This field guide was especially developed for Water Watch--a public participation program in Kentucky that encourages citizens to adopt a stream, lake or wetland, and then gain hands-on experience in protecting and enhancing their adopted water resources. Understanding the relationships between life and the environment helps people to appreciate water as a vital resource. This field guide is designed to help participants better understand the ecology of the aquatic habitats which exist in the state of Kentucky. The first chapter describes the regions and habitats which can be found within the borders of the state. It also contains many basic definitions that help build the vocabulary necessary to study aquatic ecology. Chapter 2 describes the variety of life that can be found in Kentucky's aquatic ecosystems. The third chapter describes how to sample an aquatic ecosystem. A list of 44 references that would be helpful in studying aquatic life follows the third chapter. Appendices include an explanation of how to diagnose the quality of a stream; a sample field data sheet; identification keys to the algae, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and families of fishes in Kentucky; and a glossary of terms used in aquatic ecology. (CW)