Real science, fun for all ages!

Knowing the types of bugs that live in our streams helps us understand how healthy the river system is, which areas are healthiest, and where we need to focus our restoration efforts to improve water quality.

Join a small team of your friends, family, and other volunteers to collect bugs from streams across the watershed!

Your team will include an experienced volunteer who will bring all the equipment you need to get started. At each sampling site, you and your teammates will search through stones, leaves, and sediment to find bugs in their natural habitat.

Each team’s experienced volunteer has been trained in sample collection. Only trained volunteers go in the water to collect the samples. Please dress to be comfortable outside for a few hours. Children are welcome to attend with an adult. You must register to be assigned to a team!

HRWC welcomes folks of all abilities to our events! A few of our River Roundup 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.

WHERE  Sampling sites across the Huron River watershed in Livingston, Oakland, Wayne and/or Washtenaw Counties. HRWC will determine where volunteers will meet up, so please check your email once you sign up to get details.
WHEN: Saturday, April 27, 2024. Two start times: 9 or 10:30am (each shift will be 3-4 hours)
Sign up Required Sign up for 9am here!

Sign up for 10:30am here!

To get email announcements of future events, fill out our Volunteer Sign up form here.

Questions? Email Jason Frenzel, HRWC’s Stewardship Coordinator here.

Volunteer Story

Get a sense of what this event is like from a HRWC volunteer here.

Thanks so much for sending information about the River Roundup to us. I took my 3 kids this past Saturday to participate in this and we also invited a friend. The kids had a blast. The highlight was finding a water scorpion. My 9 year old son said at the end of the day that it was one of the best days of his life–and I’m telling you this is high praise from him because he had to practically be dragged out the door to go in the first place.

River Roundup Orientation Video

Learn more about the How and Why of River Roundups in this short, increasingly zany, and unfortunately COVID-era video.



More Information about River Roundup

Watch the video below to learn more about why we collect bugs every year. Also check out our Program page for more information.