The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center’s (NGRREC) will host a community training program, Illinois River Watch, at the Lake of the Woods’ Izaak Walton Cabin from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 23.
Illinois River Water is designed to train community members on how to monitor local stream health. Each spring, RiverWatch offers workshops where volunteers learn to collect and identify stream macroinvertebrates (water bugs) and describe the physical condition of the stream habitat. Upon completing training and becoming certified, volunteers may adopt a stream site where they can monitor water quality and contribute to a state-wide dataset using these RiverWatch survey methods.
Through local participation, which is currently 200 participants strong, NGRREC studies the ecology of the big rivers, the workings of the watersheds that feed them, and the ties to the river communities that use them.
RiverWatch workshops are designed for people with diverse educational backgrounds. The workshops will provide enough information for volunteers to monitor streams whether they have a biology degree or they just want to better understand the stream in their own backyard.
Upcoming RiverWatch Training Workshops
• 3/19 – Vermilion County – Danville
• 3/26 – Will County – Joliet
• 3/26 – Jackson County – Makanda
• 3/26 – Logan County – Lincoln
• 4/2 – Peoria County – Peoria
• 4/2 – Richland County – Olney
• 4/2 – Will County – Joliet
• 4/3 – Madison County – Godfrey
• 4/5 – Jefferson County – Mount Vernon
• 4/10 – Dekalb County – Genoa
• 4/16 – Winnebago County – Rockford
• 4/23 – Champaign County – Mahomet
• 4/24 – Kankakee County – Bourbonnais
• 4/24 – Lake County – Ingleside
• 4/30 – Knox County – Galesburg
Continuing education credits are available for current Illinois educators. Those interested should make a note on their registration form at https://conta.cc/3stkSD9.
The registration fee is $50 for adults, which includes a copy of the RiverWatch manual. Up to two children per registered adult may attend at no cost.
For more information, visit www.ngrrec.org/Riverwatch or contact Griffis at hgriffis@lc.edu
or (618) 468-2781.
