! Register by Sept. 15!

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

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.