Three seniors in waterproof clothing standing in a river, holding a butterfly net, surrounded by green trees.

Stream Teams are made up of community scientists who are passionate about water quality in Otsego County. Residents adopt a site, collect water samples, and process labs at home once per month.

*Currently recruiting volunteers to monitor the Susquehanna in Cooperstown.

Sign Up!
A person with a hat and a blue shirt that says 'Stream Team Volunteer' stands by a river, observing someone fishing in the water during daytime with sunlight streaming through the trees.

Click to learn more:

  • Stream Team volunteers collectively monitor over a dozen stream sites that are a part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Once a month, our community of volunteers gather at their designated stream sites, report on environmental conditions, collect water quality samples, and log data. The water doesn’t stop flowing, and neither do our volunteers. Stream Teams operate year-round.

    The data collected by these engaged residents is uploaded to the Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative where it can be accessed by scientists, land/watershed managers, and used locally to inform stream restoration projects.

    All Stream Team volunteers are required to do a brief training prior to getting started. Our stream volunteers use the water quality monitoring protocols from Dickinson College’s Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM). In addition to ALLARM’s protocol, our volunteers also test for chloride to support OCCA’s Salt Watch Road and Driveway Salt Education Program.

  • 2026 Calendar
    January 15 - 19
    February 19 - 23
    March 19 - 23
    April 16 - 20
    May 21 - 25
    June 18 - 22
    July 16 - 20
    August 20 - 24
    Sept 17 - 21
    Oct 15 - 19
    Nov 19 - 23
    December 17 - 21

    Stream Monitoring Manual
    Click Here to View


Person bending over in a shallow creek surrounded by green vegetation, with sunlight creating a lens flare.
Three people conducting field research outdoors near a concrete structure, with one woman preparing samples on a ledge and two men observing and taking notes.
Woman fishing in a shallow creek with bare trees and a clear blue sky in the background.
Person in a green jacket kneeling by a partially frozen stream in a snowy forest.
A woman dressed in winter clothing with a striped blue and purple beanie, glasses, and gloves, sitting on snow next to a small frozen creek, conducting fieldwork with a clipboard, vials, and supplies.
Person standing in a shallow river on a sunny day, with trees, hills, and power lines in the background.
Top-down view of a person's hand holding a clear glass of water, reflecting the sky, with a rocky surface in the background.
A woman wearing a beige cap and blue shirt preparing medical supplies from a plastic container on the back of a pickup truck outdoors.