The RIVERS Project - 
River Inventory by Volunteers for Efficient Restoration Strategies

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Let’s admit it: we’re blessed.  For most of us, our home waters are pretty close to home.  That means it’s pretty easy for use to get out on the water.  It also means we have a responsibility to keep an eye on it, especially when there are symptoms that suggest that things aren’t as good as they should be.  With the Trout Unlimited RIVERS project, there’s an easy way to record, report and gather information on issues small and not-so-small.

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Without good on-the-ground data, it can be difficult to know where to focus our conservation efforts.  Loaded with a free app, the cell phone that we carry just about everywhere can become a powerful data collection tool.  When you see some sort of disturbance – whether it’s a bad culvert, a badly eroded bank, a pollution source, or a plant or critter that doesn’t really belong there – you can snap a picture and upload it to a map.  Over time, TU volunteers can target conservation efforts where they’re needed most.

RIVERS – River Inventory by Volunteers for Efficient Restoration Strategies – begins with a mobile phone application called Survey123, and a special overlay sponsored by Trout Unlimited.

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1. Use the App Store with an iPhone, or Google Play with an Android phone to locate and download Survey123, by ArcGIS, to your phone.  (If you open the Survey123 app at this point, it will ask you to Sign In.  DON’T. instead, you must first download the RIVERS survey form, as described below.

2. Download the RIVERS survey form by opening this link on your phone’s internet browser (Safari or Google Chrome) -  arcg.is/08S1GS

3. Click ‘Open in the Survey123 field app’. Ignore the ‘Sign in to ArcGIS online’ message if it appears. Allow Survey123 to access your location and camera

 

There!  You’re all set.  To capture a ‘disturbance’ out in the field, grab your phone and follow these steps.

1. Open the Survey123 app, choosing to “continue without signing in”
    

2. Select the RIVERS (RIVERSv1) survey from My Surveys 
    

3. Tap the Collect icon at the bottom of your screen to begin collecting data.  When asked for TU Chapter, enter 138 – Central Vermont (no, the RIVERS program hasn’t followed our name change to Champlain Valley!)