SYRACUSE — The weather was perfect for the annual Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation Bug Catch on Saturday morning, July 2. Kids of all ages gathered at the Ruddell Pavilion on the WACF Levinson-LaBrosse Educational Center property.

Nancy Brown, certified Hoosier Riverwatch trainer, leads the annual bug catch.

This year was unique as over 95 percent of the participants were new to the bug catch.

Grandparents brought grandchildren, and parents brought their children and those of friends to enjoy several hours of water bug catching experiences. Minnows, zebra mussels and even a dragon fly larva with all its scales were among the finds.

Nancy Brown, certified Hoosier Riverwatch trainer, led kids, parents and grandparents in the adventure. A brief educational presentation was held at the pavilion before activities moved down to the lake with nets, magnifying viewers and tubs of water to view the critters easier.

“We are technically, studying benthic macroinvertebrate today.” Brown said explaining what each word meant. She encouraged participants to use the petri dish magnifier available to view findings closer.

Her brief presentation included a bit of education, discussing what invertebrate means and what these critters are.

She encouraged the adults to find one of the binders available showing the various macroinvertebrate, which could be found. “If you want to gain a life skill from being here, open up one of these books and go through the charts to identify who and what was found,” encouraged Brown.

Brown explained the importance of studying the insects that live in a lake.

“Our goal is to understand, that the healthier the little critters are that live in the lake, the healthier that lake water is for us to use and enjoy.” Additionally she added  “We can identify the quality of the water by the fish we catch.”