New RiverWatch volunteers learn how to monitor stream at Creekside

 

[March 31, 2022] 

On March 26, six people attended a training to become Illinois RiverWatch volunteers. These volunteers, known as citizen scientists, collect and identify organisms in streams to help monitor its water quality.

As the RiverWatch website says, “The Illinois RiverWatch safeguards the future of Illinois rivers and streams through stewardship, education and sound science.”

The training was led by Stream Ecologist and RiverWatch Director Danelle Haake, who trains citizen scientists how to monitor stream habitats and water quality.

The citizen scientists do the monitoring through habitat and biological surveys where they collect and identify small stream organisms, known as macroinvertebrates or aquatic invertebrates. Using data on the types and amounts of these organisms helps citizen scientists calculate the quality of a stream.

Those in attendance were Leslie, Mike and Stephen Starasta, Julie and Laney Saylor and Pam Moriearty. Leslie Starasta has done past RiverWatch trainings and served as a Citizen Scientist, but said she wanted to take this training as a refresher course. Moriearty has been monitoring Sugar Creek and logging data since 2014.

Dr. Dennis Campbell was on hand to assist with activities as needed. He said Sugar Creek has more species in it than any other mid-level stream in Illinois.


Julie Saylor examining critters through a mictoscope
 

Attendees spent the morning at Lincoln College where they learned about various macroinvertebrates. After learning about these macroinvertebrates, attendees were able to view samples from a kit through a microscope. These samples included flatworms, aquatic sowbugs, leeches, flatworms, scuds, and midges.

The afternoon was then spent at Lincoln College’s Dr. G. Dennis Campbell Creekside Outdoor Center for Environmental Education (Creekside) along Sugar Creek where everyone received hands-on instruction on field techniques for creek monitoring.

RiverWatch volunteers have been monitoring Sugar Creek for several years and RiverWatch recently named Creekside its 2021 Partner of the Year. A January 28, 2022, Lincoln Daily News article said, “In its selection of Creekside for this award, the Illinois RiverWatch Network noted that Creekside has supported volunteers conducting annual RiverWatch surveys, sponsored RiverWatch activities with Master Naturalist volunteers and 4-H youth groups, and participated in public communication efforts about research findings. Creekside has also organized public Earth Day celebrations and nature festivals that promote RiverWatch priorities within the local agricultural community.”

In the afternoon activities, part of the training consisted of putting a little ball in the stream to measure the flow and distance. By taking the feet per second and dividing it by the amount of time it takes the ball to float so many feet, one can measure the flow of the water.

Participants were also shown how to monitor five different habitats: riffles, leaf pack, snag, jab and sediment.
 

Haake trained everyone to collect the aquatic invertebrates from these habitats and identify what they find. The volunteer scientists then record the data, which helps them calculate stream quality using what is called a Macroinvertebrate Biotic Index.

Haake explained and demonstrated various methods for collecting samples from different habitats. She then had volunteers collect samples from a riffle (shallow area) and leaf pack (clump of leaves).


Stephen Starasta and Danelle Haake collecting samples from a riffle

To collect samples from the riffle, a “netter” places the net against the bottom of the streambed. A second person, called a “kicker,” then picks up large rocks and rubs them around to get the “aquatic invertebrates” off the rock. Next, the “kicker” will shuffle and kick their feet from side to side to get the “aquatic invertebrates” off the smaller rocks. Finally, the “netter” must push the net upstream out of the water and put any aquatic invertebrates caught into a bucket.

Pam Moriearty and Leslie Starsta collecting samples from a leaf pack
 

For the leaf pack, the “netter” holds the net downstream of the leaf pack and the “kicker” grabs part of the leaf pack and shakes it in front of the open net, dislodging the aquatic invertebrates and letting the flow carry them into the net. Some leaves from the leaf pack are also added to the net. Ideally, they do not put the whole leaf pack in the net because that might make the sorting process take a very long time as the volunteers look on both sides of each leaf. These leaves and aquatic invertebrates in the net are added to the same bucket as the others.


Haake also explained how to sort what has been collected.


After samples are collected, volunteers pull handfuls at a time of the contents of the bucket (including leaves, twigs, rocks, silt, and invertebrates) and sort it in a pan of water. Any material with a large surface should be examined to find any aquatic invertebrates that might be attached. All the invertebrates found should be put in the pan with the grid. Once the larger material and hiding places are gone, any invertebrates remaining in the pan should be found and transferred to the gridded pan.


Once most of the solid material has been removed from the bucket, the remaining material (mostly water and small sediments) can be poured through the net. Rinse the bucket and pour the rinse water through the net until the bucket is clean. Then check the inside of the net for invertebrates and transfer those found to the gridded pan.


If there are 100 invertebrates or less in the gridded pan, all the invertebrates are put in a collection jar containing rubbing alcohol.
 

Gridded pan for sorting aquatic invertebrates

If there are more than 100, volunteers can opt to subsample their collected invertebrates using the numbers of the grid. The volunteer must select a number from the random number cup provided with the kit, then place all the invertebrates in the square with that number into the collection jar, counting as they go. This process is repeated until at least 100 invertebrates are collected.


If there are any types of invertebrates that were not collected as part of the subsampling, one of each type should be taken and added to the collection jar. If the invertebrates are moving quickly in the gridded pan, adding a few capfuls of soda water to the pan slows them down.


Aquatic invertebrates found on a leaf

In the samples collected Saturday, there were not many aquatic macroinvertebrates. However, in their samples, the participants were able to see sowbugs and midge worms.
 

Once RiverWatchers (citizen scientists) have been trained, they can adopt a stream location to monitor and conduct habitat and biological surveys. The primary monitoring period is May and June. The citizen scientists then send to the RiverWatch office to ensure the data collected is high quality.

[Angela Reiners]