Stream Sampling on Whychus Creek

Sampling aquatic insects, including mayflies and stoneflies, provides important insights into the health of Whychus Creek. Volunteers meet at Creekside Park in Sisters for a sampling training, then, in teams of two to four, use nets to collect aquatic insect samples from the stream at sites along Whychus. This event is a great opportunity to learn about habitat restoration on Whychus Creek for salmon and steelhead, spend a day along less-visited reaches of the creek, and contribute to knowledge about how restoration actions are changing stream conditions.

UDWC will host our 14^th annual Stream Sampling on Whychus Creek event on August 15^th and 16^th, 2024! This will be our 14^th consecutive year collecting aquatic insect (macroinvertebrate) samples to learn about how physical habitat conditions for native trout and salmon and other aquatic organisms are changing alongside stream flow and stream habitat restoration work by UDWC and our partners.

2024 sample collection will focus on the following reaches of Whychus Creek:

• Recently restored reaches at Deschutes Land Trust’s Rimrock Ranch Preserve, and at Creekside Park in Sisters;
• Older restoration sites including Whychus Canyon Preserve Phase 1, Camp Polk Meadow Preserve upstream reaches, and Whychus Floodplain on National Forest lands upstream of Sisters);
• Samples from unrestored, “control” reaches at Whychus Canyon Preserve; and
• Samples from Alder Springs and upstream of USFS Road 6360, both affected by stream flow restoration but where no habitat restoration has occurred.

We will collect 18 samples over two days with restoration partners and community volunteers, working in teams of 2-4. You can register for one day or both at the links below:

Thursday, August 15th REGISTER

Friday, August 16th REGISTER