Benthic Macroinvertebrates (BMIs)

"Aquatic insects and other invertebrates are the most common form of animal life in streams. They live among algae, aquatic plants, and many microscopic organisms (like bacteria) in surface water. Macroinvertebrates (those invertebrates visible to the unaided eye) play many roles in the aquatic food web--they help break down organic debris, recycle nutrients, and provide food for fish, amphibians, and riparian birds. Some of these organisms can live and even thrive under polluted conditions, but many others require clean and cold water to survive. The variety and types of organisms present are indicators of the health of the stream."
--from Herbst, D., A. Feng, and D. Gregorio, 2001. California Streamside Survey, An Introduction to Using Aquatic Invertebrates as Water Quality Indicators, by (http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/swamp/docs/cwt/guidance/35...).

"The California Stream Bioassessment Procedure (CSBP) is a standardized protocol for assessing biological and physical/habitat conditions of wadeable streams in California. The CSBP is a regional adaptation of the national Rapid Bioassessment Protocols outlined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 'Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Streams and Rivers' (EPA/841-B-99-002). The CSBP is a cost-effective tool that utilizes measures of the stream’s benthic macroinvertebrate (BMIbenthic macroinvertebrates are streambed organisms often used to monitor the health of a stream.) community and its physical/habitat characteristics to determine the stream’s biological and physical integrity." --from California Department of Fish and Game, 2003. Califonria Stream Bioassessment Procedure (Protocol Brief for Biological and Physical/Habitat Assessment in Wadeable Streams), http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/tmdl/records/region_... (attached below).

In 2000 the Sonoma Ecology Center initiated the full CSBP program to assess the biological and physical/habitat condition of various mainstem and tributary streams within the Sonoma Creek watershed. The goal of the program was to:

(1) Provide baseline information on the macroinvertebrate assemblages within the Sonoma Creek watershed
(2) Evaluate the physical/habitat condition and the biological integrity using the Northern California Index of Biological Integrity at the sampling sites
(3) Provide recommendations and strategies for future monitoring.

Eleven monitoring stations were established and sampled during one, two, or three consecutive years (2000 through 2002) following the standardized CSBP protocol. In April 2006, SECSonoma Ecology Center is a not-for-profit organization located in the Sonoma Valley. http://sonomaecologycenter.org again sampled the eleven original sites, along with three additional sites using an updated protocol available online from CDFGCalifornia Department of Fish and Game's Aquatic Bioassessment Laboratoryin 2006.

The attached document, along with reports posted at http://knowledge.sonomacreek.net/node/45 and http://knowledge.sonomacreek.net/node/288, summarize methods used and results obtained in BMIbenthic macroinvertebrates are streambed organisms often used to monitor the health of a stream. sampling and analysis performed by Sonoma Ecology Center in the Sonoma Valley to date. Further sampling of BMIs and analysis of long-term trends are recommended as part of SECSonoma Ecology Center is a not-for-profit organization located in the Sonoma Valley. http://sonomaecologycenter.org's Monitoring Plan.