Monthly Water Quality Monitoring Program

Friends of Deer Creek needs help with their citizen based water quality monitoring program!

- Monitoring opportunities are available at several sites in the Deer Creek watershed. Sites are located throughout Nevada County, with sampling locations in and around Nevada City, Rough and Ready, Penn Valley, and Lake Wildwood.

- Monitoring takes place during the second week of the month and requires a commitment of 1-2 hours per month. In June and October volunteers assist with collecting macroinvertebrates (creek bugs) from their monitoring sites.

- No experience needed – training will be provided.

Recreational Angler Surveys

Assist Friends of Deer Creek with completing Recreational Angler Surveys in area creek’s and at local reservoirs.

- The goal of the Angler Surveys is to ascertain fish consumption habits among anglers in area watersheds.

- Surveys this fall and winter will target anglers at Lake Wildwood, Englebright, and Camp Far West Reservoirs.

Trail Work

Friends of Deer Creek and American Rivers need help constructing a nine-mile loop trail, the Deer Creek Tribute Trail, along Deer Creek in Nevada County. Assist with building a brand new segment of trail just outside of Nevada City. The trail will run from the Newtown Canal ditch down to Deer Creek at Stocking Flat.

- Work dates this fall and winter.

- Equipment and tools will be provided, but don’t hesitate to bring your own!

- Bring water, snacks, work gloves.

- Wear long pants and closed toed shoes.

Storm Water Sampling

Friends of Deer Creek need help with their Storm Water Sampling program. Get out in the field at random hours and see some amazing stream flows!

- The goal of Storm Water Sampling is to collect samples during high stream flows that result from rain and snowmelt events.

- Samples are collected for water quality, suspended solids, and mercury analysis.

- Volunteers will assist with sample collection at several sites in the Deer Creek watershed. Sites are concentrated around Nevada City and Lake Wildwood Reservoir.

Restoration Projects

Get involved with Friends of Deer Creek’s restoration projects by helping us remove non-native English Ivy and Himalayan Blackberry.

- Volunteers will assist with invasive species removal, seeding and replanting with native vegetation, and trail work in-between Pioneer Park and the Stonehouse in Nevada City.

- Restoration occurs Thursdays from 3-6 P.M. with volunteers meeting at Pioneer Park at the lower baseball field parking lot.

- Bring water, snacks, work gloves.

- Wear long pants and closed toed shoes.

Macroinvertebrates (bugs)

Friends of Deer Creek needs help processing macroinvertebrate samples in our laboratory! Volunteers use microscopes to count and identify macroinvertebrates in the lab.

Macroinvertebrate sessions occur every Wednesday and Thursday morning from 8-12, and on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday evening of each month from 5-8.

- Join our volunteer bug expert Sandy Williamson and others in the lab and learn about these cool creek critters! No experience needed – training will be provided.

Algae Monitoring

Friends of Deer Creek needs help with their Algae Monitoring program.

- Algae monitoring takes place three to four days a month from April – October.

- Samples are collected to determine the amounts and types of algae present in area creek’s, and its impacts on the health of the watershed.