Waters Worth Protecting: Volunteers Unite for Snapshot Day 2025
176 Volunteers Unite To Protect Wisconsin's Waters Original Story: Water Action Volunteers, Emily Heald On August 9, 2025, people who love Wisconsin’s waters came together for the 12th annual Aquatic Invasive Species Snapshot Day—a statewide search for aquatic invasive species (AIS). From rivers and streams to lakes and wetlands, volunteers fanned out across 100 [...]
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Extension Lakes. Volunteers met at different local rendezvous sites across the state to learn how to identify AIS such as Eurasian watermilfoil, purple loosestrife, and New Zealand mudsnails, and then searched for them in the field at pre-
selected locations. Initially focused on rivers and streams, Snapshot Day has expanded to include lakes and wetlands. Findings from Snapshot Day are uploaded to the statewide water quality database, SWIMS, where they can be used to track the spread of invasive species and develop management plans.
Snapshot Day’s community-based science approach maximizes the number of sites being checked across the state, and the free event allows volunteers to learn about their local waters and how to keep them healthy. As one volunteer stated, “I enjoyed the hands on learning approach. It was helpful to have well informed guides and samples of the invasive species to get a close look at. Once we had a good understanding of what to look for, it was fun to go out and collect samples of what we were finding.”
risks to Wisconsin waterways and wildlife. Volunteers have a choice to register at one of over twenty event locations hosted by local conservation groups.