The Leaf Pack Network is an initiative of Stroud Water Research Center. The Stroud Center seeks to advance knowledge and stewardship of freshwater systems through global research, education, and watershed restoration.

Home » Data

Data

A Monitor My Watershed map showing where leaf pack data has been collected.

Enter Your Leaf Pack Network Data

Before getting started with data entry, please note:

  • The macroinvertebrate taxa in Monitor My Watershed reflect the sorting protocols in the Leaf Pack Stream Ecology Kit released in early 2020. Learn how to map older data
  • Habitat data is not yet included in Monitor My Watershed. It is on our “wish list” for a future release.
  • For now, rock pack data should be entered using the leaf pack data entry form, with “Rocks” in the Leaf Pack Composition field.
  • Monitor My Watershed does not contain data from the old database (2001-2017). Learn more
  1. Click the “Sign Up” link on MonitorMyWatershed.org to create an account.
  2. Register your monitoring site.
  3. Enter the data from your Leaf Pack Network Field Data Sheet and Biotic Index Data Sheet.
  4. After submitting the data entry form, you will see a summary analysis for your project including Pollution Tolerance Index Score, Pollution Tolerance Index Rating, and Percent EPT.
  5. To view data for any of your projects, log in and click on “My Sites” in the main menu, choose a site, scroll down to the “Macroinvertebrate Data at this Site” section, and then click the “View” link next to a project.
  6. To download data, click the “Download CSV” button near the top of the project details page.

Detailed data entry instructions can be found on the Leaf Pack Network Help page on WikiWatershed.org. If you encounter any difficulty entering data, please email webmaster@stroudcenter.org.

View Leaf Pack Network Data Entered By Others

  1. Go to MonitorMyWatershed.org. You do not need to register or log in to view data.
  2. Click on “Browse Sites” in the main menu.
  3. In the “Browse Data Collection Sites” sidebar, under “Data Types,” check the “Leaf Pack” box.
  4. Click on a map marker to view site details, then click on the “View data for this site” link.
  5. Scroll down to the “Macroinvertebrate Data at this Site” section.
  6. Choose a project and click the “View” link.

Enter Older Leaf Pack Network Data

The macroinvertebrate sorting protocols in the Leaf Pack Stream Ecology Kit released in early 2020 differ somewhat from earlier versions. Use the following table to help you enter macroinvertebrate data collected using the older protocols.

Taxon in Current Biotic IndexPre-2020 Match
Non-net-spinning caddisflies (Trichoptera other than Hydropsychidae)Other caddisflies
Dobsonflies, fishflies, and alderflies (Megaloptera)Sum of Corydalidae and Sialidae
Riffle beetles (Elmidae), larvae and adultsNo match. Old protocol counted all beetles together.
Water pennies (Psephenidae)No match. Old protocol counted all beetles together.
Right-handed/gilled snails (Gastropoda)No match. Old protocol counted all snails together.
Clams/mussels (Mollusca)Enter fingernail clams, if any. No other clams and no mussels were counted under the old protocol.
Left-handed/lunged snails (Gastropoda)No match. Old protocol counted all snails together.
Rat-tailed maggots (Syrphidae)No match. Not counted under old protocol.

Historical Leaf Pack Data

The original Leaf Pack Network database contained data from 2001-2017. While it can’t be directly imported, we are considering the options we have to bring that data into Monitor My Watershed. If you are interested in having your historic data added to Monitor My Watershed, please contact us so we can inform you of our progress on this matter.

Biotic Index Calculator

We strongly encourage you to share your data on Monitor My Watershed to help advance knowledge and stewardship of freshwater systems around the world. When you share your data, your biotic index will be calculated for you. If you choose not to share your data, you may use the Biotic Index Calculator instead.