Citizen-collected Data Put to Good Use
Water quality data collected by volunteers can be used to help assess rivers in Wisconsin. The DNR recently put out a call for available water quality data to help develop the 2010 Impaired Waters List, a Clean Water Act requirement which lists waters not meeting one or more water quality standards. Despite the DNR's request for additional data, people participating in Level 2 of the Citizen Based Stream Monitoring program do not need to send their data in. Volunteer monitors place their data directly into the DNR's database, so data are automatically made available for purposes just like these.
The DNR's screening of waters for the Impaired Waters List process will be based on a biological assessment (i.e. macroinvertebrates), and the citizen-collected data will be used as supporting information.
River Alliance of Wisconsin has pushed for the use of citizen-collected data in management decisions, and since 2006, we have helped administer the Citizen Based Stream Monitoring program in partnership with the DNR and UW-Extension. One of the main goals of the program is to collect data useable in management decisions. This field season, about 175 volunteers are collecting information on dissolved oxygen, pH, transparency, and temperature.
For more information on the DNR's 2010 assessment of surface waters, click here.
At Long Last, the Totogatic!
It's been five years since the Washburn County Lakes and Rivers Association (WCLRA) raised the idea of designating the Totogatic River in northwest Wisconsin as a state wild river, and on July 10, their hard work came to fruition. Legislation proposed by Senator Bob Jauch and Representative Nick Milroy to designate the river was passed in early summer, and Governor Doyle signed it into law while standing on the bank of the river. WCLRA hosted the celebration, and the Governor was met by 135 river lovers to mark the event.
This five year effort taught several valuable lessons and helped clear the way for what we hope will be many more wild river designations. Wisconsin's wild rivers law was passed in 1965, and in many ways inspired the counterpart national Wild and Scenic Rivers Program. The Pike, Popple and Pine rivers in northeast Wisconsin were designated at the same time. Unfortunately, the law was essentially forgotten and never applied again until this spring when both the Totogatic and the Brunsweiler rivers were finally designated.
The first challenge was raising awareness that the law even exists, and then helping people understand what it means to the river and to property owners along the river. Kathy Bartilson from DNR's Spooner office and John Haack, UW-Extension Basin Educator for the St. Croix basin, did a yeoman's job of education and outreach to citizens and government officials in the five counties traversed by the Totogatic, turning skepticism into broad support. The River Alliance helped build interest in the wild rivers concept by playing a lead in planning a celebration for the 40th anniversary of the law, held at the Wild Rivers Interpretive Center in Florence County, and successfully urging Governor Doyle to make wild river designation part of his conservation agenda.
A second important lesson is that the face, and much of the community legwork, of the effort was local. This grassroots work was backed by careful intelligence gathering in the Capitol. From our Madison base, the River Alliance can then help spread the word to media, get the right message (and from the right messengers) to key legislators, seek out sponsors for legislation and organize support as legislation makes its way through the process.
Finally, tenacity pays off. It's been a long haul, but suddenly, legislators and other river groups around the state are realizing the value of having a wild river in their midst, and wondering if maybe they can have one too!
Celebrate the Brunsweiler
Designated wild this spring, the Brunsweiler River in Ashland County is truly remote. The family of the late Martin Hanson, who lived on and cared for the Brunsweiler for most of his long life, has offered a rare opportunity to spend time on the river at his property. You can join us for a Piece of History on the Brunsweiler as we hike the property along the river, and view the rocky gorge of Beaverdam Lake from the deck of Martin's pontoon boat as Tia Nelson regales us with tales of Martin, her father Gaylord, and the movers and shakers of the day puttering up the lake. Click here for more details and to register for the event.
Make a Date with a River Events
In addition to the Brunsweiler, there are still several great events to partake in this summer. Interested in attending? Just click here to download a registration form, or register online at Brown Paper Tickets:
- Milky Moonlight in Milwaukee: Wednesday August 5th (Currently sold out. However, you can add your name to a waiting list by emailing the staff contact for the event.)
- A Piece of History on the Brunsweiler: Saturday August 22nd
- Whitewater on Foot: Waterfalls of the Pine: Saturday September 12th
Rat Scratchings
Read about the death and rebirth of a stream in Portage County, and another water bottling proposal for the same area from which Perrier was sent packing years ago, in The River Rat.
In This Issue
Citizen Monitors Do Right By Data
