The Future of Stream Search is Changing!

By Sarah U'Ren

The Watershed Center is excited to announce that we have plans to transform our Stream Search program to an Adopt-A-Stream concept.  Any group can adopt a stream; People will be able to adopt streams in their own backyard or other favorite spot in the Grand Traverse Bay Watershed.  Our goal is to allow people a larger sense of ownership in their stream.  Using this concept we feel that we will get better team leader and volunteer ‘buy-in' to our monitoring activities if groups or individuals adopt a stream or stream section and pledge to monitor it every year.  The concept will encompass a two-week window each spring and fall where groups will be responsible for conducting macroinvertebrate sampling.  This will allow people to schedule sampling in their stream at their leisure.  The Adopt-A-Stream concept will also allow us to utilize volunteers to monitor streams throughout the watershed and not just in the Traverse City region.

To help us launch our program, we have developed a 4.5 minute video that talks about our program and future goals.  We are in the process of getting it uploaded to our website... We'd also be happy to answer any questions and show our video to interested citizens, just give us a call!

Sarah U'Ren is Project Coordinator for the Watershed Center - Grand Traverse Bay.