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of guidance documents. Quality assurance checks are performed regularly through the year and include an annual site visit to ensure that the volunteers and the River Watch laboratory accurately perform within the established methods. River Watch has standardized protocols that are used by all volunteers. Volunteers collect a field blank sample and duplicate sample every fifth outing, and analyze unknown samples twice per year. Laboratory analysis is validated through a series of steps that include analysis of lab blanks, duplicates and spikes, confirmation of results using known standards, use of outside labs and documentation and reporting of QAQC results. River Watch data is stored on an Internet server and can be accessed by anyone. All the data is reviewed and validated by the Division of Wildlife before it is made public. The high quality River Watch data is currently utilized by the Water Quality Control Commission, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and many grass roots level watershed groups in the state for the management of Colorado's waters. Currently, the River Watch program is operated by the nonprofit 501©3 Colorado Watershed Network in partnership with the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Our mission is to work with voluntary stewards to monitor water quality and other indicators of watershed health, and utilize this high quality data to educate citizens and inform decision makers about the condition of Colorado's waters. This data is also used in the Clean Water Act decision making process. Project Summary River Watch applied for and received funding to improve our macroinvertebrate sampling component of the program. While we have anywhere from 80-120 active groups a year, not all groups are equipped to collect the annual macroinvertebrate sample. The River Watch program supports benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring by providing volunteer groups with standard RW sampling equipment. Monitoring macroinvertebrates is particularly beneficial to a comprehensive watershed monitoring program because it can help characterize ecosystems and identify actual aquatic life impairments that chemistry alone cannot. Macroinvertebrates are a key indicator of watershed health. Our goal is to expand and improve the macroinvertebrate portion of the program and through grant money from the Colorado Watershed Protection Fund (CWPF), we were able to purchase 36 new collection kits and have 35 samples analyzed. River Watch received $18,000 in funds from the CWPF to improve our macroinvertebrate portion of the program and the money was used in the following manner: 1. Provide the seed money necessary to provide watershed and other conservation groups with macroinvertebrate sampling supplies. Because we were able to purchase some of these items at a discount, we were able to purchase 36 new kits for our volunteer program. We are in the process of setting up a revolving schedule of macroinvertebrate collection equipment use to allow any/all our interested volunteers to collect macroinvertebrates. In the past, we have not had the