Greetings!
Have you ever wondered how the data collected by volunteer water monitors is used? Water monitoring data can have many applications. One of the most important is providing advocates and agencies with valuable information that can be translated into conservation tools. In a recent example, Milwaukee Riverkeeper used volunteer monitoring data to produce a report card on the health of the river (read below for details). The report card is used to inform the public about the issues facing their rivers.
If your river group is currently monitoring your river or would like to become monitors, you should attend the Volunteer Monitoring Symposium on March16th and 17th in Mequon.
You future water quality monitoring work could be funded with a DNR River Protection Grant. If you are considering submitting a proposal, you should talk with your DNR representative soon.
Thanks for watching over our rivers,  
Allison Werner
Local Groups Program Manager
P.S. I encourage you to attend the 2012 River Rally. It is a great opportunity to learn, network and also recharge your batteries.
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| Volunteer Stream Monitoring Symposium |
When: March 16 & 17
Register by March 5th
Register now for the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Symposium! The Symposium will focus on "Assessing Urban Impacts in Your Watersheds" and will be held Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17 at Concordia University in Mequon.
Friday afternoon will feature a panel discussion about impediments to fish movement in rivers. Saturday's agenda includes many in-depth sessions on topics such as how DNR uses water quality data and the many sources of pollution to urban streams. This will be an excellent opportunity for you to network with others from around the state who are interested in this topic. Everyone is welcome, whether or not you've done volunteer stream monitoring in the past.
Check out the Symposium Agenda to see the list of speakers.
The registration fee is $20 before February 17th and $30 after February 17th. Space is limited. Register Now!
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Milwaukee River Report Card
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To answer the question, How are our rivers doing?, Milwaukee Riverkeeper decided to use their 2010 water quality data to create a Milwaukee River Report Card. They assigned grades to sub-watersheds and gave the Milwaukee River as a whole a grade of B-.
You can read the details about the report card on the Milwaukee Riverkeeper website.
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DNR River Protection Grants
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When: The grant deadline is May 1, 2012
The DNR River Protection Grant program offers planning grants for up to $10,000 and management grants up to $50,000. Before you apply, make sure your group is a qualified river management organization and review the grant guidelines carefully. Several changes were made in the last few years.
This year you are able to save the information you type into the online PDF application. Be sure to select the form that says "fillable and save."
River Alliance staff can help your group plan your proposal. We are also willing to review your completed application and provide letters of support. All we ask is you contact us no later than April 2nd.
Contact Allison Werner for assistance, 608-257-2424 ext. 113 or awerner@wisconsinrivers.org.
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