Help us find some special winter stoneflies!

This winter stonefly is one type of insect that you will most likely find!

These underwater creatures elude most predators by growing during the winter months when most fish are more sluggish. They live only in good quality streams so searching for them tells us about problems in the river and its streams.  HRWC does stonefly searches to gauge the health of our streams.

When you sign up to volunteer, you will join a small group of other volunteers to search a selected stretch of stream or river for stoneflies. You will be working with experienced researchers to collect stoneflies. They will also teach you how we determine the health of the stream or river you are visiting.

Children are welcome to join the search as long as each one is attended by an adult. HRWC welcomes folks of all abilities to our events! Weather permitting, some study sites are accessible to those who use mobility devices or have other mobility disabilities. Please contact Jason Frenzel ahead of the event to discuss options.

DATE Thanks for a great Stonefly Search 2024!
TIME
SIGN-UP REQUIRED
WHERE Volunteers start HRWC’s office at 117 N. 1st St, Ste 100, Ann Arbor, and then go out to stream sites in Livingston, Oakland, or Washtenaw Counties. Returning volunteers, please note: HRWC moved in Sept of 2022.

Stories from the Field

By collecting stoneflies every year, we gather data to detect trends in water quality health. Below are links to a two-part story series about the history of our bio monitoring program.

Thirty Years of Bugs and Citizen Science

HRWC is celebrating 30 years of River Roundups,

In 1992, a group of pioneering staff and volunteers first stuck their nets into flowing water and dumped debris into white pans, sorting for benthic macroinvertebrates…Continue reading »

Thirty Years of Bugs and Citizen Science Part 2

HRWC is celebrating 30 years of River Roundups

HRWC is celebrating 30 years of River Roundups, our macroinvertebrate monitoring program! With 30 years of monitoring comes 30 years of data… Continue reading »

Here’s a personal account of a stonefly event with nice photos from longtime volunteer Tony Pitts, and a video from the 2021 Stonefly event below.

To get email announcements, fill out our Volunteer Signup form here. For more information about stoneflies check out this article from Scientific American.

FOR MORE INFO: Please contact Jason.