Click Above to View a Video About Stream Search
Streams mainly in the Traverse City area are being sampled: Acme, Baker, Brewer's, Cedar/Hines, Mitchell, and Ptobego Creeks. Additionally, three tributaries to the Boardman River are sampled: Kid's, Miller, and Jack's Creek. It is our hope that citizen interest in this project will continue to grow and we can eventually broaden our sample sites to include other streams throughout the entire Grand Traverse Bay Watershed.
The Watershed Center started Stream Search with initial funding provided through a grant funded by the USEPA and administered by the MDEQ. This grant allowed us to purchase most of the equipment we still use today. Funding for the 2005-2007 sampling seasons was provided through a grant from the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps), a network of volunteer monitoring programs in Michigan. MiCorps was created through an executive order by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm to assist the DEQ in collecting and sharing water quality data for use in water resources management and protection programs. The Watershed Center was one of only four organizations in Michigan chosen to receive the first water quality monitoring grants awarded by MiCorps.
The Watershed Center has been conducting its Stream Search volunteer monitoring events every fall and spring for the past 4 years. For the most part, streams have remained stable and have not significantly degraded, with the exception of Acme Creek near its outlet to the Bay (see the accompanying table for past rankings). Results from Stream Search will be available on the Michigan Clean Water Corps online database (http://www.micorps.net/), as well as on The Watershed Center's stream health summary page (www.gtbay.org/streamsummary.asp).
Using aquatic insects is an easy way to get a good indication of localized conditions in a stream section due to easy sampling techniques and generally abundant communities. The presence and abundance of various types of aquatic insects is a good indicator of water quality because certain types require excellent water quality and habitat for survival and are more sensitive to water conditions. Aquatic insects such as mayflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies depend on stable flows, high water quality, and sufficient in-stream habitat for survival. These insects are particularly sensitive to factors that reduce oxygen or flow, or increase temperature or otherwise raise metabolic rates in a stream.
In general, the greater the diversity in a stream, the more healthy it is. Primary threats to bug diversity include sedimentation, habitat loss, and chemical pollution. The information gathered during sampling provides water quality data and a "snapshot" of stream health. By reviewing data over time, significant changes in stream health can be tracked and identified.
Stream Search is beneficial because it:
- Provides baseline for water quality and "early detection" of changes to system
- Allows community members to take ownership of streams
- Engages the community in fun, hands-on program
- Provides education on water quality indicators and issues
- Increases interest and awareness of watershed issues and stewardship
- Trains people to be ‘Citizen Scientists'
But, most importantly, it gets people out of their armchair and out into their environment!!
Sarah U'Ren is Program Director for the Watershed Center - Grand Traverse Bay.
