What Lives Here?
Look closely and you will find rich biodiversity along the river. Many of these species help inform us that the Flint River is healthy and improving:
- River otters have been spotted in Lapeer County.
- Eagles, heron, and osprey can be seen all along the river, including in downtown Flint.
- Muskrat, beaver, turtle, and deer sightings often delight paddlers as well.
We’ve also observed much smaller organisms thrive throughout the river system for a number of years. Benthic macroinvertebrates, more commonly known as bugs or river critters, tell us how healthy our rivers, lakes, and streams are.
These organisms that live in the stream have different levels of sensitivity to pollution. Some can live only in water with little or no pollution, but others can exist even with surprising levels of pollution. By collecting them and noting what types and how many of each type are living in the stream, we can get an idea of how healthy the river is. The more benthic macroinvertebrates we find that are sensitive, the higher the score, meaning the healthier the stream is. We track that information from season to season and year to year, and share it with both local and state agencies.
Every spring and fall FRWC monitors 34 different sites in and around Genesee and Lapeer counties. Our monitoring process revolves around a specific 300 foot stretch at each stream so that we are consistent in monitoring the same area every time. As part of the process we spend 90 “wet net” minutes collecting at a site. This means that regardless of how many volunteers you have at a site, the total time spent collecting is 90 minutes. So if you have 2 volunteers collecting, you would each spend 45 minutes sampling all the available habitats within the 300 foot stretch.
Learn how to be a citizen scientist!
Program Opportunity:
- Collect & identify macroinvertebrates
- Take stream measurements
- Classroom opportunities
Volunteer Opportunity:
Groups of 2 or more collect and identify organisms to assess stream habitat. Training available; no experience necessary.
Time:
Program: 1-3 hours
Volunteer Training: 3 hours
Contact:
Jaime Welch
(810) 877-0619
