Abstract: The goal of this project is to engage students in aquatic macroinvertebrate sampling and stream habitat assessment in the River Raisin Watershed in Southeastern Michigan. This project serves a two-fold purpose; to provide a meaningful hands-on experience for students, and the man-power needed to maintain long-term ecological monitoring research. Building a volunteer base for long-term water quality monitoring projects can be challenging, particularly in rural watersheds with lower population density compared to more urban watersheds. At the same time, students in rural settings are intimately tied to the ecosystems around them, but lack the training to formally evaluate the health of their watershed. The River Raisin Watershed Council’s Adopt-A-Stream monitoring program offers an opportunity to combine citizen science, project-based learning and place-based education techniques in local classrooms. The program is professionally led, and requires little formal training for students to actively participate. There are 20 sites sampled throughout the watershed twice a year. This requires approximately 500 man-hours of effort per year, which would be impossible to accomplish without volunteers. Volunteers sample macroinvertebrates in the field and help to identify them in the laboratory. Students are able to help with each step of the process, guided by an ecologist-mentor with years of experience. Participation can occur both inside and outside of the classroom, which offers students the opportunity for sustained engagement. This is the first year that students were able to present the results of their fall monitoring effort to local community stakeholders; the River Raisin Watershed Council Executive Board. Student involvement in the Adopt-A-Stream sampling involves cross-curricular components; hands-on skills including sampling techniques and microscope use, identification using dichotomous keys, math involved in habitat assessment calculations and graphing, and even ELA skills used in the final presentation. Learning to read watershed maps at various scales helps students to understand their place within the watershed and the larger Western Lake Erie Basin, which is infamous for its harmful algal blooms. Curiosity about the local water quality drives student involvement in monitoring and empowers them to be part of the solution to this authentic real-world problem. Students that have graduated often return to volunteer, which helps to grow a well-trained volunteer base. Additionally, the skills that students learn help them as they further their education and begin their careers in ecology.
