We protect what communities depend upon.
CSP organizes to protect the resources we all depend upon, approaching this work not as battles to be won, but as opportunities for communities to come together around issues that impact us all, as good work over which to put our heads together for lasting solutions.
CSP works to support local planning processes so that communities can define the futures they want and encourage the types of development they wish to see. Much of CSP's Protect work is in direct response to un-invited, industrial-scale operations that threaten local quality of life in multiple ways: by depleting shared natural resources, polluting water & air, exporting wealth away from our local economy, lowering property values, and putting our traditional small and
medium-scale operations out of business.
Protecting Against Pollution & Extraction
CSP keeps a close eye on un-invited industrial-scale developments that may not be a good fit with our fragile karst geology. We facilitate clear and open dialogue among all stakeholders.
Our approaches:
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Watchdog the siting of polluting industries in our communities, monitor those already here.
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Alert residents and landowners to public processes that could impact community health and natural resources.
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Support grassroots community efforts, empowering those most impacted to participate productively in decision-making processes.
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Work with experts, media, and government, to facilitate bottom-up communication to inform policy decisions.
Water Quality Monitoring Program Manager:
Omaru Heras
oheras@crawfordstewardship.org
Reports:
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Wisconsin WAV database (includes data collected by CSP)
Water Quality Monitoring
Since 2008 CSP's award-winning Water Quality Monitoring project has been training and coordinating citizen-scientist volunteers in annual monitoring of 13 streams & springs, with an emphasis on sites of concern. Test results are filed in the Wisconsin state database, and thanks to our (your!) work several local streams have been officially prioritized for care.
Our approaches:
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Engaging citizen scientists in collecting valuable streamwater data while immersing themselves in nature and observing first-hand the changes in our watersheds.
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Documenting the effects of industrial-scale operations on downstream water quality.
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Making data available to decision makers, to enable well-informed land-use and governance decisions.
Our ongoing work includes:
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Facilitating at least one Water Action Volunteers (WI DNR program and UW-Extension) Water Quality Monitoring Training in April/May of each year.
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Coordinating:
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Active volunteers at 13 sites (streams and springs) of specific concern in Crawford county, ensuring data logging.
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High school students at a site next to North Crawford District School in an educational collaboration.
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Volunteers at two sites being intermittently monitored for Microplastics.
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Supporting citizen monitors in neighboring counties through coordination, logistical help, and guidance towards available resources.
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🦺 website under construction 🦺 [...add in testing, working with labs, analyzing/publishing results, and reporting/recording to agencies.]
Significant Results:
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2008 – 2021: Over 100 volunteers have been trained in alliance with the WAV Program (WI DNR and UW-Extension) & Valley Stewardship Network, and the 2017 Water Rangers of the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project. There are 30 current active volunteers in 8 sites of concern and other local sites.
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2013: Crawford Stewardship Project (CSP) received the Citizen-based Monitoring Award for Group Effort at the Citizen-based Monitoring Conference in Wisconsin Rapids held by UW-Extension and the WI DNR.
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2016: WI WAV Stream Monitoring Award in the “Adult Volunteer” category won by CSP volunteers Ellen Brooks (also a CSP Board member) & Dave Hackett.
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2018: WI WAV Stream Monitoring Award in the “Adult Volunteer” category won by CSP volunteers Debbie & Bill Hiller.
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Due to the constant submission of more than 10 years of data, Sites # 10032119, # 10044917 and #10052569 were placed on the impaired waters lists in 2018, 2020 and 2022, respectively.
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2022: The WI WAV Stream Monitoring Award in the “Adult Volunteer” category was given to CSP volunteers Kathy (who also was a CSP Board member and staff) & Paul Byrne.
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2023-2024: 15 volunteers passionately monitoring 13 sites (8 of specific concern, 3 requested by the DNR, and one for young students).
What you can do:
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The spring trainings consist of three stream monitoring levels available to people who want to join existing sites of concern and tributaries of the WI and Kickapoo Rivers in Crawford Co. Monitoring is done once a month for an hour or so from May till October, and is a great and fun way to help out while getting outside!
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Level 1 (first year): teaches entry level volunteers how to monitor dissolved oxygen, temperature, transparency, streamflow, habitat assessment, and macroinvertebrates (biotic index), using Water Action Volunteers (WAV) methods. An excellent way for everyone to participate in citizen science and to get to know their local waters better. No previous experience necessary!
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Level 2: brings volunteers to the next level of independence, and involves using more sophisticated devices to test for dissolved oxygen, pH and temperature.
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Level 3: involves research and special projects, such as Total Phosphorus testing. We also include and sample for E. coli, total coliform, background bacteria, fungi, Staphylococcus sp & aureus, MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus), and DNA marker for specific feces sources. State and local labs are pillars in this process.
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The data collected gives us a baseline of stream health, which is critical for determining how various types of land use affects our watershed. Every result is carefully recorded, shared publicly, and submitted to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Extension University of WI-Madison, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
