Today I will be near or in the Ives Road Fen (where these Silver Spotted Skippers were hanging out) searching for insects in the River Raisin watershed. Why? Here’s an excerpt from the River Raisin Watershed Council….
The River Raisin Watershed Council’s Adopt-A-Stream program consists of three events; Training Day, Stream Search and Bug I.D. Day. Volunteers from all across the watershed work in teams to collect macroinvetebrates from twenty sites to determine the water quality of each site. Macroinvertebrates are one of the best indicators of water quality as there are a variety of types of macroinvertebrates that are tolerant, somewhat tolerant, sensitive and high sensitive to pollutants.
Two collectors wade into a stream and work with a special net to collect the insects. Sorters are stationed along the bank and sift through the nets to extract the macroinvertebates and place them in jars for further analysis on Bug ID Day. The Stream Captain directs the volunteers and ensures all tasks have been completed.
On Bug ID Day, experts work alongside volunteers to identify the macroinvetebrates to the family level. Results are quantified and statistically analyzed to produce a report that ranks each site as poor, fair, good or excellent. The report is forwarded to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
The Heron 