Macroinvertebrates are all the animals without backbones we can see with our naked eye in our streams. Some of us look at these organisms and think how interesting they are, others want nothing to do with them. Whatever your thoughts may be, these critters can give us a good idea of how clean the stream is.
As you look for oranisms in your local streams, also remember that finding a wide variety of organisms also can help you determine the quality of the water. If there is a greater biodiversity (different forms of life) then it is likely that the stream is healthy. If you find many organisms, but they are all of the same type then the quality of the water could be poor. Click here for an Excel spreadsheet that calculates the quality of the water based on the organisms found there.