Spring Stream Monitoring

Discover what creek critters live in the Little Falls Branch

LFWA monitors the Little Falls Branch four times a year - doing a biological census of the macro-invertebrates that live on the bottom of the creek. This count of benthic organisms - numbers of individuals and diversity - gives us a picture of the health of our creek. By mapping the data over the years, we have good assessment of how well our stream is surviving in our dense urban area. Our monitoring is done in partnership with the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS).

This event is primarily for trained monitors. Before going into the field, new monitors should have a basic knowledge of macroinvertebrate identification and stream ecology, either from previous training or by attending the ANS water quality training sessions. If you are interested in taking the ANS training, we have scholarships available. We ask that people interested commit to monitoring the Little Falls branch for at least two seasons. Please contact Sarah Morse, stormwater@LFWA.org, for information about the ANS courses and scholarships.

This activity is pre-approved for MCPS SSL hours. Students 14 and under must be accompanied by a supervising adult.