Rebecca Fedewa, Executive Director
Email: rfedewa@flintriver.org

Jack Minore, Board Chair
Email: jacksonmin@aol.com

Edythe Westhoff, Office Manager
Email: ewesthoff@flintriver.org

Sue Lossing, Education/Outreach Coordinator
Email: slossing@flintriver.org

Flint River Watershed Coalition
432 North Saginaw Street, Suite 238
Flint, Michigan 48502

Telephone: (810) 767-6490
Fax: (810) 767-2149

Benthic Monitoring

What is benthic monitoring?

Benthic Monitoring is the collection of critters (insects and other invertebrates) from the bottom of a river or stream. To participate, contact Dennis Zicha at dzicha@comcast.net.

Why do we monitor benthic life?

These critters in the bottom of the stream are more or less sensitive to pollution. By catching these critters and noting how many of what kinds are living in the stream, we can get an idea of how clean or dirty the water is.

• DEQ Monitoring Program Presentation to the Flint River Watershed Coalition at our annual meeting in January 2002
• Complete Data Set for 1999-2001 (from CAER)
• FRWC Benthic Macroinvertebrate monitoring results (score only)1999-present
• 2003 Benthic Monitoring summary
• Volunteer for the Flint River Monitoring Program Brochure
• Volunteer Monitoring In Stream Procedure Guidelines

What are the forms and procedures used for monitoring?

Benthic Collection Standard Operating Procedure

Stream Assessment Standard Operating Procedure

Laboratory Standard Operating Procedure

Stream Survey Form

Benthic Survey Form

Greenways

Swartz Creek

Genesee GREEN

"Turning Students into Environmental Stewards"

The Flint River Watershed Coalition, with our partners in Genesee GREEN - Earthforce, the Genesee Intermediate School District, the Genesee County Drain Commissioner, General Motors and a handful of others, coordinates an applied curriculum for Middle School and High School students that has a positive impact on the environment, now and into the future.

Using scientific methods, a classroom of students tests or monitors a body of water; identifies an environmental problem, researches the causes of the problem, and works to eliminate the problem. Beyond merely identifying the environmental issue, the class works to make positive changes in practices or policies that allowed the problem to emerge in the first place. In Genesee County, the work done in Genesee GREEN compliments the on-going monitoring project that the Watershed Coalition has conducted for several years. It also provides information for use by the County Drain Commissioner in fulfilling their responsibilities relative to storm water run off concerns and abatement.

The Watershed Coalition currently has several classrooms in a number of Genesee County school districts involved in Genesee GREEN.

The program is partly funded by General Motors, and GM also has classroom mentors assisting throughout the entire process. The Intermediate School District coordinates the classroom involvement; and the Watershed Coalition oversees the entire program and coordinates the partnership. The Genesee County Drain Commissioner has "adopted" some schools and will use the program to further promote storm water issues. Earthforce is the national organization that supports the training and other aspects of the program.

For additional information, you may contact the Flint River Watershed Coalition at (810) 767-6490.

2006 GREEN Slideshow

2005 Genesee GREEN report

For more information on Genesee GREEN, visit http://www.green.org/

For our local data, check out our local site

RiverFEST

River Rescue (River Cleanup)