Discovery Farms' Trained Local Samplers Program
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| Affiliation: |
UWEX / College of Agricultural & Life Sciences-UW Madison |
| Contact Information: |
Kris Stepenuck |
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Citizen Stream Monitoring Program Coordinator |
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445 Henry Mall, Rm 202 |
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Madison, WI 53706 |
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608-265-3887 |
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kris.stepenuck@ces.uwex.edu |
| Year Started: |
2002 |
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| Purpose: |
Discovery Farms are real working Wisconsin farms in different geographic areas, facing different environmental challenges. A component of the Discovery Farms Program is the Trained Local Samplers Program. At the Heisner, Bragger, and Koepke Farms local community members were asked by the producers to monitor stream quality over time. These volunteers monitor a variety of water quality parameters, including dissolved oxygen, temperature, transparency, hardness, nitrates, conductivity, pH, flow, macroinvertebrate Biotic Index, and ammonia. They also collect water samples that are shipped to the UW-Stevens Point Water and Environmental Analysis Laboratory to be analyzed for total suspended solids, and various forms of phosphorus and nitrogen. |
| Subject Area(s): |
Rivers/Streams
Exotics/Invasive Species
Lakes/Ponds/Reservoirs
Invertebrates
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| Data Type(s) Collected: |
Chemical parameters
Biological parameters
Physical parameters
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| # of Volunteers: |
20 |
| Volunteer Hours/Year: |
12 |
| Volunteer Services: |
Email list or list-serve for volunteers
Data analysis and reporting
Links to websites of other programs
Volunteer monitor newsletter
Staff consultation with individual monitors
Conferences
Training sessions for new volunteers
Group website
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| Accepting New Volunteers? |
No |
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