Many of us have streams in our neighborhoods or cities that we see regularly but often take for granted. Maybe we have a stream in our backyard, one that flows through a local park where we walk our dogs, or one we drive over every day on our way to work or school. But how often do we take time to consider the importance of that stream and its ecosystem? 

Our streams are vital to our lives and the lives of countless plants and animals. For many of us, streams are a source of our drinking water and provide recreation opportunities, but how healthy is your local stream? You can find out by volunteering with Illinois RiverWatch.

What is Illinois RiverWatch?

Illinois RiverWatch is a community science program of National Great Rivers. Community science goes by many names including citizen science, participatory science, and volunteer monitoring. It is a way for the public to help collect and report scientific data. RiverWatch trains volunteers to collect water quality data in small to medium-sized streams across the state. This inclusive program allows volunteers of all ages to participate (adults should accompany youth) without any prior background knowledge. This program monitors water quality by looking at the macroinvertebrate communities in streams.

Why macroinvertebrates?

Aquatic macroinvertebrates are water "bugs" that are big enough to be seen without the need for tools, like a microscope. These "bugs" include worms, crustaceans, insects, and mollusks. Macroinvertebrates are important for a healthy stream ecosystem and play an important role in the food chain by breaking down organic matter and nutrients in the stream and serving as food sources for many animals, like fish and frogs. 

Macroinvertebrates spend most or all of their lives in the water, and many of them live in a stream for several years. When we start seeing changes in their populations, we know there may be a problem affecting stream health. Macroinvertebrates are a common bioindicator- an organism that tells us the health of the ecosystem it lives in. The pollution tolerance of macroinvertebrates is well documented, with some macroinvertebrates, like mayflies, known for their sensitivity to pollution, and others, like bloodworms, known for being able to live in very polluted waters. Based on which macroinvertebrates we find in a stream, we can get an idea of the overall health of the ecosystem.

How to volunteer with Illinois RiverWatch?

To become a RiverWatch volunteer, you must attend one of the training workshops. The training workshops usually take place in March and early May at locations across the state. They are 6 to 8 hours long and cost $50 to attend. Attendees will learn all the field methods needed for conducting a habitat and macroinvertebrate survey, as well as how to identify over 30 different macroinvertebrates. After being trained, volunteers can adopt a stream site of their choosing or with the help of RiverWatch staff. Volunteers do not need to buy their own equipment. The program has monitoring kit hosts throughout the state where equipment can be checked out. The main monitoring period occurs in May and June, with an optional monitoring period in September and October. For each site a volunteer adopts, they only go out to monitor it once during each monitoring period. After monitoring, volunteers leave the site with a sample of preserved macroinvertebrates to be identified. Our program offers open labs in July and August for volunteers to use our microscopes and other lab equipment where RiverWatch staff can also aid in identification.

This year is a great year to get involved with RiverWatch as they are celebrating our 30th anniversary! There are many exciting special events planned, as well as the release of a new introduction program that will help ease new volunteers into stream monitoring later this year. To learn more about Illinois RiverWatch and to see the current event schedule, visit the Illinois RiverWatch website or follow Illinois RiverWatch on Facebook.

Resources

• For more information about your local water quality – USEPA’s How’s My Waterway?
• USDA’s Overview of Citizen Science
• IDNR’s Citizen Science Information
• US EPA’s Macroinvertebrate Fact Sheet

This article was written by Hannah Griffis, Illinois RiverWatch Technician and Volunteer Coordinator at National Great Rivers in East Alton, Ill.