Pebble count and macroinvertebrate count data from Watershed Education Network citizen science surveys in Missoula, Montana, USA.

Through the Watershed Education Network's Stream Team program, 10 sites were visited along Rattlesnake Creek in Missoula, Montana, USA from 2017 to 2024. Pebble counts were collected using a ruler or gravelometer for at least 100 rocks using Wolman's (1954) procedure. The pebble count data are in two zipped folders, one for data where every measured pebble size was recorded, unorganized in arrays during the survey, and one for data where pebble size was organized into bins during the survey. Both hold comma seperated value (CSV) files for each site and year.At least 300 aquatic macroinvertebrates were collected using D-ring nets and sorted by taxa (generally family or order). To quantify the health of the stream, we used the Water Action Volunteers (WAV) Biotic Index, which was developed for classifying macroinvertebrate taxa that are easily classified for citizen scientists. The macroinvertebrate data are in a zipped folder with CSV files for each site and year, and the WAV Biotic Index key is a seperate CSV file.<br>Sources:Wolman, M. G.: A method of sampling coarse river‐bed material, EOS, Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, 35, 951-956, 1954.Water Action Volunteers (WAV): Water Action Volunteers - Volunteer Stream Monitoring Factsheet Series: Macroinvertebrate Biotic Index, https://wateractionvolunteers.org/, last access: 10 March 2025