Join us on May 5 for the 19th year of Snapshot Day, the oldest and largest single-day water quality monitoring event in California! Become a citizen 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 piece together a “snapshot” of the health of rivers and streams flowing into the Sanctuary. 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. The valuable data collected by Snapshot Day volunteers is used to drive action for clean water.

Sign up to volunteer and be a part of this 18-year tradition!