MountainTrue relies on our volunteers to monitor stream health throughout Henderson County. Volunteers are encouraged to participate in biomonitoring twice per year, once in April and once in October. Stream Monitoring Information Exchange (SMIE) is a biomonitoring program in which we sample aquatic macro-invertebrates, or aquatic insects, as indicators of water quality. Participants will learn basic stream ecology, how to identify aquatic macro-invertebrates, why macro-invertebrates are terrific indicators of water quality, and the sampling protocol.