Biological Monitoring

Fish

Macroinvertebrates

Bacteria

Aquatic Plants

Getting Started

Biological Monitoring Opportunities 

Biological monitors collect aquatic life, identify them, and record data to assess the health of streams. This may be done at different intervals depending on the project they are working on.

We currently have two macro monitoring opportunities available for volunteers to adopt in Chagrin River or Rocky River. If you are interested in participating in biological monitoring with us, see current project opportunities below and either join us at an upcoming biological monitoring training before beginning an independent project or contact us at WVPinfo@clevelandmetroparks.com to get started with a biological monitoring project. 

Reporting Hours

Monthly hours are due by the last Monday of every month. All volunteers who adopt a water chemistry independent project should submit hours into Volgistics under '(IP:M) Biological Monitoring'  assignment after each monitoring session.

What do we monitor?

Current Projects

Ohio's Scenic Rivers Stream Quality Monitoring

Developed in 1983 by the Ohio Division of Natural Resources (ODNR) Scenic Rivers program, Ohio's Stream Quality Monitoring (SQM) Project uses a variety of sampling techniques to determine the quality of the state's scenic rivers and streams. 

Help Ohio's Scenic Rivers program conduct biological monitoring of macroinvertebrates to determine stream health. Collected data will be compiled into yearly reports used to help predict seasonal fluctuations and quality ranking.

Rocky River Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Training, May 23 2021 & June 16 2021

Rocky River Macroinvertebrate Monitoring

The Rocky River Biological Monitoring pilot program is a joint program led by Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and the Watershed Volunteer Program (WVP). Volunteer macroinvertebrate monitors are given kits to monitor macroinvertebrates at different monitoring sites within the Rocky River Watershed. Each monitoring kit is equipped with a D net, an Ice cube tray, a 12x12 tray, Forceps, Pipettes, and small scopes. 

Data can be recorded directly  through a data management system called Water Reporter.  Curious about the most recent water quality monitoring data at each station within the Rocky River watershed? Check out interactive data maps here.

Winter Stonefly Survey

 More details coming soon!

Volunteer Materials & Resources 

Macro Indentification from MBI Training

Program Kickoff Video

Want to practice your macroinvertebrate skills? Please feel free to review the following identification guides and resources below.