The Water Action Volunteers (WAV) volunteer stream monitoring program is an ongoing partnership between the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and nearly 50 local partner groups and organizations. The program aims to preserve, protect and restore Wisconsin’s 86,000+ miles of streams and rivers by educating and empowering volunteers to (1) gather high-quality stream data useful for decision-making and natural resource management, and (2) share their data and knowledge.
Annually, more than 500 volunteers and an estimated 2,000 supervised students monitor 600+ stream locations throughout the state.
WAV Brochure
Our Mission
We empower citizen volunteers to take ownership of their local waterways through protection and improvement efforts based on hands-on learning, data collection and data reporting. Engaged citizens and the data they collect benefit natural resource agencies and organizations, local communities and the entire state of Wisconsin.
Our Vision
WAV aims to provide high quality volunteer stream monitoring that engages citizens in the rigorous collection of water quality data useful for managing Wisconsin’s natural resources.