We are a network of high school teachers, middle school teachers, and students in NE Wis collaborating with UW-Green Bay to do long-term stream monitoring, education, data collection and research on Lower Fox River tributaries. Project Overview:
The Lower Fox River Watershed Monitoring Program (LFRWMP) is a network of teachers and students from high schools in Northeast Wisconsin collaborating o
n a long-term watershed monitoring and education program. Our program combines watershed education with the collection of top quality scientific data through the cooperation of teachers, students, university scientists, businesses, governmental agencies and community groups. Our students take on the role of scientists and explore local streams and waterways, in partnership with the scientific community. The leadership of UW-Green Bay and community partners assures high-quality results. This collaboration among students and experts creates a rich resource of information throughout the Fox River Basin. Our vision is to foster scientifically literate citizens that work together within businesses, industries, institutions and government to enhance the economic and social well-being of our community by protecting our most valuable natural assets, the Fox-Wolf River Basin and Bay of Green Bay. Program Activities
We regularly monitor seven streams for water quality, habitat assessment, and biotic index. Eleven schools and the Green Bay Boys & Girls Club participate in our program and currently 17 teachers and over 80 students are involved in the project. Our data is available online to scientists and agencies. For example, Brown County is currently using our data to measure the success of rural stream buffers on downstream water quality. Our teachers participate in annual teacher training workshops where they learn directly from scientists and they enhance their ability to teach watershed science. Each year, our work culminates in a one-day Watershed Symposium held at UW-Green Bay. The symposium provides an opportunity for student-teacher teams, program partners, agency representatives, and community members to exchange ideas and share research findings with panel discussions, posters and presentations
Over the past decade, the LFRWMP has successfully emerged as a shining educational star involving the successful collaboration of UW-Green Bay, area high schools, and community partners. This collaboration, in turn, has shown potential to make valuable contributions to regional environmental protection and public policy. The educational benefits of the project are obvious, but these wider applications set the program apart from most other innovative educational initiatives. In the next decade, our opportunity and challenge is to maximize our impact. Program Sponsor
Arjo Wiggins, Ltd., Appleton, WI has funded major program activities since program inception in 2003 through 2013. The current cost to implement our program is $100,000 per year. Program Website
www.uwgb.edu/watershed
