Eurasian water milfoil, curly leaf pondweed, and spiny water fleas are a couple aquatic invasive species known to have found their way into some lakes in the Northwoods.
“It's definitely not a losing battle,” said Emily Heald, the Rivers Educator with UW Madison Division of Extension.
Heald says if you can catch an invasive species early, it’s a lot easier to remove.
That’s one of the goals of Snapshot Day.
“The event is really impactful in a lot of ways, from the AIS management to the feel good aspects of connecting people with the environment,” said Heald.
This Saturday, August 9, volunteers will spread out at 25 locations across the state.
A conservation organization leading the site will teach people to identify AIS relevant to that area and then send them out to lakes, rivers, and streams in search of them.
“It's very open to all abilities. If people are not comfortable entering the water, they don't have to. There's plenty of ways that people can help. But if people are comfortable with it, they're welcome to wade into the water to get a closer look at things,” said Heald.
The data they collect helps inform aquatic invasive species management and hopefully provides early detection to make that management more effective.
People are taught to avoid spreading invasive species between monitoring sites by cleaning their gear.
“On the feedback surveys that we do every year, we also hear a ton of people say that they just feel really good and they love helping the environment. They like to meet people with similar interests. They get to see new waters and look at things in a different way,” said Heald.
There are a couple locations in northern Wisconsin this year including Manitowish Waters, Lake Tomahawk, Tomahawk, Elcho, and Florence.
Children are welcome to participate. It’s recommended they be 8 years or older and they must be accompanied by an adult.
Registration is required. The deadline to sign up is noon this Friday, August 8.
Started by the Wisconsin River Alliance in 2014, Snapshot Day is now organized by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and UW-Madison Division of Extension.
Minnesota is also having its own version of Snapshot Day on Saturday called Starry Trek, named after the aquatic invasive species Starry Stonewort.
