Equipment and Calendar
Monitoring Equipment and Calendar
Each student-teacher team performs seasonal rounds of monitoring at two or more monitoring locations within their selected stream. Sampling is done by all teams within the same 2-3 week period in spring, summer, and fall of each year. Most stream monitoring is performed when streams are wade-able and not affected by recent rain events.
How and when do we measure it?
Each student-teacher team performs seasonal rounds of monitoring at two or more monitoring locations within their selected stream. Sampling is done by all teams within the same 2-3 week period in spring, summer, and fall of each year. Most stream monitoring is performed when streams are wade-able and not affected by recent rain events.
| Water Chemistry | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Soluble Reactive Phosphorus | Ammonia Nitrogen | Nitrate Nitrogen | |
| Equipment | Hach DR/850 or DR/900 Colorimeter | Hach DR/850 or DR/900 Colorimeter | Hach DR/850 or DR/900 Colorimeter |
| Method | Colorimetric,Ascorbic Acid | Colorimetric, Salicylate | Colorimetric, Cadmium Reduction |
| When Monitored | Fall (September – October), Spring (May), Summer (July – August) | ||
| Physical Parameters | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stream Flow | Temp. | Transparency/ Turbidity | Conductivity | pH | DO | |
| Equipment | Floating Object | YSI 55 or YSI Pro 20i DO/Temp. Probe | Transparency /Turbidity Tube, 60 cm | Oakton EC Testr+ low | Oakton pHTester | |
| Method | Floating Object Method | Meter and thermistor | Clear tube w/ secchi disk and drain valve | Meter and electrode | Meter and electrode | Meter and polarographic sensor probe |
| When Monitored | Fall (September – October), Spring (May), Summer (July – August) | |||||
| Habitat and Biota | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stream Habitat | In –stream Biotic Integrity | Stream Corridor | ||
| Frogs | Birds | |||
| Equipment | Standardized schematic and inventory form | Macro- invertebrate taxonomic keys | GPS units, thermometer | GPS units, binoculars, field guides, CDs |
| Method | USEPA Streamwalk and WDNR WAV | Biotic Index Calculation; WDNR WAV taxonomic key | 5 min Amphibian Calling Survey | 10 point counts; assisted by professional birder |
| When Monitored | Summer | Summer | 3 times in April-June | June |
Sampling Schedule
Each student-teacher team performs seasonal rounds of monitoring at two or more monitoring locations within their selected stream. Sampling is done by all teams within the same 2-3 week period in spring, summer, and fall of each year. Most stream monitoring is performed when streams are wade-able and not affected by recent rain events. All teams use standardized methods and professional-grade equipment. Monitoring protocols were modified from the SWRP manual (Lindbo, et al., 2003), the University of Wisconsin Extension/WDNR Water Action Volunteers (WAV) citizen stream monitoring program (UWEX/WDNR, 2010) and Howe, et al., (1997).
| Date | Activity | |
| no sampling since 2016 | Amphibians | Teams listen for frogs three times at three points each time. Sampling dates are determined by overnight temperatures. |
| April 24 - May 18 | Water Quality | Teams monitor two stream stations for water quality |
| no sampling since 2016 | Birds | Each team monitors 10 birding locations adjacent to their stream over a 1-2 day period. |
| July 5 - August 7 | Water Quality, Habitat & Biota | Teams monitor two stream stations for water quality. Stream habitat and macroinvertebrate survey are also done at this time. |
| September 18 - October 16 | Water Quality | Teams monitor two stream stations for water quality |