Water Action Volunteers’ Citizen Stream Monitoring Program
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Transcript of Water Action Volunteers’ Citizen Stream Monitoring Program
Water Action Volunteers’ Water Action Volunteers’ Citizen Stream Monitoring Citizen Stream Monitoring
ProgramProgram
Kris Stepenuck - UW EX/WI DNR Statewide WAV Coordinator
Mike Miller - WI DNR Baseline Stream Monitoring Coordinator
Presentation Overview
1) Status of Water Action Volunteers’ (WAV) Program
2) New and Future WAV Activities
3) WI Baseline Stream Monitoring & Opportunities for Volunteer Monitors
• Established in 1996
• Citizens and school groups
• 35 local programs
• Over 250 adults and 1000 students
Who’s participating in WAV?
Local Coordination • DNR/UWEX
• Counties / Municipalities
• Non-profit Organizations
• Nature Centers
• Teachers
• Interest Groups (e.g., T.U., Sierra Club)
Who’s Coordinating WAV?
• Helps initiate local program• Provides written methods• Helps local groups obtain
equipment (often through a W.E.R.C.)
• Sponsors “Train the Trainer” events
• Helps to plan and carry out local training events
What Assistance Does WAV Provide?
• Provides statewide online database
• Provides a website with stream monitoring information and resources
• Provides a list server for networking
• Analyzes data and prepares summaries
WAV Assistance for Local Groups
What Types of Data Collected:
Data Method Frequency
Temperature Thermometer Monthly
Water clarity Turbidity tube Monthly
Dissolved oxygen Hach Chemistry kit Monthly
Biotic Index(macroinvertebrates)
D-net sampling Twice a year (spring/fall)
Habitat Site assessment Once a year
Stream flow Orange float method Monthly
Where WAVs Are Monitoring
Since 1996:•135 streams and rivers monitored
•Over 250 stream sites assessed
•Data from over 100 stream sites were submitted via the web in 2003
Where to Obtain EquipmentWatershed Education
Resource Centers (W.E.R.C.)
• 19 across the state (see WAV website)
• Have a variety of monitoring equipment and resources
• Library-style loaning
Volunteer Monitoring Can Be a Tiered Approach
(Why WAVS are monitoring):
Education and Advocacy
Problem Screening
RigorousAssessments
Dat
a Q
ual it
y
2) New and Future WAV Program Additions
• Crayfish surveys (Summer 2004)
• Macroinvertebrate wildcards (Summer 2004)
• Family-level macroinvertebrate identification key (Fall 2004)
• E. coli monitoring (Spring 2005- pilot)
• Understanding River Data booklet (Summer 2005)
3) WI Baseline Stream MonitoringOpportunities for Volunteer Assistance
Goals:
• Comprehensive statewide assessment
• Establish status and trends
• High quality, web-accessible information for science-based resource management
WI has 22,613 perennial streams
Baseline Stream Monitoring Effort
Since 1999:1300 streams have been surveyed
Data collected•Fish Community•Stream Habitat•Macroinvertebrates•Limited Water Chemistry
Gaps in Stream Data
Small (lower-order) streams are most numerous but least sampled in WI
1st order
2nd order
3rd order
4th order
5th orgreater
14,744
(66%)!
5,313(23%)
1,868(8%)
540(2%)
148 (1%)
Number of Perennial Streams in Wisconsin by Stream Size (order).
Geographic gaps in stream data
Stream Monitoring Sites
Bridging the Stream Data Gap• Ensure volunteers, academics and agencies
collect quality data using comparable methods
• Collect meaningful and relevant data
• Volunteers may be able to help fill geographic and small stream data gaps
Conclusions• Volunteers can help bridge stream data gaps.
• Quality volunteer data will require increased capacity to: train/certify citizen scientists, effectively workplan, process field samples, and efficiently capture and analyze data.
• Long-term cost savings can be realized by using volunteer help.
• Along with education and resource advocacy, improved stream assessment and management can result from improved volunteer efforts.