Adopt-A-Stream is a fun, easy, hands-on way to help track water quality in the Grand Traverse Bay watershed.
Adopt-A-Stream is perfect for families, schools, neighborhood groups, employee clubs – just about anyone who cares about the deep link between our water quality and quality of life.
And all it takes is a couple hours twice a year!
Here’s How it Works
- Work with The Watershed Center to find a stream sampling location.
- Assemble a monitoring team.
- Donate $50 per team to help cover equipment costs. Or find a Stream Sponsor!
- Pledge to monitor your stream once during June and October.
- Designate a team leader, who will receive training from the Watershed Center for sampling benthic macroinvertebrates. That’s fancy scientific terminology for “aquatic insects.” Team leaders will learn to collect, sort and identify aquatic insects; the type and number of aquatic insects present in a stream signify that stream’s health. The team leader will also learn how to complete the survey sheet so testing results can be entered into a statewide database.
Here’s What You Get
- Two team t-shirts; additional t-shirts are only $10 each
- Recognition in the Watershed Center web site and newsletter
- Fun, hands-on, place-based education for kids
- Pride of ownership in our water quality
Find Your Stream and a Team!
- Spring sampling period: any day during the first two weeks of June
- Fall sampling period: any day during the first two weeks of October
- Team leader training: immediately prior to sampling periods
To join the hands-on fun, please call 231.935.1514.
Become an Adopt-A-Stream Program Sponsor!
Businesses, organizations and individuals can become Adopt-A-Stream Program Sponsors for an annual donation of $500. In addition to the above, you receive:
- Name and logo on Adopt-A-Stream t-shirts
- Name and link on web site
- Name and logo in Watershed Moments print newsletters at least once per year
- Publicity in Watershed Moments e-newsletter
- Publicity on Watershed Center Facebook page
- A unique medium for increasing your publicity that shows the community you actively invest in our Up North water quality and quality of life
Many Thanks to Our Program Sponsors!
- Consumers Energy
- Grand Traverse Organic Landscapes
- Grand Traverse Resort and Spa
- Katherine Roth, M.D. and Greg Holmes, Ph.D, Integrative Health and Wellbeing
- Leelanau Township Community Foundation
- Tom’s Food Markets
- Wildlife and Wetland Solutions
- Munson Medical Center
Special thanks to Alfie for printing our t-shirts!
Thank You to Our Stream Sponsors!
Stream Sponsors donate $300 annually to sponsor a stream for a particular team. Thank you to our generous Stream Sponsors!
- Alfie
- Blue Water Transportation
- Rotary Camps & Services Water Committee
- Elk-Skegemog Lakes Association
- Captain’s Quarters
Thank You to Our Stream Teams!
- Acme Creek Downstream: Grand Traverse Resort and Spa
- Acme Creek Upstream: Grand Traverse Resort and Spa
- Baker Creek: The Coe Family
- Carpenter Creek: Boardman Fly Tiers
- Cedar Creek: Frank Simkins
- Hines Creek: Frank Simkins
- Jack’s Creek: Ed Moehle
- Kids Creek Downstream: The Lewandowski Family
- Kids Creek Upstream: Rotary Camps and Services – Water Studies Committee
- Miller Creek: Blue Water Transportation
- Rapid River – Seven Bridges: The Claudepierre Family
- Rapid River – Rapid City Rd.: The Fields Family
- South Branch Boardman River: The Donaldson Family
- Rapid River – Aarwood Trail: The Lawicki Family
- Twenty-Two Creek: Boardman Fly Tiers
- Water Wheel Park: Leslie Etienne and Scott Wilson
Adopt-A-Stream Data
View our 2016 Adopt-A-Stream Report!
Check out stream scores from sampling results and the location of sampled streams.
Click below for an aquatic insect ID chart
