Welcome to the temporary home page for the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Partnership!! This page exists to give you a preliminary glimpse into this extraordinary effort. As the program grows, so will this site.

The Volunteer Stream Monitoring Partnership is a coalition of state and local governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions working together to support and promote volunteer monitoring throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area. This project was developed in cooperation with the WaterShed Partners and is funded by a Metro Environment Partnership grant from the Metropolitan Council.

Click here for a brief history of the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Partnership.

Volunteers have been monitoring their local streams for some time. This program assists them with sampling in the field, assessing the data, and evaluating water quality. The program integrates all metropolitan volunteer water quality monitoring efforts, compiles and interprets data in a central location and makes the data easily accessible to governmental agencies and volunteer programs. Citizens are assisted in accessing information and identifying actions they can take to protect rivers in their communities. The program builds support among citizens, organizations and governmental agencies for local and state river protection decisions. Residents gain a better understanding of the health of rivers and watersheds in the metropolitan area.

Volunteers can monitor their local stream on several levels depending on their available time and commitment level. The Volunteer Stream Monitoring Methods Matrix can help volunteers choose the activity that matches their goals, level of skill and available resources. Click here to download a PDF version of this matrix.

A range of monitoring activities measures the physical, biological, and chemical monitoring characteristics of streams and their watersheds. Program staff can help volunteers make the appropriate selections and ensure that the proper techniques are being used. For more information about service-learning projects and resources related to stream monitoring, see the WaterShed Action site.

Here's what some of the students involved in stream monitoring have said in the past......

"During our trip to the Rum River I thought it was really cool and interesting. I also thought that it was very educational and I learned a lot about my environment and the animals or creatures that live there. I also learned how or what animals to look for if I want to check to see how good my water quality is." Nathan L. - Crossroads School and Vocational Center

Credit for both photos goes to Jennifer Stelton.

"My experience catching animals - insects at the Rum River. I had fun doing it and it was something I enjoyed because it was a new experience for me. I had never worn a rubber suit until that day or I had never even really walked through a river like I did that day. Most of all, what I got out of that whole big project was learning all the insects that are in water. I never knew until that day that one sweep of a net would catch about twenty insects. I also learned that the Rum River is not polluted to the point where certain insects can't live in it anymore. Lastly I learned the names of the many different bugs." Sean M. - Crossroads School and Vocational Center

For further information, please contact:

Click here to return to the WaterShed Partners page