West Virginia Save Our Streams (SOS) Volunteer Monitoring Program

A free statewide volunteer stream monitoring program that trains citizens to assess the ecological condition of local streams.

WV Save Our Streams promotes preservation and restoration of the state's waters by building public understanding of ecological integrity, delivered through workshops that train volunteers to monitor local wadeable streams and rivers. The preferred method is the biosurvey, which pairs collection and evaluation of benthic macroinvertebrates with assessment of physiochemical conditions. The program maintains standard operating procedures, survey data sheets, stream metrics, and a Volunteer Assessment Database that houses volunteer-collected data. Organizations conducting independent surveys involving aquatic collections need a Scientific Collection Permit from WVDNR.