Want to recapture childhood memories of digging in the mud for critters? We have the perfect opportunity for you!
Become a BMI Monitor & Habitat Assessment volunteer to collect important data to help us understand water quality in our tributaries and streams. This year, we are hosting our Benthic Macroinvertebrates (BMI) training at Cheesecake Brook in Newton. Volunteers will learn how to perform a habitat assessment, properly sample for macroinvertebrates, and how to identify them.
After completing this training, volunteers will be able to collect vital data from various tributaries in the Watershed for CRWA. This data will then be used to help us assess the health of our Watershed’s streams and waterways. A light lunch will be provided for all registered attendees. Don’t miss it!
Benthic Macroinvertebrates are small aquatic animals and larval insects that live at the bottom of our rivers, lakes, and streams (and can be seen without a microscope). Some individuals are more tolerant of pollution than others, so surveys of populations can indicate the health of waterways.
Habitat Assessments evaluate the condition of physical features along riverbanks in streams, such as channel type, amount of woody debris, bank stability, and vegetation type according to guidance from EPA.