Biological monitoring of water in Minnesota
Invertebrate sampling
Fish sampling
“Minnesota has lost about half of its wetlands since pre-settlement days,” says Doug Norris, Wetland Program Coordinator for the DNR. “We need to be diligent about protecting what we have left.”
Scientists check health of state's wetlands (MPR) 
Biological monitoring measures and evaluates the condition of biological systems—using fish, macroinvertebrate, or plant communities to assess the health of rivers and wetlands. Biological monitoring aims to distinguish between naturally occurring variation and changes caused by human activities. To ensure the integrity of surface waters, we must understand the relationship between human induced disturbances and their effect on aquatic resources.
Biological monitoring is often able to detect water quality impairments that other methods may miss or underestimate. It provides an effective tool for assessing water resource quality regardless of whether the impact is chemical, physical, or biological in nature.
For more information
Biological monitoring stream program
Wetland monitoring and assessment
Learn more about biological monitoring.
