Aquatic macroinvertebrates are one of the most amazing organisms in riparian communities and one of the most easy to study. Below are some resources to help teachers and their students study aquatic macroinvertebrates. Happy bug hunting!

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Identification sheet is useful for identifying the organisms you find in the rivers, lakes, and streams of Colorado. This sheet includes common species found in the Roaring Fork Valley but can be used in cold water streams throughout the western United States.

Pollution Tolerance Index sheet allow students to use aquatic life they collect to determine the health of the local riparian system. Use this worksheet for moving bodies of water.

Sequential Comparison Index is a way to determine species diversity of a stream.

Hatch Chart for the Roaring Fork Watershed shows approximately when different aquatic insects will hatch into adults in the Roaring Fork Valley.

For questions about any of these resources email Tim O'Keefe.

Note: The files below are in a PDF format. You must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to use them. Drawing by Jaclyn Everett.