Your Guide to CA’s Stream Waders
Guest Post by Natalie Yee, CA Environmental Program Manager
Love learning all about the life that can found in our community’s streams? Good news: As a Stream Wader, you can meet others who share your passion for the environment and do important work to improve the health of our streams!
Who are the Stream Waders?
Dedicated Columbians who care about stream stewardship! The Stream Waders program is a part of a bigger initiative from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Each year in March and April, several Columbia stream sites are sampled for macroinvertebrates by local volunteers. These insects can provide an index of overall stream health. While on-site, we also remove litter, measure water chemistry and plant live stakes for erosion control.
Why is this work so important?
Being a Stream Wader is a fascinating peek into how scientists study stream health. You’ll learn about how macroinvertebrates are good indicators of stream health, as there are differing sensitivities to chemical pollution and physical disturbances among species. For example, a stonefly is pollution intolerant, so finding one in the stream is a sign that there is not an overwhelming amount of pollution. The samples are sent to a lab to be analyzed down to the species level, and from there an overarching rating called an Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) score is determined, taking into account factors including species abundance and diversity.
Water chemistry metrics provide additional insight into other important factors that affect stream health. Specifically, we look at the temperature, dissolved oxygen level, nitrate level and the conductivity of the water. These metrics may be influenced by pollution, high concentrations of salt, and increased runoff, so monitoring these numbers for abnormal values may provide insight into how the stream is affected by outside conditions.
The macroinvertebrate data, coupled with the water chemistry data, provide a fuller picture as to the conditions of the stream.
5 things you’ll experience as a Stream Wader
1- You will learn how to properly sample for macroinvertebrates in a stream🐛.
2- You will encounter critters who are both cute and ecologically important!
3- You will gain an understanding of how habitat conditions such as shade trees or nearby parking lots can have an effect on nearby streams.
4- You will become more familiar with different kinds of benthic habitats macroinvertebrates like to live in.
5- You will be working with a passionate group of folks who like being outside and caring for our streams!
Join the Stream Waders
Ready to connect with other stream enthusiasts and make a difference? Stream Waders is open to anyone interested in helping sample our local streams in partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Training will take place on Tuesday, March 26 from 9-3:30pm. Transportation to two locations will be required. If you cannot attend the training but are still interested in the program, you are more than welcome to join us at our Stream Waders events which take place between March and April.
Please contact openspace.resourcerequests@columbiaassociation.org for any interest in the program including training and event dates.
