Our partnerships with groups of volunteers are at the core of our mission to empower citizens to monitor and protect water quality. We currently have four types of volunteer partnerships that work with over 150 volunteers in 12 counties in New York State.
Synoptic Sampling
Synoptic Sampling partnerships produce continuous long-term data sets that inform ongoing water resource management by local and regional governments while simultaneously empowering citizens to become stewards of their local streams.
Red Flag Monitoring
Red Flag monitoring groups collect long-term data sets that establish baseline water quality in small streams for which little or no data exists. Water quality measurements are performed monthly in the field using kits and meters.
Biological Monitoring
Biomonitoring is a way of assessing overall water quality based on the types and number of organisms that are found in a stream. Volunteers look specifically at benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI), which are mainly the early life stages of insects that live under rocks in faster-flowing areas.
Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring
The Cayuga Lake HABs Monitoring Program is a collaborative initiative that brings together NGO’s, agencies, and community members with the shared mission of collecting actionable data on cyanobacteria blooms, protecting public health, and relaying bloom information and testing results as quickly and efficiently as possible.
