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.

Become Empowered and Energized Learning About Your Local Watershed!

The Leaf Pack Network® is an international network of teachers, students, and citizen monitors investigating their local stream ecosystems. Following instructions in the Leaf Pack Network Manual, monitors use tree leaves and aquatic insects to determine the health of their stream and understand its ecology.

Get Involved!

Individuals participating in the Leaf Pack Network engage in the full process of conducting real research while communicating and sharing their results worldwide. The Leaf Pack Network can be easily implemented in any curriculum and fulfills many state and national science standards.

Discover the value of macroinvertebrates as living indicators of water quality with the Leaf Pack Stream Ecology Kit..

Step 1

Gather materials to conduct the study.

Step 2

Choose a stream that is safely accessible.

The Leaf Pack Network manual has all the information you need to complete a project.

Step 3

Follow instructions in the Leaf Pack or Rock Pack Manual.

Step 4

Share your data on Monitor My Watershed!

Need More Information?

  • Welcome to the Leaf Pack Network

    “Using the aquatic organisms, children can monitor the water quality in their local streams and compare their results with those of others.”

  • Welcome to the Leaf Pack Network

    “I love that the Leaf Pack Network provides an authentic learning experience and exposes my students directly to the scientific process.”

  • Welcome to the Leaf Pack Network

    “Kids really love it when we take the leaf packs in and all of a sudden the bugs start moving. They really get into it. They get excited about science.”

  • Welcome to the Leaf Pack Network

    “It’s amazing to watch students work with the leaf packs. They had no idea that those creatures lived there and could indicate their stream’s health.”

Leaf Pack Network News

Leaf Pack Network News, Fall 2005

Leaf Pack Network News, Fall 2005

We have heard from many of you over the years that have lost leaf packs during high stream flow events. Here are some tips showing how Stroud Water Research Center Director Dr. Bern Sweeney ties leaf packs in the often “flashy” Brandywine Creek in Delaware.
Leaf Pack Network News, Spring 2005

Leaf Pack Network News, Spring 2005

Patrick Green, sophomore at Chamande High School in Mineola, New York, won first place at Chamande Science Fair this year. Patrick used the Leaf Pack Experiment to study a local stream. This is the second consecutive year that he has won first place!
Leaf Pack Network News, Winter 2004-2005

Leaf Pack Network News, Winter 2004-2005

Professor Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Winner and founder of GBM, took the first Leaf Pack Kit to Kenya in 2002 and her staff ran with it. In 2003, three schools successfully implemented the Leaf Pack Experiment into their science classes!
Leaf Pack Network News, Fall 2004

Leaf Pack Network News, Fall 2004

Clearpool Education Center staff brought colonized leaf packs to Brooklyn’s Academy for Urban Planning after the students had created and placed them in the streams on the CEC campus. The experience was a huge hit with both the teachers and the students at the school.