University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
IN-1: Innovation 1

The Lower Fox River Watershed Monitoring Program is a collaborative watershed education and stream monitoring program focused on identifying nonpoint source pollution within the Fox River watershed.

The LFRWMP has two major components:

* school-based monitoring program
* watershed research program.

In the school monitoring program, teams of high school students and teachers gain hands-on experience in assessing the health of aquatic ecosystems by performing a variety of monitoring activities in selected watersheds of the Lower Fox Basin. The use of standardized methods and teacher training allows the teams to collect quality assured data. Data from the student monitoring is shared on this website and at the annual Student Watershed Symposium

Components of the school-based monitoring program:

* Monitoring events
* Student symposiums
* Teacher workshops

Funded by a grant from Arjo Wiggins Appleton, the program involves coordination between area high school students and teachers, university students and researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), the Cofrin Center for Biodiversity, the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District (GBMSD), and the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The school-based program improves student, teacher and community understanding and stewardship of watersheds and land use impacts on water quality and stream ecosystems. Specific objectives are to:

* Strengthen student and teacher knowledge and understanding of land use impacts on water quality and stream ecosystems;

* Enhance teacher capacity to teach watershed science by providing hands-on training in water quality and biological indicator monitoring techniques and data interpretation;

* Develop a long-term watershed integrity database that helps users understand changes over time and contributes to improved watershed management strategies;

* Provide ongoing opportunities for high school students and teachers to engage in hands-on science and to interact with other students, university scientists, resource managers and community professionals.