Agenda

• Citizen-based Monitoring: Past Progress and Future Directions
  Presenter: Erin Crain, Wisconsin DNR
• Citizen Involvement in Wildlife Health Monitoring in Wisconsin
  Presenter: Julie Langenberg, Wisconsin DNR
  Citizens are currently involved and play a valuable role in a variety of wildlife disease and wildlife health monitoring programs in Wisconsin. Examples include West Nile virus, avian influenza, and chronic wasting disease. This wildlife health monitoring by citizens is important not only for conservation and management of the state's wildlife, but also for tracking health risks for livestock and people. Learn how the monitoring of wildlife disease and wildlife health can play a role in your current and future monitoring efforts.
• Weed Watching: Tips for Citizen Scientists Monitoring Invasive Plant Species
  Presenter: Alycia Crall, National Institute of Invasive Species Science
  This presentation will review commonly used monitoring protocols for invasive plant species that can be used by citizen scientists. In addition, it will cover how data collected using these protocols can be made available on the web for use by land managers and the scientific community.
• Great Lakes Shoreline Up for Adoption
  Presenter: Art Montgomary, Alliance for the Great Lake
  The Great Lake's regional Adopt-a-Beach citizen monitoring program came to Wisconsin in 2004. Learn how this program has blended grass roots volunteer efforts in the collection of litter and water quality data with an online database and logistic support features. We'll show you how to get started, samples of data compiled from different shoreline areas, and review how groups have moved from data collection to action projects that result in positive change for the shoreline.
• Learning about Wisconsin Lakes through a New Integrated Database System
  Presenter: Jennifer Filbert, Wisconsin DNR
Volunteers and community-based users now share a new database system with state agency staff to record lake and stream water quality data, boat inspection statistics and more. Also through the combined input of staff, volunteers and other community based users, Wisconsin is beginning to capture management actions occurring on its waters in this system. Combining all lake and stream data into one database system allows us to take a fresh look at the state of Wisconsin's lakes and streams. Which lakes are monitored? What is the condition of the lakes? Where have various management actions been done? In this presentation, you will see how, in the coming years, the Surface Water Integrated Monitoring System will serve as a foundation for presenting real, up-to-date, useful information on Wisconsin’s lakes to managers, scientists as well as the general public.

• Matthew Frank - Secretary, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
• Acoustic Bat Monitoring System: Land & Water
  Presenter: Dave Redell, Wisconsin DNR
  Current status of an approach to inventory & monitor bats using a citizen-based network. Learn about the long-term bat monitoring stations and mobile survey gear for inventory and monitoring Wisconsin's bats as they fly above your land and/or water-based survey route.
• Building a USA National Phenology Network That Includes Citizen Scientists
  Presenter: Mark Schwartz; UW-Milwaukee Department of Geography
  Learn about a USA National Phenology Network (NPN) being constructed that consists of four tiers or components, one of them being observations made by citizen scientists. USA-NPN will provide a web-based system with all the information members of the general public will need to select appropriate native plants for their area and request indicator plants, carefully observe the phenology of these plants, and then report this information over the Internet. The network was launched in spring 2007 and expects to have increased functionality in the web page system for spring 2008. So far over a thousand individuals have registered as observers nationwide and the USA-NPN plans to greatly expand that number over the next five years.
• A Wisconsin "Master Naturalist" Program: Help Shape the Future
  Presenter: Sherry Klosiewski, Wisconsin DNR
  Around the country, volunteer "Master Naturalist" programs are providing training and service opportunities related to natural resources management and education. Now, a group of state agencies, nonprofits, and educational institutions are working together to help bring "Master Naturalist" to Wisconsin. Come and learn about the opportunities and challenges in creating this new program, and share your thoughts about what Wisconsin's "Master Naturalist" program should look like.

• Citizens Behind the Science: The Use of Citizen Volunteers in Urban Bird Research
  Presenters: William P. Mueller, Wisconsin Society for Ornithology; Timothy L. Vargo, Urban Ecology Center; Owen D. Boyle, Wisconsin DNR
  Training community volunteers to become Citizen Scientists for research has become increasingly popular as an effective and cost-saving alternative to or augmentation of paid field assistants. Citizen Scientists allow for increased data-collection abilities and bring local support to research in their community. However, they also require significant amounts of time and resources in order to be trained effectively. In addition, there are still those in academia that believe that Citizen Science has basic flaws that cannot be overcome. We highlight a case study in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where citizens are heavily used in state-of-the-art urban bird research studying migration stopover use in an urban habitat matrix. Our experiences with citizen volunteers have been overwhelmingly positive despite the added efforts, and have allowed us to tap into their individual strengths and the strengths of the community.
• The Role of Citizen Involvement in Endangered Species Monitoring
  Presenter: Rori Paloski, Wisconsin DNR
  Citizens can play a role in the monitoring of rare or listed species and habitats. This presentation will provide examples of successful citizen monitoring programs involving listed species, issues to consider when monitoring these species and ideas for potential future projects.
• The Involvement of Citizens in Large Mammal Monitoring
  Presenter: Tim Van Deelen, UW-Madison Department of Wildlife Ecology
• Owls, Rails, and Whip-poor-wills: New Opportunities for Volunteer Birders
  Presenter: Andy Paulios; Wisconsin DNR
  The Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative (WBCI), in partnership with regional and national partners, is piloting new monitoring programs for nightjars, owls and secretive marshbirds. Owls, marshbirds, and nightjars are not well monitored by existing programs despite apparent declines for some of these species and high conservation priority for birds like whip-poor-will, king rail, and American bittern. These new pilot programs offer an opportunity for birders to enjoy a new experience and contribute to conservation efforts.

• Acoustic Bat Monitoring
  
  (Tamarack Shelter)
  Dave Redell and Paul White, Wisconsin DNR
  Put your binoculars down and pick up a bat detector. See what's involved in getting you and your group out in the field recording the echolocation calls of bats: we will discuss and answer questions related to mobile survey equipment, level of training necessary, data collection and transfer process, as well as network results and the sharing of equipment.
• Wisconsin Weed Watchers: Mapping and Monitoring Terrestrial Invasive Plant Species
  
  (Shagbark Shelter)
  Sarah Klionsky, UW-Madison Botany and Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
  Learn how to map and monitor plant invasions in your area. This short course will include the identification of key invasive plant species, simple monitoring protocols, and will briefly touch on how to get data collected in the field onto the web.
• Field Techniques for Surveying Amphibians and Reptiles
  
  (Outside Red Oak Shelter)
  Rori Paloski and Tara Bergeson, Wisconsin DNR
  This session will cover basic field techniques used to survey amphibians and reptiles. We will focus on breeding call, cover board and visual encounter surveys. Survey descriptions will include a demonstration of field techniques, list of supplies required and summary of pros/cons of the method. A limited number of "Amphibians of Wisconsin", "Snakes of Wisconsin", and "Turtles and Lizards of Wisconsin" books will be provided to class participants.
• Orienteering and GPS Basics
  
  (White Pine Shelter)
  Jim Woodford and Jill Rosenberg, Wisconsin DNR
  The first half of this course will introduce you to the basics of compass use, map reading, and Garmin GPS operation and use. During the second half, you will be given the opportunity to use these tools to seek out a number of geo-caches placed in the area. We will provide all equipment, however feel free to bring along your own GPS or compass, if you have one.
• Small Mammal Training
  
  (White Oak Shelter)
  Loren Ayers, Wisconsin DNR
  
  Back to the basics...learn how to identify and safely handle Wisconsin's small mammal species including 5 shrews, 4 voles, 5 mice, and 10 squirrels. We will offer hands-on experience; interested participants can take animals through the full process of capture, restraint, measurement, identification, marking and release. We also will provide an overview of pertinent regulations and safety issues.
• Identification and Monitoring of Aquatic Invasive Species
  
  (White Pine Shelter)
  Donna Sefton, Citizen Lake Monitoring Network Coordinator, Wisconsin DNR
  Aquatic plants and animals are indicators of lake health and are an essential part of a healthy lake ecosystem. Aquatic invasive species, such as Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, purple loosestrife, zebra mussels, rusty crayfish and certain fish species, threaten the health of aquatic ecosystems. Education and early identification of these aquatic exotics is the key to control. Participants learn through hand-on activities to identify these exotics, distinguish them from look-alike native species, and use some of the invasive species monitoring equipment and techniques. Some methods for aquatic invasive species prevention and control are also reviewed.
• Level I Stream Monitoring - You can do it!
  
  (White Birch Shelter)
  Anne Miller, Lower Rock River Monitors
  Overview of WAV parameters with demonstration of and participation in data collection. We will discuss what to expect as new monitors in the field and how to get you or your group trained and entering useful data.
• Citizen-based Stream Monitoring Symposium*
  
  (Red Oak Shelter)
  * Please note this course runs on a schedule independent of the other short courses and field trips.
  Registration: 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m., Symposium: 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
  Chris Clayton, River Alliance of Wisconsin and Wisconsin DNR
  Over the last two years, the WDNR and the River Alliance of Wisconsin conducted a project that asked participating citizens to collect water quality data for the WDNR. They look forward to making advances in this effort as they invite citizen stream monitors around the state to a symposium focused on data results and assessment, data use by the WDNR, special projects and research, and the use of grants for monitoring. For more information and registration for this particular symposium, see http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu.

• International Crane Foundation
  Directions from Devil's Lake to the International Crane Foundation
  Come join in a guided tour of the International Crane Foundation being hosted for conference participants only! Learn about their various conservation and research efforts along with the success of Crane Count, a citizen-based monitoring program.
• Baxter's Hollow State Natural Area
  Directions from Devil's Lake to Baxter's Hollow
  Come observe the beauty of Baxter's Hollow through a guided two-hour tour by DNR Conservation Biologist, Mike Mossman. Baxter’s Hollow features a scenic gorge cut through Baraboo quartzite by Otter Creek, a clear, nearly undisturbed stream flowing over the large quartzite boulders. The large expanse of woods found within the state natural area provides critical habitat for a wide diversity of species. Meet at the southern parking lot, at the old Klondike Campground gate, where the blacktop road turns to gravel. Bring binoculars, along with bird or flower field books if you have them.
• Aldo Leopold Legacy Center and Shack
  Directions from Devil's Lake to the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center
  What better place to visit when in the Baraboo area then the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Built in 1982 this foundation was formed off the values and vision of one of the most recognized names in wildlife and land conservation. Leopold's words have stirred many to a personal ecological awareness. The Foundation's goal is to share the legacy of Aldo Leopold and to awaken an ecological conscience in the people of our nation. This tour will start with an introduction and tour of the Legacy Center and follow with a tour of the Leopold Shack and Farm.