Volunteer Monitoring of Benthic Macroinvertebrates: Regulatory Biologists' Perspectives

Abstract

State water-pollution biologists are playing an increasing role in the activities of volunteer monitoring organizations. These activities include training volunteers on basic ecological concepts, conducting taxonomic workshops, and making a variety of public-education presentations. The growing interest in water-pollution biology for teachers and conservation groups parallels a national trend in volunteer monitoring. Of the volunteer monitoring groups listed in a national directory (US EPA 1994), 65% were founded since 1988, and 95 new programs were founded in 1992 compared with 36 new programs in 1988. Additionally, 75% (152/ 204) of the volunteer monitoring groups that are active in lotic environments have monitoring programs for benthic macroinvertebrates (US EPA 1994). The number of volunteer monitoring groups is likely to continue to increase, and the competency of the volunteers' monitors may also improve. However, the quality of data generated by volunteers is a major concern of state water-pollution biologists and regulatory agencies nationwide. The use of volunteer-generated data is becoming more appealing to some State agencies as a tool to support ongoing water-pollution monitoring programs. Financial resources limit the administration of monitoring programs, and therefore only a portion of a State agency's budget is actually spent on water-quality monitoring. Presently, 27 state regulatory agencies use some form of volunteer-generated data in their biennial 305(b) report to Congress (Mayio 1994). Volunteer data have the potential to be used in other monitoring programs, such as those for suspected point and nonpoint pollution, and also as an educational tool through public participation, and as a component of assessments for habitat restoration. Whether, and to what extent, state agencies use such data in the above areas depends directly on the quality of those data. We shall discuss some concerns of regulatory biologists about volunteer-generated data on benthic macroinvertebrates and how the quality might be improved.