What We Do

​

The River Raisin Watershed Council’s Adopt-A-Stream program is a vital, volunteer-led effort dedicated to monitoring and assessing the ecological health of our local streams. Our dedicated volunteers, guided by experienced staff, wear waders and venture directly into the waterways, using specialized nets to collect aquatic macroinvertebrates, the small insect larvae and other organisms living on the stream bottoms. This hands-on process involves careful collection in the water, followed by meticulous sorting along the banks to ensure every sample is accurately gathered for further analysis. This grassroots data collection is a fundamental part of our commitment to active stewardship of the River Raisin.

​

Why We Do It

​

These seemingly small aquatic bugs are, in fact, powerful biological indicators of water quality. Different species can tolerate varying levels of pollution and dissolved oxygen, meaning the diversity and type of macroinvertebrates we find can accurately diagnose the health of a stream. When our data shows an imbalance, such as a lack of pollution-sensitive species, it signals an area where conservation attention is urgently needed. This crucial information directly guides the River Raisin Watershed Council’s strategy, allowing us to focus our resources and conservation funding precisely where they will have the greatest impact on protecting and improving the quality of the River Raisin for the entire watershed community.