Marsh and Stream Explorers: A Treasure Hunt to Find Healthy Freshwater Habitats in Maine

Curious about what critters live in your local streams and freshwater marshes? Come learn about Maine Marsh and Stream Explorers, a collaborative community science project between Maine Audubon and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). This program trains volunteers to survey for macroinvertebrates, or large aquatic insects, in streams and freshwater marshes statewide. With many macroinvertebrates sensitive to temperature, pollutants, and other environmental stressors, their presence or absence serve as an important indicator of overall wetland health. This data then becomes an invaluable screening tool for Maine DEP to prioritize where more-indepth water quality assessments should be conducted.

In this webinar you’ll learn about what the Marsh and Stream Explorers project has accomplished and its impact on water quality monitoring statewide. We’ll look at our overall results, share our successes, and talk about future goals of the project. If you’re interested in getting outdoors, learning something new, and protecting your local watershed, this community science project is for you! Come learn more about how you can get involved. In-person field training for survey techniques to follow.

Maine Audubon strives to provide inclusive and accessible programs for all members of the community. If you require accommodations to participate in this program, please email events@maineaudubon.org. Maine Audubon can best meet the needs of requests submitted at least seven days before the event start date.