This data package contains a series of datasets collected for the Mid-Atlantic Network’s (MIDN) Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Program. These data were collected during the development of the monitoring program prior to the publication of the monitoring protocol (Dammeyer 2018; https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2256449).

The monitoring program was established to serve 9 national parks in Pennsylvania and Virginia spanning the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of the Mid-Atlantic region. The program was established in partnership with Appalachian Aquatic Consultants and was implemented using methods described in a draft monitoring document (Voshell and Hiner, unpublished). These methods were used to collect data from 2009 through the spring of 2018. During that time, slight changes in methodology occurred (primarily in how macroinvertebrate samples were composited; see metadata file for further information). This data package is limited to those data that were collected using the methodology developed in partnership with Appalachian Aquatic Consultants.

The network began the transition to state-based monitoring methods in 2016, published a state-based protocol in 2018, and fully transitioned to state-based methods in 2019. No data collected using state-based methods are included in this data package. The datasets provided in this package are intended to serve as an archive of the data that was collected using the initial methods and is relevant for analytical purposes. Additionally, these data, documentation of procedures, and associated supporting products have been archived locally.