Adopt-A-Wetland

Monitoring Protocol
1. Estuarine Bioassessment
When choosing a site, please select techniques from below if you would like you can do more than one.
A. D-Net Survey (every 3 months)
Based on methods described in: Biomonitoring and Management of North American Freshwater Wetlands
(Rader et al., 2001)
What you will need:
1. long rope and 2 PVC poles
2. yard stick or meter stick (1)
3. Adopt-A-Wetland Manual
4. buckets (2-3)
5. dishes or pans to sort the organisms
6. D-Net
Checking a D-net. Photo credit: USFWS
i.)
Set up the transect during a high tide in the high estuary or estuary border. A total of 5 survey
stations should be selected for each transect. Calculate your total distance from high to low estuary
and divide by 5 to determine the distance between survey stations. Remember to enter the estuary as
far as you can safely go.
ii.)
Mark off a 1-meter section of the transect at each survey station. At each station hold the D-Net
parallel to the line of your transect. Sweep the D-Net along the sediment surface, scraping the mud
or sand and organic debris in the process. Perform sweeping motions 5 times along one side of the
1-meter section of the transect. Repeat the same procedure on the direct opposite side.
iii.)
When you finish sweep netting at each station, sort through the debris, separate, count, and identify
the organisms. Combine all of the organisms from each survey station along the transect into one
sample. Record the information on biological survey worksheets (pages 53, 54, 55).
47 DRAFT AUGUST 2015