Friends of St. Clair River promote Stonefly detection crucial for watershed protection

Helping protect local watersheds, Friends of St. Clair River is hosting its annual citizen science event, the Stonefly Search, on February 28 at Columbus County Park. Participants will meet at the main lodge at 10 a.m., then hike down to the Belle River to search for stone flies, a tiny insect useful for monitoring stream quality.

Equipped with natural anti-freeze, stoneflies spend most of their lives in the water and emerge as adults in the winter, says Friends Education Manager Melissa Kivel. Preferring healthy, cool, high-oxygenated water, these little bugs will not tolerate pollution or other unhealthy water conditions.

“They’re little divas,” Kivel says. 

Volunteers collect and count stoneflies to measure the health of a stream. Their presence indicates a healthy stream; their absence, an unhealthy one. 

Armed with waders and plenty of warm clothing, volunteers will venture into the icy waters to scoop the bottom of the creek bed with special nets.

“[Stoneflies are] a little badge of honor for a healthy habitat, and that’s why we go look for them,” says Executive Director Sheri Faust. 

Those volunteers then dump their catch into trays on the shoreline. Other volunteers sort through the trays with tweezers and plastic spoons to gently collect the insects and sort them into ice cube trays to be counted. At the end of the event, all of the stoneflies are safely released back into the stream, Kivel says.

The survey’s results informs Friends’ water restoration and protection efforts, and is published online alongside data from other stream monitoring efforts. The data is also used to track stream health over time, Faust and Kivel say. 

The event is suitable for all ages and experience, and most ability levels, Kivel says. All participants must walk down a hill to the river. Those who are not willing or able to enter the water can assist with counting on the shore. 

While the event is free, registration is strongly encouraged by emailing Kivel at melissa@scriver.org. Participants may bring their own waders or request waders to rent by contacting Kivel. Volunteers should dress in warm clothing. 

How citizen science supports healthy watersheds

The annual stonefly search is just one of dozens of volunteer and citizen science programs Friends of the St. Clair River offers year-round. These programs require no prior experience or scientific knowledge, and come in a range of activities suited to all ages and ability levels. 

Opportunities range from counting butterflies, collecting and counting microplastics during beach cleanups, doing litter pickups, removing invasive plants, building nest boxes, or taking photos of plant and animal species. Most programs focus on collecting data that is then shared with partner agencies and larger regional, state, and federal databases, Faust says. 

“[Citizen science] makes our rivers cleaner, healthier, and more resilient for all of us who depend on them,” Faust says. “We’re able to answer those questions of how the health of our environment is doing. Without this volunteer-driven data, we wouldn’t have those answers.”

This data informs Friends’ work by allowing scientists to focus restoration efforts on unhealthy environments and conservation efforts on healthy areas. 

For example, 25 seventh-grade students at St. Clair County RESA’s Middle School Innovation Academy visited Cuttle Creek to measure phosphate, pH, nitrate, and dissolved oxygen levels in the water, along with other data to stream conditions. 

Students then shared their proposals for stream restoration with Friends, St. Clair County RESA, and the City of Marysville, providing valuable data for future conservation and restoration efforts. 

The MI Paddle Stewards program enlists kayakers to identify, map, and photograph invasive species along Michigan’s water trails so that volunteers and Friends staff can target certain areas for invasive species removal during cleanup days. 

How ordinary citizens make a difference

For volunteers, citizen science programs are an opportunity to exercise, get outside, explore the Blue Water Area’s natural gems, and better the environment and the community. 

Friends’ citizen scientist and board member Doreen Kephart takes part in the stonefly search and other citizen scientist programs as a way to give back and satisfy the natural curiosity her parents – both school teachers – instilled in her as a young girl. 

“The stone fly search is unique because it’s in the winter. There are so few things really happening outdoors at this time of year, and we tend to think of it as a dormant period of life in general. And yet, here you’re going to the river and reminded of how much life is happening all the time,” Kephart says. 

Kephart says Friends is an opportunity to make her own little corner of the world a better place for herself and future generations. 

“You want to feel like you can make a difference, and Friends gives me that,” she says. “Friends gives me a sense of accomplishment and hope.”

Editor’s Note: The original story stated the Friends of the St. Clair River Stonefly Search would occur on January 31. Due to heavy ice cover, the event will now take place on February 28, 2026, at Columbus County Park.