Learn what it takes to be a community scientist at this free event! You will help to collect aquatic insects to monitor the water quality of Eaton County streams. Volunteers will meet at the C.S. Mott Academic Center at The University of Olivet to review stream monitoring protocols before going out into the field. All […]

Learn what it takes to be a community scientist at this free event! You will help to identify the aquatic insects collected from Eaton County streams to calculate a water quality score. Volunteers will meet in a science classroom in the C.S. Mott Academic Center at The University of Olivet. Equipment and training will be […]

These underwater creatures elude most predators by growing during the winter months when most fish are more sluggish. They live only in good quality streams so searching for them tells us about problems in the river and its streams.  HRWC does stonefly searches to gauge the health of our streams. When you sign up to […]

Join your Friends to look for stoneflies! Stoneflies are a primitive group of insects named for their habitat of crawling on stones in a river. Most stoneflies have high oxygen needs, restricting them to clean well-oxygenated streams. Because of this, they are good indicators of stream quality. Some stoneflies hatch in winter, which is why […]

Rivers are full of life, even in the depths of winter! Together with the St. Clair County Parks and Recreation Commission, we invite you to join us as we enter streams on a hunt for the elusive winter stonefly. These tiny insects, equipped with a natural-antifreeze, spend most of their lives as nymphs in the […]

Come join us at for a Winter Stonefly Hunt! During this event we will search for stoneflies in our local rivers and streams. Stoneflies appear during the winter and require oxygen-rich waters to survive. They are also intolerant of pollution, which makes them a great indicator of the water quality in our area. The Winter […]

Join our monitoring team this 2026 season. The monitoring season runs from April through September with outings in Washtenaw, Wayne, and a limited number in Livingston County. New volunteers are required to attend one of the 2-hour in-person orientations in March. Please register following the links below. Washtenaw County Orientation: Saturday, March 14th 9am – […]

Friends of the Rouge Spring Bug Hunt 2026 Event Date: Sat. April 11, 2026 10am-3pm(ish), meet at 10am: Jack Wilcox Theater inside Plymouth Arts and Recreation Complex, 650 Church St, Plymouth, MI 48170. **There will be an indoor welcome from 10am-11am where volunteers will have a chance to meet their team, enjoy refreshments (coffee, juice, […]

Volunteer as a community scientist and learn to collect aquatic insects to help monitor the water quality of Eaton County streams! Stream Monitoring Collection Day Learn what it takes to be a community scientist at this free event! You will help to collect aquatic insects to monitor the water quality of Eaton County streams. Volunteers […]

Volunteer as a community scientist and learn to collect aquatic insects to help monitor the water quality of Eaton County streams! Stream Monitoring Collection Day Learn what it takes to be a community scientist at this free event! You will help to collect aquatic insects to monitor the water quality of Eaton County streams. Volunteers […]