Campus Partnership in a Citizen-Based Monitoring Network: Wisconsin Ephemeral Ponds Project

Background/Question/Methods

Increasingly, universities incorporate community engagement activities into the curriculum.  At the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, students pursuing the Applied Environmental Geography Concentration learn about questions in human-environment interactions and concepts in spatial ecology.  One study directed by Dr Joy Wolf, the Wisconsin Ephemeral Pond Project, involved collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, UW-Extension, and sponsoring agencies to establish a state-wide database of ephemeral ponds on both private and public lands.  Ephemeral ponds are currently not protected under the Clean Water Act, but they are isolated wetlands that provide important wildlife habitats and breeding centers for amphibians and invertebrates, some of which are state threatened. 

Results/Conclusions

Working with scientists and other professionals, the students learned how to use standardized methods and protocols for mapping physical and biological aspects and dichotomous keys to identify plant and animal species at varying life stages.   GPS was used to locate potential ponds from aerial photos, along with ground features to verify ephemeral ponds from a ‘potential’ status.   The results of these initial years of monitoring include educational efforts in three environmental geography courses, internships, independent studies, and senior projects for several students, employment success for recent graduates, presentations at local and national conferences, and the impetus for a master’s thesis.  Concluding patterns are emerging that correlate species richness and specific basin qualities.  This work contributes to a better understanding about fragile ephemeral pond dynamics, landscape patterns, and land management decisions that will protect them.  More data continue to be collected and analyzed.