Rice Creek stream health evaluation results yield good news

While macroinvertibralific isn't a word, our 2008 Rice Creek SHEP results prove that it should be. SHEP, or Stream Health Evaluation Program, has been active in the Rice Creek Watershed District since 2006.

Our 2008 SHEP season results are in, and the program is showing great improvement in the health of Rice Creek Watershed streams. Better yet, SHEP is also showing that volunteer monitors can continue to produce high-quality stream health data over time.

SHEP's volunteer macroinvertebrate stream monitoring data shows that stream health is improving in Hardwood Creek, Clearwater Creek and the Rice Creek, the three major water systems in the Rice Creek Watershed. In addition, the results show that recent restoration activities in the Rice Creek are making a significant impact on stream health just a few years later.

The results also show that FMR's SHEP volunteers continue to exceed our performance expectations. SHEP volunteers were once again more than 96% accurate in their assessments. Congratulations to all our 2008 SHEP volunteer teams!

2008 SHEP Volunteers:

• Hardwood Creek & Clearwater Creek monitoring team
  Team leader: Gary Averbeck
  Team members: Jim Bukowski, Tere O'Connell, Wayne LeBlanc, Linda Grundter, Barb Hoernemann, Dana Raines, Don Vegoe, Sarah Sevcik.
• Rice Creek monitoring team
  Team leaders: Gwen & Frank Neumann
  Team members: Bob Bartlett, Glenn Fuchs, Julie Glanton, Ralph Butkowski, Barbara Bor, Susan Fuller, Julie Glanton, Debbie Hartman, Eileen Zierdt.
• Locke Lake monitoring team
  Team leader: Cathi Lyman-Onkka
  Team members: Wendy Barron, Bill Radmer, Marilyn Radmer, Analiese Miller, Ted McCaslin, Christy Dolph, Catherine Majkrzak, Elan Mejkrzak, Susan Young, Nancy Wilberts.

For more info on SHEP, please visit http://www.fmr.org/projects/shep