Adopt-A-Stream

Explore and Protect Our Living Waters

How Can You get involved?

Three different types of Adopt-A-Stream volunteers are needed:

Team Coordinators: Team Coordinators are the glue that holds a Stream Team together. They set monitoring dates with their team, coordinate equipment reservations and provide CRWC with their team’s data (forms and website or electronic spreadsheets are provided). Coordinators also ensure that their teams follow monitoring protocols and accurately identify macroinvertebrates to the order level. Team Coordinators must attend two training sessions, commit to a minimum of two seasons as a Coordinator, and attend May and October monitoring days.
Team Members: Team Members help make the monitoring experience a success by providing the collective time and energy needed to monitor a site. Monitoring as a team also makes the experience fun!
Team Participants: Team Participants are also asked to attend Adopt-A-Stream Training and participate in May and October monitoring days. Adopt-A-Stream Program Assistants are individuals that help keep our Adopt-A-Stream program organized and on schedule. Opportunities include inventorying our stream monitoring equipment, restocking equipment, helping to organize and plan our annual volunteer forum and entering monitoring data into our database.

How Will You Benefit?

In addition to knowing you are a part of a very important monitoring process, CRWC offers a variety of volunteer resources and recognition opportunities. Volunteers receive training certificates and recognition in our publications, and are invited to join CRWC’s mailing list and e-mail listserve to receive regular updates on water quality topics. Volunteers are invited to participate in other CRWC events and attend an annual Adopt-A-Stream Celebration. Volunteers who offer their support for one year or more will receive anniversary certificates, recognition gifts and opportunities to participate in advanced training.

What To Do Next

Register for and attend Adopt-A-Stream Training. You can choose to attend the training sessions in the subwatershed in which you live, or the session that best fit your schedule.
The CRWC will coordinate site selection. Teams of 3-5 individuals are recommended. Youth are welcome to participate, but an adult Team Coordinator must ensure that protocols are followed correctly.
Decide if you want to be a Team Coordinator or a Team Participant or Program Assistant (Program assistants do not need to complete training sessions). Also, decide if you want to become a certified Bug Identifier.
Have fun monitoring! Monitoring takes place the first Saturday in May and October. The process lasts approximately 3 hours, depending on the number of team members present. The CRWC will send reminders to Team Coordinators to help teams prepare for the upcoming monitoring season. Team Coordinators will contact their team members to schedule their monitoring days and times.

If you are interested in becoming an Adopt-A-Stream volunteer, or have questions, contact the CRWC at (248) 601-0606 or email us at contact@crwc.org.

Click here to find out about our training sessions.