Stream Monitoring - Critter Counting Family Fun!
Winter, Spring, Summer, & Fall

GET YOUR BRAIN WET! Join Friends of Lake Accotink Park and Friends of Accotink Creek for a rewarding and fun time for adults and children who enjoy helping our parks and environment by identifying and counting stream critters to document the health of the stream.

It's fun for the whole family to learn what's in the water by seeing and counting stream critters. The critter count is ever-changing, but we have made some exciting finds, including small crayfish.

Our monitoring workdays are on the second Saturday of the months of March, June, September and December. Please see our Calendar to verify times and click on "RSVP" so we know you are coming.   Directions

Please dress for the weather. We suggest you bring boots suitable for wading. All other equipment and educational instruction are provided. E-mail us with questions or comments!

We appreciate you and your help!

    Tales of Past Workdays     Monitoring Results Data

Learn more of the why and how of stream monitoring with this quick online introduction.

The data volunteers collect gets reported to Virginia Save Our Streams (VASOS) which keeps an online database of many stream monitoring sites state-wide and reports data to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). If the volunteer data is showing bad results at certain streams, DEQ will target those streams for their own monitoring program in the next fiscal year, and the data they collect can then be used to guide any required restoration work, especially through the creation of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL).

Water Quality Monitoring Programs in Fairfax County Slideshow Presentation

MAP of Monitoring locations. Personalize Drive/Bike/Transit directions

 Directions to Lake Accotink Park stream monitoring site: From I-495/I-95 interchange, Proceed south on I-95, Take first exit 169B toward VA-644 W/Old Keene Mill Rd/Springfield, Quick Right onto Backlick Rd, Turn left onto Highland St, Slight right onto Accotink Park Rd, Turn left to stay on Accotink Park entrance road, First driveway on the left is the office. If you go to the marina or to the dam, you will be in the WRONG PLACE. (If using online directions or GPS, search for (38.789683,-77.212536)

A lament for aquatic invertebrates penned by a Girl Scout who joined us for stream monitoring.
Her work challenges us all to care about Accotink Creek and our fellow creatures who must live in it.