Program Goals

The Aquatic Program mission is to conserve aquatic invertebrates through educating the public and influencing policy.

The ultimate goal of our Pacific Northwest project is to: protect and restore watersheds and rivers in the Pacific Northwest.

In pursuing this goal, the Xerces Society's Aquatic Program helps watershed volunteers directly influence watershed management by training them to collect stream invertebrate data (as well as other stream data) and translate that information into a measure of the streams' biological condition, giving them the ability to influence management decisions. Stream invertebrate data has been used to directly address problems in aquatic ecosystems throughout the United States, and these applications are becoming more frequent and more visible as the science evolves. We are also directly advocating for better management of waterways by providing scientific feedback on management plans that impact aquatic invertebrates and preparing status reviews of select aquatic invertebrates.

For volunteers to begin a high-quality monitoring program, resources and technical assistance are essential. The Xerces Society is able to provide these services, and in so doing, help bring watershed monitoring to the grassroots level. The anticipated outcomes are as follows:

Monitoring tools

1. Develop, produce, print, and distribute a Northwest aquatic invertebrate monitoring CD-ROM and an accompanying field identification guide; the guides will also be readily accessible on the Internet.
2. Support the aquatic invertebrate monitoring database (conceived by Xerces and managed by Streamnet, a Northwest interagency fisheries data storage organization), thus making volunteer-collected aquatic invertebrate data available to managers and decision makers.

Grassroots mobilization

3. Hold aquatic invertebrate monitoring workshops emphasizing the use of the CD-ROM as a monitoring aid, with follow up to all participants.
4. Continue providing aquatic invertebrate monitoring assistance and support to organizations and individuals involved in past workshop series.
5. Compile all aquatic invertebrate monitoring data from the Tillamook State Forest and work with available volunteers to start a long term monitoring program on the forest.
6. Work with schools, environmental education programs, and community groups to engender a greater understanding of the importance of invertebrates in aquatic systems.

Professional cooperation

7. Finalize regional standards of invertebrate identificationand ecological classification.
8. Organize annual taxonomic workshops for the region's macroinvertebrate taxonomists.

Advocacy

9. Provide timely scientific information to decision makers on management plans that impact aquatic resources.
10. Work with scientists on status reviews of select aquatic invertebrates that would complement the protection of anadromous fish.