People are being invited to learn about bugs and water monitoring at a community workshop.

The event is being hosted by by NZ Landcare Trust and Teacher in the Paddock, as part of Envirohub's Sustainable Backyards.

BOP Regional Coordinator for NZ Landcare Trust, Janie Stevenson says there is a lot of interest in freshwater quality.

'This is an opportunity for community to get on board with citizen science water monitoring and think about how to look after our precious waterways,” says Janie.

Participants will be able to practice testing a variety of water quality measures, including macroinvertebrates, temperature, clarity and habitat.

Nitrate, Phosphate and E.coli testing will be demonstrated also.

According to the NZ Landcare Trust, some bugs are more sensitive than others to poor water quality and if there is no safe home for them, they probably won't stick around.

'Some of the more sensitive bugs, like mayfly larvae, inspire thoughts of Peter Jackson-like monsters, but are actually indicators of good freshwater quality,” says Janie.

'Others, such as worms, are less sensitive and will find homes in poor quality water.

'Figuring out which bugs live in your stream can give you an idea of what your water quality is like and motivate some changes.”

The free workshop will be hosted on the Waitao stream at 5.30pm-7pm on Wednesday, March 3, and registrations are limited.

Contact [email protected] for more information and to register.