The Watershed Education Network is hosting a series of overall stream health assessments for Missoula school kids to teach them about the importance of water resources in the community.

On Wednesday 8th graders from Washington Middle School go to do their own stream monitoring assessment with the help of Watershed Education Network volunteers.

Students rotated through five stations at Lewis Park in south Missoula.

Students took samples of the streams to look for different species of insects, worked with chemicals and learned out to measure stream velocity.

Patty Creek flows through the park and program coordinator Kitty Galloway said it's important students learn about Missoula's rural streams.

"I think a lot of kids don't think about the fact that these rivers go through our community especially a creek like Patty Creek and I think they kind of don't think about the ecosystem going on there and what things we might do to impact or creeks so that's kind of what we're trying to teach them they can be stewards of our watershed," Galloway said.

The Watershed Education Network has stream monitoring trips planned for students for Thursday and Friday.