Tap-In: Water@UW-Madison News

This year's Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention, held from March 26-28 in Stevens Point, centers around the theme "The Power of Words: Working for Our Waters." This theme underscores the profound impact that effective communication can have on water conservation efforts. By harnessing the power of words, we can inspire action, foster understanding, and drive positive change in our communities.

The theme this year brings to mind a recent study by Life Science Communications professor Bret Shaw in collaboration with Tim Campbell, Gavin Dehnert and Luke Huffman. In this article, they highlight how the terms used to describe aquatic plants differ markedly among audiences, calling attention to a communication gap for scientific institutions and the high likelihood of mixed and missed messages. This research serves as one example of how words matter in our efforts to work together for healthy ecosystems. Learn more here.

The Lakes and Rivers Convention is a great place to connect with community members, riparians, and water professionals in Wisconsin. The Flow Project, which has 35 art-science collaborative artworks this year, will open their first gallery of the year at the Lakes and Rivers Convention on Wednesday, March 26 from 6-8 pm, during the Author and Artist Meet & Greet. This event is open to the public, no registration required. The artwork, inspired by the beauty and importance of water, is a visual celebration and call to action.

Learn more and register to attend the conference.

Grinnell Singers Concert: The Grinnell Singers will present a collection of works contemplating our relationship to Earth. This includes the premiere of Rommereim’s “I Carry a River,” a setting of a poem by Natalie Diaz that reimagines our relationship to the vital sources of water in our environment. Informal concert: 11 am; Inside the Cave of the Mounds 2975 Cave of the Mounds Road Blue Mounds, WI 53517-0148 Concert: 7:30 pm; First Unitarian Society 900 University Bay Drive Madison, WI 53705

CPEP Seminar: How Well do Gridded Products Represent Soil Moisture Signatures in Natural Ecosystems During Precipitation Events?; Mauricio Zambrano-Bigiarini, associate professor, Universidad de La Frontera and associate researcher, Center for Climate and Resilience Research; 1-2 pm; 823 AOSS or livestream

Clean Lakes 101 Seminar: Aquatic Invasive Species in Wisconsin Lakes - New Insights and Lessons Learned; Dr. Tyler Butts, UW-Madison, The East Side Club (3735 Monona Dr, Madison, WI 53714), 4 – 5 p.m. A Q/A session will follow the presentation as time allows.

Limnology Seminar: Jackie Lemaire, UW-Madison UW-Madison Applied and Aquatic Microbiology McMahon Lab & Joo Young Bang, UW-Madison Fluid Mechanics in Environmental Processes Group; 12:05-12:55pm (CST); Water Science Engineering Lab & Zoom

Reflecting on Community-Based Water Research: Lessons Learned from Water@UW-Madison Seed Grant Program; 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM; TITU, Memorial Union, UW-Madison, Free and refreshments provided.

This full time, on-site position performs complex and high level administrative, communication, and program support, facilitating the research, teaching and outreach activities of Trout Lake Station. This position also delivers and assists with outreach program activities, strengthens partnerships, ensures adherence to policy and assists with program administration to promote a stable and productive relationship between the university and local community. The first review of applications will take place on Mar. 10, 2025 – 23:55 CST.

The position is responsible for the growth, development, implementation, and management of the District’s hauled waste receiving program with the purpose of characterizing and identifying domestic and non-domestic hauled waste pollutants, the source of those pollutants, and mitigating the negative impact of these pollutants to the District while maximizing the benefits. Applications close Mar. 16.

The director will provide strong intellectual leadership and guidance for the WRC, and will work to advance the Center’s research, extension, and education to the very forefront of Water Resource Centers worldwide, while maintaining a strong emphasis on water issues of importance to Minnesota. Final application deadline: Mar. 17

CARPC is seeking to fill two temporary, part-time positions for Summer 2025. These positions will participate in the Dane County Stream Crossing Inventory and Assessment project. Applications are due Mar. 17. Position open until filled.

Water Policy Specialist - Center for Water Policy UWM

This position is designed to immerse emerging lawyers in the dynamic world of applied research for multidisciplinary water policy solutions. The Water Policy Specialist will work with research teams and interact with the public and private sector to inform policy making. Apply by Apr. 7, 2025.

The Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University (MSU) invites applications for a full‐time, 9-month tenure system Assistant Professor with a 50% research, 30% teaching, 10% extension, and 10% service assignment.  The position start date is anticipated to be August 16, 2025. Application review begins on Apr. 15, 2025

Responsibilities include controlling invasive plants like Phragmites and Japanese Knotweed, conducting boat inspections, surveying and mapping invasive species, and providing educational outreach. Apply by Apr. 30

Coordinate, manage and assist in the implementation of assigned environmental compliance programs related to the: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act; Toxic Substances Control Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and Tribal Law. Organize environmental compliance activities related to tribal activities and administer grants awarded under federal and state programs for implementation of these regulations. Posted Feb. 13

These positions focus on educating boaters about preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) through watercraft inspection and outreach at public boat landings around Green Lake. The roles involve watercraft inspection, educational activities, and data reporting, with positions running from late May through Labor Day weekend. The positions offer flexible, part-time hours with the opportunity for full-time work, and a competitive hourly wage with a performance bonus. Positions remain open until filled.

Graduate Fellowship in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics and Marine Resource Economics - National Marine Fisheries Service & Sea Grant

For the student guide, click here.

This NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship program is aimed at PhD candidates who are United States citizens interested in population and ecosystem dynamics and marine resource economics. Interested students should contact jennifer.hauxwell@aqua.wisc.edu for more information about the application process for Wisconsin applicants. Closing Date for applications is Mar. 13, 2025.

The Environmental Education Assistant works with the staff naturalists in all facets of the educational and recreational programs as well as upkeep of trails and property of the Outagamie County Parks System at Mosquito Hill Nature Center. Applications due Mar. 15

The Nature Center Technician primarily (80%) assists with maintenance of the grounds, facilities, and equipment of the Outagamie County Parks System at Mosquito Hill Nature Center. Other duties (20%) will include assisting with educational programming. Applications due Mar. 15

Internships will be available in the following areas: Well Water Sampler Intern; Operations & Maintenance Intern; Engineering Intern; Pollution Prevention Intern. This program is an excellent opportunity for enrolled university and technical college students to gain valuable experience in their field of interest while making an impact on the organization and our local communities, enhancing the quality of our water. Applications are due Mar. 30, 2025.

Trout Unlimited (TU) is seeking two (2) Aquatic Resource Seasonal Technicians based in Northern Wisconsin and 2-4 based in southwest Wisconsin to help fulfill the organization’s mission to bring together diverse interests to care for and recover rivers and streams, so our children can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon. Positions open until filled.

Tasks may include field surveys, ground-truthing maps, volunteer events, site monitoring, invasive species removal, data management, and reporting. Please contact Miriam Duero at miriam@glaciallakes.org to apply.

This position will assist in the creation of educational materials to reduce the incidence and severity of surface and groundwater-impacting manure spills/incidents through researching/summarizing digital, online and paper records to determine the root causes of manure spills/incidents, environmental impacts, and remediation, summarizing trends, and developing a reduction/prevention strategy. Open to undergraduates, graduate students and recent graduates. Deadline: Open until filled (posted Feb 10 2025) For information, contact kevin.erb@wisc.edu

Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-R5-GL2025-FMSP. Under this competition, up to $7,200,000 may be awarded for one cooperative agreement over an approximate six-year period. This NOFO solicits applications from eligible entities for a cooperative agreement to be awarded pursuant to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan IV (pdf) (5.31 MB, November 2024). EPA is requesting applications for a project to perform analyses in support of the Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program. Applications must be submitted to EPA through Grants.gov by 10:59 p.m. CST on Mar. 14, 2025.

U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes Oil Spill Center of Expertise FY26 Funding Opportunity

Submissions are solicited for research on the following topics:

Theme 1: Freshwater Oil Spill Preparedness

Theme 2: Freshwater Oil Spill Response

Theme 3: Alternative Response Measures’ Application in Freshwater

Theme 4: Fundamental Freshwater Oil Spill Science and Response Technology Research

For Non-Federal Partners: Please follow the instructions on SAM.gov; BAA Number/Notice ID: 70Z02326RBAAGLCOE; Title: Freshwater Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Research FY26; NAICS Code: 541715 – Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)

For Federal Partners: Please reference the GLCOE website.

Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-R5-GL2025-CWMP. Under this competition, up to $12,000,000 may be awarded for one cooperative agreement over an approximate six-year period. This NOFO solicits applications from eligible entities for a cooperative agreement to be awarded pursuant to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan IV (pdf) (5.31 MB, November 2024). EPA is requesting applications for a project to perform sample collection and analyses in support of the Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Monitoring Program. Applications must be submitted to EPA through Grants.gov by 10:59 p.m. CST on Mar. 14, 2025.

The Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin requests proposals for cross-campus projects that engage and recruit undergraduate students through hands-on courses, research, field and lab experiences, and internships. The Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin is a statewide initiative of the 13 Universities of Wisconsin working to leverage the strengths of each university to address water challenges and train Wisconsin’s future water workforce. A total of $2 million is available per year to support this round of proposals, contingent on continuing available legislative funds. Applicants must be PIs within the UW system. UW-Madison applicants should contact maboyce@aqua.wisc.edu with questions; proposals will not route through RSP. Applications are due Apr. 1

Water@UW-Madison is pleased to partner with the Morgridge Center for Public Service to offer a new funding opportunity to support community-based water research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Thanks to generous support from the provost, grants will provide up to $10,000 to UW-Madison faculty, staff, or graduate students to design and implement a new community-based research (CBR) project, add a CBR component to existing work, or continue an ongoing CBR project. Two rounds of funding are available in 2025. In each round, allocated funds will be awarded according to project priority until they are exhausted. Applications that fail to secure funding in the first round are welcome to re-apply.

The National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) anticipates approximately $1,000,000 in FY2025 federal funds will be available to eligible applicants to support 2-3 projects that will develop and execute local, regional and national programs, workshops and services to enable fishermen to enter career paths and make a living supplying seafood from our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes. Applications must be submitted to Grants.gov by Apr 23, 2025.

Friday, Mar. 7; 1:00 PM – 5:30 PM CST; Health Sciences Learning Center (HSLC) at 750 Highland Avenue Madison, WI 53705

14th National Monitoring Conference from Mar 10-14, 2025, in Green Bay, WI. Hybrid options available.

In-Person Event w/Virtual Option, Burlington, WI

This full day event will continue to examine watershed management issues in both the Wisconsin and Illinois portions of the river basin and lakes within that basin.

Mar 26-28; Stevens Point and virtual (select concurrent sessions and keynotes); Theme: The Power of Words: Working for Our Waters; The event will feature keynote speakers, as well as interactive workshops, and content-rich concurrent sessions, with time for speakers to address participants' questions. Registration closes Mar. 16 for in-person attendees, and on Mar. 27 for virtual only.

Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells, on Apr 10 & 11, 2025

Registration is open. Early Bird Pricing ends on Mar. 29.

Apr 29, 2025; 2025 Photo Contest is now open and accepting photos for next year's competition. Photo submissions are due by Friday, Apr. 11.

May 5 from 2:00-5:00pm at Varsity Hall III, Union South. Register now!

June 1-5, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; This year’s symposium theme is Deltas and the Coast: A Biogeochemical Nexus with Global Consequences.

June 2–6, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Nov. 4–7, 2025; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Call for abstracts open until Apr. 11, 2025

March Mammal Madness is a simulated tournament that takes a group of animals and asks the question "Who Would Win?" It's a way to learn more about the natural world through creative storytelling and fun competition, all run by a team of professional researchers and educators. To participate, follow the link above to sign up and submit your predictions for which mammal would win by Mar. 10 at 7:00 pm CST.

The River Alliance of Wisconsin and The Barrymore Theatre present the 2025 Wild & Scenic Film Festival: Where Activism Gets Inspired. Come for an evening of inspiring films, fun raffles, and a community of people who love Wisconsin’s water. Advance tickets available online, by phone and at our ticket outlets. Day of show tickets will only be available by phone or at the box office. This event takes place on Mar. 20 at 7 pm.

Dr. Tyler Butts will discuss recent research findings about aquatic invasive species in Wisconsin’s lakes, with a special focus on the Yahara chain of lakes. He will review their spread, impacts, and what it all means for lake health and management in a changing world.

This event will be held at The East Side Club (3735 Monona Dr, Madison, WI 53714) on Mar 11. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. The program runs from 4 – 5 p.m. A Q/A session will follow the presentation as time allows.

This event takes place on Wednesday, Mar. 12 from 9 am - 3 pm and is in-person at the Discovery Building (The Forum). Lunch will be provided. Please register by friday, Feb, 28.

This workshop seeks to answer the question: How can community partners more meaningfully be engaged in federal grant proposals?This event is cosponsored by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education, the UniverCity Alliance, the Morgridge Center for Public Service, the Morgridge Institute for Research, the College of Letters & Science, and the School of Medicine and Public Health.

Mar 14th from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM; TITU, Memorial Union, UW-Madison

New and past Water@UW grantees will share insights into best practices and challenges in conducting participatory water-based research. Research teams will present summaries of their work, and a moderator will facilitate discussions among panelists and field questions from the audience. Whether you’re well-practiced in community-based research or looking to incorporate a new CBR component into your water-related work, we invite you to join the conversation. Snacks and refreshments included.

Excellence at the Tap: Report Cards for Wisconsin’s Drinking Water Utilities; Manny Teodoro, Professor of Public Affairs, April 23; 11:30-1:00 pm; Varsity Hall Union South, Lunch included with registration fee ($15). Register here by April 8: https://go.wisc.edu/p5jx4

Every Tuesday from 1-2 pm in AOSS room 823 or livestreamed

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Bring your coffee and learn about wetlands! Sessions are held on Zoom and feature time for audience Q&A.

From April or May to October, our 200+ volunteer stream monitors collect monthly data about the health of our streams across the Rock River Basin. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and various county Land and Water Conservation Departments use the data to better understand watershed protection and restoration needs. Want to help protect a stream near you? Consider attending one of our hands-on training workshops. Anyone interested in volunteering or just learning more is welcome. By the end of the workshop, you’ll know how to measure water quality and be ready to adopt your own stream monitoring site. No experience or equipment needed!

Stream Monitoring Workshop Dates:

Help out with office work, events, fieldwork, or a group volunteering event. 

We are happy to place volunteers on projects that support our lakes! Opportunities include skilled office and administration assistance, special events, and watershed projects like shoreline restoration or beach clean ups.

Subscribe here.