Twice a year, teams of volunteers visit sites throughout the headwaters of the watershed and search for mayflies, stoneflies and other aquatic invertebrates. The presence or absence of these streambed creatures reflects the quality of the water and habitat. Friends of the Rouge uses them to track changes in the river quality over time.

Bug Hunts are held on a Saturday in the fall and in the spring. No prior experience is necessary but you do need to pre-register to be assigned to a team.  Once you have attended one sampling day, you might consider increasing your level of involvement by attending training to become a team leader.  Friends of the Rouge also does a Winter Stonefly Search in January,

Winter Stonefly Search

Saturday. Jan 25, 2014
9am-3pm
University of Michigan-Dearborn
Environmental Interpretive Center
4901 Evergreen Road
Dearborn, MI 48128
Registration required by Jan 10

Register Here!

Can’t make the Winter Stonefly search?  Click here for more local events!