Local Resources
Videos
Freshwater Mussels of the Willamette (9 min.)
From Oregon Public Broadcasting. Learn how freshwater mussels can help us understand the health of the Willamette River.
Macroinvertebrate Sampling ID Card
Use this identification card to learn which macroinvertebrates are sensitive, somewhat sensitive, or tolerant to stream conditions.
More Resources
Videos
Deep Lookoffers ultra-HD wildlife and nature videos created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. The videos are relatively short and the videography is amazing. Consider pairing these videos with the I Notice I Wonder template.
- This is Why Water Striders Make Terrible Lifeguards (3 min.)
Learn how water striders "walk" on water and how they capture and eat other critters that can't. - The Amazing Underwater Tape of a Caddisfly (3 min.)
Watch and learn how a caddisfly makes its shelter. - A Baby Dragonfly's Mouth Will Give You Nightmares (4 min.)
Learn how the dragonfly has a special lip that helps it get its food. - California Floater Mussels Take Fish for an Epic Joyride (4 min.)
Learn how freshwater mussels use the gills of fish for shelter and food during their larval stage. Check out the accompanying article.
A Freshwater Rock Star: The Net Spinning Caddisfly (4:30 min.)
From Stroud Water Research Center. Learn how net-spinning caddisflies are ecosystem engineers — organisms that maintain, modify, or create habitats to the benefit of the entire ecosystem.
Background Information and Online Identification Guides
Atlas of Common Freshwater Macroinvertebrates of Eastern North America — Look at detailed photos of macroinvertebrates, learn about their habitats, how to identify them, what they eat and, adaptations they’ve developed to survive in their underwater habitats! To download free open source images, training presentations, detailed visuals and more, check out their Resources page. Watch the Site Video Tutorial or check out the Quick Start Guide before you get started.
Aqua Bug Identification App — From the Izaak Walton League of America's Save Our Streams Program, this free app, available from the Apple Store or Google Play uses a dichotomous key – a tool that provides a series of choices that will lead to correct identification of each macroinvertebrate.
Water Quality Mobile App — From the Stroud™ Water Research Center, this app for purchase from the Apple Store or Google Play includes data entry, identification, and learning features about chemical (dissolved oxygen, E. coli, pH, nitrate, turbidity), physical (water temperature, turbidity), and biological (digital field guide to macroinvertebrates) water-quality parameters.