June 18, 2003 Subject: Macroinvertebrate Field Guide from IWLA Contact: Casey Williams 301-548-0150 [log in to unmask] The Izaak Walton League's Watersheds Program Announces Release of New Field Guide For Volunteers Stream & Wetland Monitors The Izaak Walton League of America released a new field guide designed to easily help volunteer stream and wetland monitors learn to identify a host of aquatic macroinvertebrates. "Yes, that's right, the League is releasing a new field guide to help volunteers identify and understand what kind of organisms they might encounter when monitoring streams and wetlands all over the country," said Casey Williams, the League's Save Our Streams program coordinator. Macro-invertebrates are small animals lacking a backbone but visible without the aid of a microscope. The field guide is waterproof and covers a wide range of aquatic macroinvertebrates with updated drawings, descriptions, and significance rankings designed to help volunteer monitors conduct water quality surveys. The "Volunteer Monitor's Field Guide for Aquatic Macro-invertebrates" is a two-sided 11 x 17 laminated card that folds into a 4 1/2 x 11 card that fits conveniently into a bag or monitoring kit. Diagrams of larvae and adults display common features that characterize each type. In this user-friendly field guide, macroinvertebrates are organized based on biological type rather than sensitivity to water degradation. In addition, sensitivity classifications for a few macro-invertebrates have been modified based on current scientific understanding of their distribution patterns. For example, common net-spinning caddis flies are now placed in a less sensitive category than other caddis flies; water snipe flies have moved from the less sensitive to the sensitive group; and hellgrammites have moved from the sensitive to less sensitive category. The field guide is on sale for $4 plus shipping. To learn more about the new field guide and to place an order, please visit the League's Website at <http://www.iwla.org/sos/sostools.html> or call toll-free 800-BUG-IWLA. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]