Water Action Volunteers’ Citizen Stream Monitoring Program

1. Water Action Volunteers’ Citizen Stream Monitoring Program

2. Water Action Volunteers’ Stream Monitoring • Wav established 1992 • UWEX/DNR partnership • River Clean ups • Storm Drain Stenciling • Monitoring established 1996 • Diverse group determined goals, parameters, methods

3. Program Goals • Provide opportunity for WI citizens to monitor streams • Support data sharing for educational purposes • Provide a communication network for monitors • Support environmental and civic groups in monitoring • Increase linkages between volunteers and public resource protection programs

4. Sampling parameters • All groups able to measure • not cost prohibitive • Easy to measure • Well-represents stream health over time

5. Volunteers monitor 6 variables

6. Volunteer Training and Education • Annual training organized locally • Hands-on • 3-7 hours • Parameters: Chosen locally • Summer check-in picnics (opt.) • Annual meetings to discuss data results, for fun and for education

7. Partnerships make it work • Citizens’ groups • Wisconsin DNR biologists • UWEX-Basin Educators • L.W.C.D.s/Local gov’t • School groups • University scientists • Environmental/River Groups • Nature Centers • W.E.R.C.s Map created by Manitowoc Co. LWCD

8. Who’s participating in WAV? • Local programs, coordinated by • DNR/UWEX • Counties/Municipalities • Non-profit Organizations • Nature Centers • Teachers • Interest groups (e.g., T.U., Sierra Club)

10. WAV assistance for local groups • Helps initiate local program • Provides written methods • Helps local group obtain equipment • Sponsors Train the Trainer events • Helps to plan and carry out local training events

11. WAV assistance for local groups • Statewide online database • Website with stream monitoring information and resources • Networking: List server & conferences • Data analysis and summaries

12. Local coordinators’ responsibilities • Recruit and interact with volunteers • Newsletters, presentations, email, onsite visits, phone • Organize training, QA/QC or annual events • Collect and enter data from volunteers • Tackle problems volunteers have (with help from WAV)

13. Volunteer monitors’ responsibilities • Attend annual training • Sample monthly during monitoring season • Ask questions • Submit data to local coordinator • Report problems to DNR resources • Learn about local water • Have fun

14. Monitoring Equipment • Cost $200/ team • Watershed Education Resource Centers (W.E.R.C.s) • 19 across the state • Loan a variety of monitoring equipment and resources • Training help

15. Data accepted into the database • 6 WAV parameters (using WAV methods!), and • pH • Sample time/date • Precipitation (daily) • Rusty crayfish findings • Staff gage height • Weather • Comments

16. Data Uses • Educational • Baseline data • Information about places where there might not be other data • Red flags • Many eyes in the watershed • Can result in DNR learning about a potential problem and respond to it before it would otherwise have become realized

17. Data Sharing Data Use • Website • News articles • Annual meetings • Brochures • WDNR State of the Basin Reports • County LWRM Plans

18. Accessing the database 1. Go to: http://clean-water.uwex.edu/wav

19. Accessing the database 2. Click “monitoring database” button

20. 3. Choose to Enter the Database

21. The database is searchable by: • County • Site • Stream Name

22. New and Upcoming Program Additions • Crayfish surveys (Summer 2004) • Macroinvertebrate wildcards (Summer 2004) • Family level identification key (Fall 2004) • E. coli monitoring (Spring 2005- pilot) • Understanding River Data booklet (Summer 2005)

23. Kris Stepenuck, WAV Coordinator 608-265-3887 kris.stepenuck@ces.uwex.edu http://clean-water.uwex.edu/wav http://www.usawaterquality.org/volunteer (E. coli monitoring project information) Questions?