Huron River Watershed Council: Volunteer

Volunteer

HRWC volunteers search for river bugs in Fleming Creek.

We need your help to find creatures living in a river, measure the speed of stream flow, join a team in listing the variety of plants in beautiful natural areas and more. No training required for some activities; others offer training. Everything is free. Choose from the opportunities below.

First Step if You are New

First time volunteers basic information form

Calendar of Events

See the HRWC Event Calendar to find dates of volunteer opportunities.

Monitoring Activities

Stream Insects:

River Roundup: Volunteer teams find insects, crayfish and other small river creatures every Fall and Spring.
ID Day: River scientists help volunteers identify the creatures found in the River Roundup.
Winter Stonefly Search: In January, volunteer teams find stoneflies in high quality streams.
Roundup Leader and Collector Training: HRWC trains volunteers to lead the teams in the Roundup.
To help set up or clean up after one of the events above: contact Joan Martin at jmartin@hrwc.org

Natural Areas and Plants:

Field Assessments: Spring and summer 2010. Join volunteer teams to perform field assessments on the bioreserve sites.
Plant ID experts needed: Spring and summer 2010. If you are experienced in plant identification, we especially need your help on the field assessments!
Roadside survey: Winter 2009/2010. Roadside survey volunteers drive to one of the 1,700 natural areas in the watershed and complete a short form that asks very general questions about the site.

Hydrology and Water Quality:

Water Quality Sampling: Collect water samples from stream sites twice per month, April through September.
Flow Measurement: Periodically measure stream flow at stream sites, April through September.
Storm Runoff Sampling: Help set up and collect water samples before and after storms, April through September.

Stream Habitat:

Measuring and Mapping: In August, volunteer teams map and measure the stream habitat.

SUDS on the the RIVER

Held annually in September, and featuring the micro-brews of the watershed and several favorite local restaurants, we always need help making this annual fundraiser happen. Contact Margaret Smith at 734-769-5123 x 605 or at msmith@hrwc.org.

Help in the office

HRWC occassionally needs help in data entry tasks or other light clerical work. If interested in volunteering in the office, please email Joan Martin (jmartin@hrwc.org).