Two Northwoods organizations and a private citizen are part of 23 projects statewide sharing $100,000 in to do citizen-based natural resource projects.
Money to study lake level trends in northern Wisconsin was awarded to North Lakeland Discovery Center in Manitowish Waters.
Project W.O.W. or the War on Weeds will be tracking invasive plants across the Northwoods, sponsored by the Wisconsin Headwaters Invasives Partnership in Eagle River.
A third project involves mobile surveys and roost monitors training the next generation of bat enthusiasts. Joel Knutson of Rhinelander is doing the work in Oneida, Vilas, Forest, and Langlade counties.
The DNR's Eva Lewandowski coordinates the citizen-based monitoring program for the DNR. She says citizen involvement is essential...
".....it's really about getting the public involved in scientific research. Involved, especially with this program, involved in monitoring natural resources. There are a lot of reasons why you want to get the public involved.Organizations like the DNR don't have the time, the staff to do as much monitoring as we would like. It's really great to harness the power of really interested and involved volunteers.... "
More than 150 organizations in Wisconsin rely on volunteers every year to collect information about the health and distribution of wildlife, plant species and water quality. Some are long-term projects such as the Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey, now in its 35th year
