Join us on May 4 for the 20th Annual Snapshot Day, the oldest and largest single-day water quality monitoring event in California! Become a community scientist, learn about water quality, explore local streams in Santa Cruz County and make a difference in your watershed! 

Each year Santa Cruzans like you join the Coastal Watershed Council and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in this one-day water quality monitoring event. Together we create a “snapshot” of the health of rivers and streams flowing into the Monterey Bay. The valuable data collected by Snapshot Day volunteers is used to determine the biggest threats to water quality and drive action to improve habitat and water quality. 

As a Snapshot Day volunteer, you’ll be trained by professional scientists to monitor temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, electrical conductivity and transparency in the field. You’ll also learn how to properly collect water samples for laboratory analysis of nutrient and bacteria levels. 

At this time, Snapshot Day teams are at capacity. You can add your name to the waitlist by filling out the form below. If you are interested in volunteering for a San Mateo or Monterey County team (there are still spots available!) please indicate that in the notes.