MCWA consists of a group of volunteers who work together to improve the quality of the Maiden Creek watershed.  We are involved in hands-on monitoring, invasive plant removal, and partnering with other environmental groups in our area.

Our first responsibility is chemical monitoring and macroinvertebrate monitoring. Volunteers use kits to collect important data about the quality of the streams in the watershed. These tests including temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, phosphorous and more.  Macroinvertebrate monitoring involves getting down in a stream and collecting and identifying the variety of species present in the stream.

Removal of invasive plants (and planting natives) is also important to our watershed. Invasive plants like purple loosestrife overwhelm the native plants in our area.  By removing them we help to give native plants a chance to survive which our native foxes, birds, frogs, fishes and mayflies need to survive…..we are all connected!

We also help our partner organizations to improve farmers BMP's (Best Management Practices) by helping to plant trees in riparian buffers (areas with 100 feet of the stream edge) of the stream, which helps to filter toxins before they reach the stream.  We are involved in local events such as Berks Earth Day, the Reading and Kutztown Fairs, River Fest, stream clean-ups, and other local events.