Volunteer monitoring can provide needed information, and meaningful learning experiences that can guide decision-making and give people in a community the kind of personal, hands on experience that leads to action.

While the DNR has the responsibility to manage our state’s natural resources, it does not have the staff or funding to gather all the baseline information needed to target sites for protection or remediation in our river basins.  Volunteer monitoring can supplement DNR monitoring efforts, and in many cases it is the only data available for a given site.

The DNR reorganization, focused on river basins, is based on the recognition of the need to bring watershed management decisions closer to home, and to involve local citizens and organizations in natural resource planning and decision-making.  A basin volunteer monitoring network could go a long way to creating a sense of place, a stewardship ethic and motivation for action for those who live and work there.

The Wisconsin Stewardship Network includes many groups who enjoy the great Wisconsin outdoors.  Helping to keep track of the health of the resources they are enjoying could greatly enrich these experiences.

I hope this list will grow – please send any corrections, additions and suggestions to Lisa Conley: llconley@yahoo.com
 

• Bird Feeder Watch http://birds.cornell.edu/pfw/
Parameters: Bird feeder watch Area: N America
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
 
• Bird House Network http://birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/
Parameters: Breeding birds Area: N America
Cornell Lab of Ornithology 
 
• Bird Nest Monitoring Program www.wildlifehc.org/index.cfm
Parameters: Bird nesting Area: Global
Wildlife habitat Council Whc@wildlifehc.org (301) 588-8994
 
• Birds in Forested Landscapes http://birds.cornell.edu/bfl/
Parameters: Forest bird survey Area: N America
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
 
• Christmas Bird Count www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/
Parameters: Bird Count Area: N America
Audubon Society
 
• Cornell Citizen Science http://birds.cornell.edu/whatwedo_citizenscience.html
Parameters: Bird Data Area: N America
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
 
• Ferry Bluff Eagle Council www.saukprairie.com/page3Eagledays.htm
Parameters: Eagle populations - winter Area: Sauk Prairie
 
• Great Backyard Bird Count http://birdsource.cornell.edu/gbbc/
Parameters: Bird count Area: N. America 
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
 
• Horicon Grassland Bird Point Count Survey http://midwest.fws.gov/Horicon/
Parameters: Grassland bird counts Area: Horicon 
Horican National Wildlife Refuge patti_meyers@fws.gov (920) 387-2658 x 24
 
• Loonwatch www.northland.edu/soei/loonwatch/
Parameters: Loon nesting success Area: WI & MN 
Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute loonwatch@northland.edu (715) 682-1220
 
• Midwest Sandhill Crane Count www.savingcranes.org/Default.asp
Parameters: Crane Count Area: Midwest 
International Crane Foundation naturalists@savingcranes.org (608) 356-9462 X 142
 
• Nicolet National Forest Bird Survey www.uwgb.edu/birds/nnf/
Parameters: Forest bird survey Area: Nicolet Forest 
Wisconsin Society for Ornithology
 
• North American Bird Banding Program    http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/
Parameters: Bird banding / migration   Area:  USA & Canada
USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center     (301) 497-5790  BBL@usgs.gov
 
North American Breeding Bird Survey www.uwgb.edu/birds/wso/

Parameters: Breeding bird survey Area: N. America 
Wisconsin Society for Ornithology

Fish Kill Network www.iwla.org/fishkill/
Parameters: Fish kills Area: Upper Miss. States 
Izaak Walton League/CWN fishkill@iwla.org (651) 649-1446

• Lake Watch
Parameters: Fishing violations Area: WI (262) 617-6343

Farm*A*Syst www.uwex.edu/farmasyst/

Parameters: Well water threats Area: WI
UWEX farmasys@uwex.edu (608) 262-0024

Groundwater Guardians http://guardian@groundwater.org/
Parameters: Groundwater monitoring & ed. Area: USA 
The Groundwater Foundation guardian@groundwater.org (800) 858-4844

Home*A*Syst www.uwex.edu/homeasyst/
Parameters: Home health & safety Area: WI 
UWEX homeasys@uwex.edu (608) 262-0024

Radium in Drinking Water www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/dwg/radium.htm
Parameters: Radium in wellwater Area: WI
WDNR

UWSP Well Water testing www.uwsp.edu/water/portage/action/wtrtest.htm
Parameters: Well water screening Area: WI 
Central Wisconsin Groundwater Center cmecheni@uwsp.edu (715)-346-4276

Riverwatch Health Survey www.riverwatch.org/health/index.cfm
Parameters: Human health impacts of contaminated water Area: USA 
River Network info@rivernetwork.org (503) 241-3506

• N Am. Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations www.npsc.nbs.gov/narcam/
Parameters: Amphibian malformations Area: N America 
USGS 

• Herps Terrestrial Salamander Monitoring Program www.mp1-pwrc.usgs.gov/sally/
Parameters: Salamander survey Area: USA 
USGS 

• Herps Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/wifrog/frog.htm
Parameters: Frog & Toad Count Area: WI 
USGS & WDNR mossmm@dnr.state.wi.us (608) 221-6346

• North American Butterfly Association www.naba.org/
Parameters: Butterfly Count Area: N America 
NABA naba@naba.org

• Adopt-A-Lake www.uwsp.edu/cnr/uwexlakes/adopt-a-lake
Parameters: Multiple Area: WI 
WI UWEX/DNR lfelda@uwsp.edu (715) 346-3366

• Citizen Lake Monitoring Network 
Parameters: Water qualtiy Area: WI & MN 
Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission mwbac@mail.state.wi.us (715) 386-9444

• Community Stewardship Program www.inlandsea.org/programs.html
Parameters: Lake Superior Area: Lake Superior 
Inland Sea Society iss@inlandsea.org (715) 373-0674
 
• Great American Secchi Dip-in http://dipin.kent.edu
Parameters: Water quality Area: USA
Kent State University dipin@kent.edu (303) 672-3849

• National Health Protection Beach Survey www.epa.gov/ost/beaches/
Parameters: Beach pathogens Area: USA
US EPA 

• WI-DNR - Self Help Citizen Lake Monitoring www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/fhp/lakes/shlmmain.htm
Parameters: Water quality, exotics, Area: WI 
WDNR filbej@dnr.state.wi.us (608) 264-8533

• Wisc. Volunteer Carnivore Winter Tracking Program 
Parameters: Wolf and other carnivore tracks Area: WI - north & Central 
WDNR wydeva@dnr.state.wi.us (715) 682-1490

• Dane County Water Watchers 
Parameters: River monitoring Area: Dane County 
Dane County UW-Extension Office habecker@co.Dane.WI.US (608) 224-3718

• Kickapoo Stream Monitoring www.communityconservation.org/Wisconsin.html
Parameters: River monitoring Area: Kickapoo River 
Valley Stewardship Network vsn@frontiernet.net (608) 637-5478

• Rock River Coalition Citizen Monitoring http://clean-water.uwex.edu/rockriver/
Parameters: River monitoring Area: Rock River Basin 
Rock River Coalition sswade@facstaff.wisc.edu (920) 674-8972

• Save our Streams www.iwla.org/sos/monitoring.html
Parameters: River monitoring Area: USA 
Izaak Walton League 

• Testing the Waters www.muhs.edu/pages/teacherpages/science/riverstudies/ttw.html
Parameters: River Health Area: Mke River 
Riverdege Nature Center education@RiveredgeNC.com

• Trout Unlimited Stream Monitoring http://clean-water.uwex.edu/gpsp/Monitoring/streammonitoring.htm
Parameters: River monitoring Area: WI - SW 
TU Harry & Laura Nohr Chapter kayndave@mhtc.net (608) 943-8454

• Water Action Volunteers http://clean-water.uwex.edu/wav/introduction/intro.html
Parameters: River monitoring Area: WI 
UWCEX- WDNR kris.stepenuck@ces.uwex.edu (608) 264-8948

• Wisconsin River Education Network (WREN) 
Parameters: Multiple Area: Wisconsin River (715) 887-9040

• Trout Unlimited Volunteers www.tu.org/volunteers/volunteers_home.html
Parameters: River monitoring, fish count Area: USA 
Trout Unlimited 

• Pesticide Use Reporting and Reduction Project www.wsn.org/pesticides/
Parameters: Pesticide distribution Area: WI 
Wisconsin Environmental Decade & Citizens for a Better Environment
 
• US Toxics Release Inventory Program www.epa.gov/tri/
Parameters: Toxic Release Inventory Area: USA 
US EPA 
 
• WI Toxics Release Inventory www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/es/science/program/tri/
Parameters: Toxic Release for WI Area: WI 
WDNR

• Adopt-A-Watershed www.adopt-a-watershed.org/
Parameters: K-12 watershed stewardship Area: Global 
Adopt-A-Watershed donna@adopt-a-watershed.org (530) 628-5334

• Geography Action www.nationalgeographic.com/geographyaction/
Parameters: Multiple - educators Area: N America 
National Geographic Society 

• Green - Global Rivers Environmental Ed. Network www.green.org/
Parameters: Information + database of local monitoring results Area: Global 
Earthforce green@earthforce.org (703) 299-9400

• The Globe Program www.globe.govwww.globe.gov
Parameters: Multiple Area: WI 
Office of Space Science Education, UW-Madison margaret.mooney@ssec.wisc.edu (608) 265-2123

• American Wetlands Campaign www.iwla.org/sos/awm/kit_monitor.html
Parameters: Wetlands Area: USA 
Izaak Walton League 

• Wisconsin Wetlands Watch (W3) www.wsn.org/wetlands/W3announce.html
Parameters: Wetland filling Area: WI 
Wisconsin Wetlands Assn, MEA (800) TIP-WDNR