A 1-day reconnaissance of the Dietrich River, Alaska, included collection of benthic invertebrates. Three methods were used at each of five stations to increase sampling effectiveness and to evaluate each method. Chironomidae and Plecoptera comprised 91 percent of all individuals and 47 percent of all taxa in the combined faunal list. At each station, the most abundant organisms were taken by all methods but the less abundant ones by only one or two methods. The dip net collected the highest percentage of taxa, and the second highest percentage of individuals. The 10-rock method collected the highest percentage of individuals but was relatively ineffective for taxa. The drift net collected the fewest individuals, but the percentage of taxa was relatively high. Of the 27 unique taxa (those taxa collected by only one of the methods), 15 were collected by dip net, 8 by drift net, and 4 by the 10-rock method. The methods differed in their effectiveness with regard to collecting the most abundant taxonomic groups. Although the dip net was most effective for collecting taxa, more thorough scrubbing of substrates to remove clinging organisms probably would improve the technique.
