With the winter chill in the air, many outdoor enthusiasts are already longing for signs of spring. Volunteer Save Our Streams (SOS) monitors are no exception. They are eagerly waiting for the cold weather to lift so they can get back outdoors to monitor water quality in local streams. But winter is not a time to sit and wait - it’s time to organize your stream team!

The key to having a successful - and sustainable - stream team is to make sure that the bulk of the work does not fall on one person. If you have one person responsible for gathering and sharing data, storing stream gear, calling team members, and scheduling the monitoring day, what happens if that person moves away? By dividing up the tasks, the team has a more balanced workload in between the fun days of stream monitoring.

Following are a few volunteer roles that can be divided up among your stream team:

• Gear Guru: This person ensures your equipment is properly decontaminated and stored in between stream monitoring sessions. Important note: Biological and physical monitoring gear (such as boots and nets) can be stored in a garage or shed. However, chemical tests need to be stored in a climate-controlled environment (meaning an area with heat and air conditioning) and out of direct sunlight to ensure chemicals work as designed.
• Data Dynamo: This person brings data sheets streamside to fill out while you are monitoring, then submits the data to the Clean Water Hub (so some basic computer skills are needed). This person would also be responsible for saving the original data sheets in case the data needs to be double checked or confirmed later.
• Communications Commander: This person works with the group via phone or email to pick a stream monitoring date - and a rain date - that works for the team. Depending on the size of your stream team, this may be a heavy lift, so this person should be comfortable communicating with others. Monitors have also found scheduling tools such as iCalendar, Doodle Poll, and Google Calendar useful to get everyone on the same page.
• Relentless Recruiter: This person recruits new stream team members. Only one person on your team needs to be a certified stream monitor for biological monitoring, and no certification is needed for chemical or physical monitoring, so this person can cast a wide net for new volunteers. Volunteers can also be recruited at community meetings, from partner groups (such as local nature centers, master naturalist groups, and Scout troops), or just by talking with family and friends!

These are some of the basic needs of a stream monitoring group. You may find that more roles emerge or that roles can be further divided, such as one person taking home the biological monitoring gear and another taking the chemical gear. All of these roles can be assigned before spring arrives and it is time to get outside and monitor.

Once your stream team members have been recruited and assigned roles, invite them to tune in to the League’s weekly “Clean Water Minute” video series. League staff offer monitoring tips and tricks as well as refresher how-to instructions. We have covered topics from how to conduct chemical monitoring tests to what to include when packing up your equipment. We broadcast live on Facebook every Wednesday at 12 noon ET. Past videos can be viewed any time on the League Facebook page and YouTube channel.

The key to successful monitoring in the spring is planning in the off-season. See you in the stream!

Not monitoring yet? Learn more about the League’s Save Our Streams program and how to get started at iwla.org/sos.