creek health

January 2024 Field Updates: Tracking Bacteria in Our Creeks

March 2023 Field Updates: Expanded Streamflow Monitoring

A California Red-legged frog. Copyright Morro Bay National Estuary Program

Gearing Up for Spring Bioassessment Monitoring at the Estuary Program

Bioassessment 2021: the results are in! How healthy are local creeks? Plus a new video!

Staff member holds a rock during bioassessment

Field Updates April 2021: Bioassessment Highlights and Volunteer Support

Closeup of a tidbit

Continuous Water Temperature Monitoring in Our Creeks

Giant Water Bugs, also known as “Toe-Biters,” are large invertebrate predators with a powerful bite! Females typically deposit their eggs onto the males’ back, and the male “Toe-Biter” keeps the eggs safe until they hatch.

Bioassessment 2020: Highlights from the Season

Two volunteers wear waders and dark red plaid shirts. The one on the left holds an algae-covered rock that is about 12 inches long. The volunteer on the right uses a red ruler to measure the width of the rock. The data that they collect will be used to calculate the overall bioassessment survey results for the year.

Bioassessment Survey Results 2019: Tracking the Health of Local Creeks

While pressure transducers and other automated equipment collect important data, much of our long-term dataset is collected by hand. Volunteers measure water quality each month by going out to creek or bay sites with equipment in hand. They take note of things like water temperature, dissolved oxygen content, and other measures that indicate creek health.

Where is the water? Tracking water in our creeks

At bioassessment training, volunteers learn how to collect data on water quality such as temperature, pH and oxygen levels.

April Field Updates: Monitoring