County sampling volunteers
Help document field conditions and collect samples as part of a coordinated monitoring plan.
Explore field volunteering
Local knowledge · Scientific expertise
Your county.
Your expertise.
A part in the work.
Help build a California network for forestry-herbicide monitoring, source investigation, and public evidence.
Water & soil concerns
Has there been logging near your property?
Tell us about a nearby project or a concern about your water source or soil. When funding is available, we will arrange testing. If we cannot fund it, we will explain your options and help you arrange testing yourself.
A statewide effort starts locally
Your county.
Your expertise.
Your part in the work.
We are seeking local volunteers who want to help collect samples in their counties and scientific contributors who can help turn those samples into reliable evidence.
There is also work to do away from the field: organizing application records, checking data, mapping treatment areas, and coordinating people. Each contribution helps connect an application to a better-informed investigation.
Scientific contributors
Help design sampling, interpret laboratory reports, and evaluate possible sources.
Explore scientific contributionsResearch from anywhere
Help organize the records and mapping behind the field investigation.
Explore records and researchCounty sampling volunteers
Help collect
the evidence.
Local knowledge matters. We want people who know the streams, springs, roads, and watersheds in their counties and can help identify practical monitoring locations.
You do not need a science degree to express interest. Field assignments will depend on training, safe and authorized access, the sampling plan, and the requirements for handling and delivering samples.
- Identify potential monitoring locations and access considerations.
- Help document dates, locations, weather, and field conditions.
- Collect and handle samples under a defined monitoring plan.
- Coordinate with the team on sample delivery and follow-up visits.
Field participation requires coordination. A field assignment requires appropriate supplies and a site-specific plan. Do not enter private property without authorization.
Scientific contributors
Help turn measurements
into understanding.
We welcome professionals, researchers, students, and retirees with relevant experience in water science, environmental chemistry, hydrology, toxicology, laboratory analysis, aquatic ecology, mapping, and related fields.
A contribution might be a review of a sampling plan, help with a particular laboratory report, or ongoing advice on the design of a source investigation.
- Plan monitoring locations and sampling around applications and weather.
- Review analytical methods, laboratory reporting limits, and result qualifiers.
- Evaluate transport pathways, chemical behavior, and possible alternative sources.
- Help review methods and findings before publication.
Records and research
Support the work
from wherever you are.
A field sample becomes more useful when it is connected to accurate records. We need help preserving the documents, checking the data, and building the maps behind an investigation.
Contributors can help organize herbicide-use reports and application notices, check treatment dates and locations, identify missing records, support mapping, or help coordinate the network.
See the information we documentJoining the network
Know what to expect.
Volunteer intake is being prepared
Online volunteer applications are not open on this site yet. No application is submitted by reading these pages or downloading the role guide.
For a future introduction, the useful details are your county, preferred role, relevant experience, and availability. Scientific contributors can also describe their specialty and the kind of review or support they can offer.
Keep the role guide.
A summary of the county, science, and records roles, including the information to prepare for an introduction.
Download the role guideBefore getting involved
A few useful answers.
Do I need a science degree to help? +
No. County knowledge, careful documentation, records research, coordination, and mapping can all contribute. Technical review and field assignments depend on the role and the training or expertise it requires.
Can I contribute without fieldwork? +
Yes. Records organization, data checking, document research, mapping, and scientific review can support the work without joining a sampling visit.
Can I collect a sample now and send it in? +
Please wait for a coordinated plan. Sample containers, handling, timing, analyses, and delivery need to be appropriate for the investigation. This website is not yet accepting sample submissions.
Can a laboratory or research team contribute? +
We welcome interest in technical review, analytical support, and monitoring design. The project seeks scientific contributors; the website does not list institutions as partners unless that relationship has been established.
Understand the work before joining it.
See the connection between the application record, the sample, and the source investigation.
The first funding goal
Fund one complete monitoring cycle.
Our initial request is enough to complete and publish a focused Lassen and Plumas demonstration: obtain the PURs, plan sampling, collect fall runoff and creek-bed sediment, return for spring snowmelt, publish laboratory reports and follow up with agencies where findings warrant complaints.
Funds will cover laboratory analyses, collection supplies, shipping, field travel, coordination and public reporting. The number of sites will match the funding raised. Each site's application records determine its laboratory tests and budget.
We will train volunteers and build public awareness. As funding and volunteers grow, we will help residents in other California counties use the same monitoring process.