Water quality is generally considered to be quite good owing to the natural condition of the forests and meadows that characterize the landscape of the park. A diversity of insects, crustaceans, reptiles, and fish including small mouth bass and brown trout are found within Little Bennett. Water flow in the stream is highly variable with a mere trickle in the peak of summer dry months to episodic flood conditions that swell the stream dangerously beyond its banks and onto the surrounding stream valley flood plain.

Another important but lesser known freshwater feature of the park occurs in the form of seasonal pools. These pools lack flowing water and can be dry for some part of the year. Seasonal pools come alive in the springtime with a succession of amphibian species that thrive nowhere else in the park. A symphony of wood frogs, spring peepers, and eastern toads are heard in many areas. These species share pools with spotted salamanders, newts, and even the rare Jefferson salamander which all annually congregate at pools for reproduction.

If you have an interest in helping to maintain the quality of Little Bennett's streams and seasonal pools and the health of the wildlife and plants found in them, perhaps you might want to consider becoming a volunteer monitor of these valuable water resources.

What do stream and seasonal pool monitors do? First, they take the MNCPPC's volunteer naturalist and other training opportunities periodically offered on these topics. In this, they will learn to identify a seasonal pool, which creatures are obligate users, how to sample and preserve stream invertebrates, and how to record stream and pool data throughout the year.

Maintaining the high quality of the freshwater resources of Little Bennett is vital to ensuring the vibrant ecosystem that they support. Stream and pool monitoring are excellent ways to keep track of this foundation of the high quality Little Bennett ecosystem.