Lakes and wetlands make up that part of Kentucky's water bodies commonly referred to as standing waters. These waters serve many purposes for the people of the state and are necessary and valued elements of its natural resources. This field guide was designed to provide useful background information and reference material for the study of these areas. The guide is useful for Water Watch--a public participation program that encourages citizens to adopt a stream, lake or wetland, and then gain hands-on experience in protecting and enhancing their adopted water resource. The first chapter consists of a description of the various standing waters and provides an explanation of various terms and concepts in aquatic ecology. Chapter 2 describes the aquatic life one would expect to find in the waters of Kentucky. The third chapter discusses various methods that can be used to survey this kind of habitat. A list of 49 references and field guides follows this chapter. Appendices include how to diagnose the quality of an aquatic habitat; a sample field survey sheet; a key to identifying benthic macroinvertebrates; and a glossary of terms. (CW)