May 7, 2009
Citizens to get involved in local
stream monitoring
Citizens in Central Wisconsin will have the opportunity to be trained as
part of a local citizen river monitoring program, with cooperation from the
Department of Natural Resources, the University of Wisconsin-Extension Water
Action Volunteers Program, and the UW-Stevens Point Center for Watershed Science
and Education, as well as local river organizations. The project will provide
important information and allow local people to learn more about some of the
wadable streams in Central Wisconsin.
“Monitoring is an important way to obtain baseline and trend data,” states Kris Stepenuck, Water
Action Volunteers coordinator.
“Consistent monitoring information is needed in order to make informed resource decisions,” said Nancy
Turyk, water resource scientist at UWSP. “It will help us identify and protect our high quality water
areas and point out areas where more effort should be made by our agencies.”
A workshop will be held on Saturday, May 16, at Jordan County Park east of Stevens Point to train
interested volunteers to use the Water Action Volunteers Program. Stepenuck and Turyk will train families,
business teams, groups and other interested individuals to test local streams. Volunteers will be trained
to take measurements of oxygen dissolved in the water, temperature, water clarity, water flow and habitat.
Volunteers will also collect samples of the life living in rocky areas, under banks and in weed beds of the
stream. By finding crayfish, mayflies, clams and other invertebrates, then identifying them and using a
simple form, the volunteer will be able to tell whether the water quality is excellent, good, fair or poor.
Using animal life to determine water quality is called a biotic index.
For more information contact Nancy Turyk at 715-346-4155
or
nturyk@uwsp.edu or Kris Stepenuck at 608-265-3887.
More information about the Water Action Volunteers program is on the Web
at
http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/wav.
