A baseline stream monitoring training in Sturgeon Bay, WI. 

As we begin to roll out spring baseline monitoring trainings, we are excited to connect (or re-connect!) with organizations and volunteers across the state. Whether it's your first year or twentieth year monitoring, we're happy to support your ongoing work by connecting you with a local WAV coordinator or by providing resources.

We also know that, though WAV's own monitoring season may just be starting, WAV volunteers positively impact their local waters and land year-round outside of the WAV program, whether it's through water monitoring, outdoor education, or stewardship. Read on to learn more about volunteers and local WAV Coordinators who are reaching twenty (20!) years of dedicated monitoring work with the WAV program, as well as this year's 2025 Wisconsin Stream Monitoring Award Recipients.

We hope you will join us in celebrating how awesome WAV volunteers are and get inspired to share what you've learned through monitoring with your friends, family, and fellow community members.

(Left) Kris Smith piling brush for wildlife at a workday. Photo by Lucy Hodkiewicz.
(Right) Lance Green baseline stream monitoring. Photo courtesy of Lance Green. 

Presented at the WI Lakes & Rivers Convention, the 2025 Outstanding Stream Volunteer awards recognize WAV volunteer stream monitors (individual or 2 person team) who have gone above and beyond to contribute valuable water quality data while supporting stream health, stewardship, and/or education in their community.

This year’s Outstanding Stream Volunteer recipients are Kris Smith and Lance Green. Both were recognized at the Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention Awards Banquet this month and gifted a handmade pottery plaque designed by WAV volunteer Heidi Hankley and produced by local artist Amandalynn Jones.

Watch the short videos below to learn more about Lance and Kris’s volunteer work, and please join us in congratulating them for being outstanding volunteers working to protect our shared rivers and streams!

Outstanding Stream Volunteer: Kris Smith

Outstanding Stream Volunteer: Lance Green

Each year, WAV recognizes volunteers and professionals who are reaching 20-years of stream monitoring with the WAV program. This year, we are recognizing Laura DeGolier, Mary Holleback, and Cheryl Nenn for their commitment to Wisconsin's streams over the past two decades!

Water Warrior Laura DeGolier on 20-Years of Stream Monitoring

Laura has served as a WAV volunteer and WAV Coordinator for the Water Warriors for the past 20 years. What began as a love for stewarding natural areas quickly evolved into a love for monitoring nearby waterways, bridging Laura's passion for land and water. Though now retired, Laura continues to monitor streams in the Fond du Lac area with her volunteer group. 

Read this short interview with Laura to learn more about her Water Warrior legacy. 

A River Through My Life: How Riveredge's Mary Holleback Love for Rivers has Shaped Water Monitoring for 20 Years

Mary is a WAV volunteer and WAV Coordinator through her job at Riveredge Nature Center. Since she was a kid, Mary has loved her local rivers and streams. This passion shaped her journey to becoming a conservation biologist and teaching others how to become water quality monitors. 

Read Mary's reflection on her past two decades of water monitoring and her work around protecting and improving Wisconsin's waters. 

For Over 20 Years, Riverkeeper Cheryl Nenn Has Helped Develop Ways to Monitor Our Waters

Cheryl has been a WAV volunteer for the past two decades through her job at Milwaukee Riverkeeper. When she first started, there wasn't yet a statewide water monitoring protocol established. Through years of dedication and experience, Cheryl has helped set a uniform standard for testing our waters. 

Read about Cheryl's early work in water monitoring and how it informed our monitoring practices today. 

Our WAV field training season will officially kick-off this month! We are excited to see you at a stream near you to talk all things baseline monitoring like macroinvertebrates, water clarity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and stream flow. 

We'll also be hosting aquatic invasive species (AIS) trainings again this season. Join us to learn how to identify and monitor AIS, like rusty crayfish and Eurasian watermilfoil.

Don't see a location near you? We'll be adding more trainings throughout the season! You can also connect with your local WAV Coordinator - some local coordinators offer one-on-one rather than group trainings.

Drumroll please!

WAV has officially launched our new website! Featuring an updated design, our new website houses all the helpful resources and important information current and future volunteers need for their stream monitoring journey. 

Help preserve and protect Wisconsin’s streams

Water Action Volunteers Program (WAV)

Phone: (608) 331-0173

Email: wav@extension.wisc.edu

https://wav.extension.wisc.edu/

The Water Action Volunteers (WAV) stream monitoring program is an ongoing partnership between the University of Wisconsin - Madison Division of Extension and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, in collaboration with over 50 local groups and organizations.