Please join HRWC’s annual Winter Stonefly Search volunteer event on Saturday, January 27, 2024. This is a great outdoor winter activity for individuals and groups of friends and family. There are two start times: 9 am and 10:30 am.

Sign up is required. Visit hrwc.org/volunteer/stonefly to sign up and for more information.

As part of a long-term river study, each January, HRWC looks for “winter stoneflies,” which grow, feed and find their mates in the coldest months when most fish are too sluggish to eat them. Stoneflies are very sensitive to changes in water quality and habitat. Like canaries in a coal mine, they tell us a lot about the health of the river.

Trained volunteer collectors take each team to HRWC’s study sites throughout the Huron River system, where the group helps search through stones, leaves, and sediment taken from the river bottom. All equipment is provided. Participants are advised to dress for the weather. Volunteers meet in Ann Arbor and carpool to their assigned sites.