2022 ‘Get Your Feet Wet’ Volunteer Stream Monitoring, Saturday, Sept. 10, Shaker Creek, Town of Colonie, 8:30am and/or 1pm. Sign up today!

On Saturday, September 10, 2022, the Stormwater Coalition of Albany County is sponsoring two WAVE stream monitoring events on Shaker Creek in the Town of Colonie, New York. See flyer!

Volunteers are needed to monitor one site in the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy Fox Preserve (8:30am to ~11:00) and another site upstream near Mill Road (1:00pm to ~3:00pm). Volunteers can sign up for one or both sites. No experience is necessary and training is provided.

Pre-registration is required and space is limited. If interested, contact Nancy Heinzen, swcoalition@albanycounty.com or call 518-447-5645. You will receive directions for where to meet, what to wear, and other information.   

“WAVE” (Water Assessments by Volunteer Evaluators) is a stream monitoring method developed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC).

As a volunteer you’ll collect “stream bugs” using nets, assess habitat, and fill out forms describing how you might want to use the stream (fishing, boating, etc.). Your data is then sent to NYSDEC scientists. The bugs, or macroinvertebrates, are the “canaries in a coal mine” which tell us if a stream is affected by pollution or not.

A Local WAVE Coordinator and the Town of Colonie Stormwater Program Coordinator will lead this event. Equipment is provided.