Snapshot Day volunteers found new invasive species’ sightings
Asking folks to volunteer their time on a Saturday morning in summer is a big ask. Yet once again, dedicated water lovers braved the heat and showed up in force across the state to help find aquatic invasive species during the 10th annual Snapshot Day!
On August 19th, 145 participants put on their waders and water shoes, grabbed their rakes and binoculars, and explored 131 different monitoring sites in 102 different waterbodies at 22 meetup locations across Wisconsin. In total, 63 lakes, 38 streams/rivers, and one wetland were monitored. Fifteen different species were found, everything from snails to mussels to aquatic plants.
Every year, Snapshot Day, a statewide scavenger hunt for AIS, supplies a vast amount of data to the WDNR that ultimately helps guide management efforts. Early identification is a key factor in stopping the spread of these pesky plant, algae, and animal species from spreading throughout the beautiful waters of Wisconsin, so the sooner we know where they are, the better the chance we have at getting ahead of the problem.
Notably, many of the Snapshot Day species that were found had never been documented in that waterbody before, including some prohibited species such as Asian clam, faucet snail, and non-native phragmites.
Even if you missed this year’s event, there are still opportunities to look for invasive species every time you’re out fishing! As always, please keep a careful eye out for New Zealand mudsnails, but any and all AIS reports are welcome!
Mark your calendar and plan to join us for the 11th annual Snapshot Day in 2024 which is typically held on the the third Saturday in August. Subscribers to River Alliance’s Word on the Stream e-newsletter will get an alert on the event date and how to sign up.
See photos from this year’s Snapshot Day on the Water Action Volunteers website.
– Ellen Voss, Aquatic Invasive Species Program Director
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