University of Wisconsin - Extension

Contact: Kris Stepenuck, 608-265-3887, kris.stepenuck@ces.uwex.edu

Madison, Wis. -- After a long and snowy winter, streams in Wisconsin are filling fast with melting snow, and along with that, possibly some water pollutants.

Water Action Volunteers (WAV) is a statewide program for Wisconsin citizens who want to learn about and improve the quality of Wisconsin's streams and rivers. The program is coordinated through a partnership between the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin-Extension, in concert with local partners across the state. There are more than 40 active local programs, and many are hosting trainings for citizens interested in becoming monitors in the upcoming weeks.

Statewide coordinator Kris Stepenuck says, "With more than 400 adults and 1600 students conducting monthly summertime monitoring on an average of 120 streams each year, we can obtain a huge amount of information about water quality in Wisconsin's streams."

Participation in the WAV program is the first step for many citizens who go on to volunteer in other projects through the citizen-based Water Monitoring Network ( http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/index.html)

Hands-on trainings last between four to six hours and offer participants the opportunity to practice methods they'll follow when they monitor their own stream sites. Volunteers measure water temperature, dissolved oxygen, clarity, and the amount of water flowing in the stream each month between April or May and October. They also assess habitat quality for wildlife and fish once a year and collect and rate water quality by identifying insects in the stream twice a year.

"The training was fun. I enjoyed learning how insects can show how clean a stream is. I'd recommend the training to others who want to understand water quality in local streams," says Dennis Mossholder of Middleton, a participant in the program.

Upcoming trainings are scheduled for the following dates and locations:

April 19: Round River Institute, S4061 Newton Rd., Genoa, WI. 1:00 to 5:30 p.m. (rain date 5/17). To register call the VSN office 608-637-3615 or e-mail Gary at gatwwtc@hotmail.com

April 19: Upper Sugar River Watershed Association "Get with the BAT Pack, Intro to Stream Monitoring," 1 to 4 p.m., Riley Tavern 8205 Klevenville-Riley Road, Verona, WI. Contact Becky at the USRWA office to register 608-437-7707 or usrwa@usrwa.org

April 26: Silver Creek Park, Manitowoc, WI. To register contact Wendy Lutzke at Wisconsin Maritime Museum at 1.866.724.2356 X 115 or mailto: wlutzke@wisconsinmaritime.org or contact Kelly Eskew at Woodland Dunes Nature Center at 920-793-4007 or kellye@woodlanddunes.com

April 26: Central Wisconsin Trout Unlimited Stream Monitoring Training. Parkside Middle School, Wautoma, WI. 9:00 a.m. to1:30 p.m. To register contact Dick Pollock at pollock@new.rr.com

May 3: Beaver Creek Citizen Science Center, Fall Creek, WI. 9 a.m. to noon. To register call the Reserve at 715-877-2212. If you cannot make this training workshop but would still like to participate in stream monitoring this season, contact Sarah Braun at the reserve to set up a training.

May 3: UW-Waukesha Field Station, Waterville, WI. 8:30 a.m, to 2:30 p.m. To register, call Jayne Jenks at 262-896-8305 or jjenks@waukeshacounty.gov

May 5 and 6: Jefferson County area: Lake Mills, WI. Monday & Tuesday evenings, 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Contact Ed Grunden at 920-648-2673 or ed@rockrivercoalition.org

May 28 and 29: Rock County area: Edgerton, WI. Wednesday & Thursday evenings 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Contact Anne Miller at 608-754-6617 ext. 118 or amiller@co.rock.wi.us

May 31: Riveredge Nature Center, Newburg, WI. 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Co-sponsored by Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers and Riveredge Nature Center. To register contact Jenni Reinke at FMR at (414) 287-0207 ext. 35 or jenni_reinke@mkeriverkeeper.org or contact Mary Holleback at RNC at 800-287-8098 ext. 129 or maryh@riveredge.us. Note: If too few people sign up, a second training will be scheduled, so please contact Jenni or Mary if you live in the Milwaukee/Newburg area and are interested in participating in the WAV program.

Flexible dates:

One-on-one, four-hour trainings are being offered for citizens interested in monitoring streams in the Superior area. Contact Sue O'Halloran or Amy Eliot at 715-394-8525 or sohallor@uwsuper.edu

The same is true for volunteers in the Little Wolf Headwaters area. Jim Hlaban will offer one-on-one training to interested volunteers. Contact Jim at wiscpr@wolfnet.net

The WAV website will be updated with more training dates and locations as they are scheduled. Visit http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/wav/events.html for details.