By Sheila Leary
Friends of Cherokee Marsh
Every August volunteers all over Wisconsin spend a morning surveying their local waters for aquatic invasive species. This year’s Aquatic Invasive Species Snapshot Day is Saturday, Aug. 9, from 8:30 am–12:30 pm.
In Dane County, volunteers will meet at Warner Park, then fan out in small groups to predetermined monitoring sites to scoop up and bag samples from local streams, lakes, lagoons and wetlands. This is a free event, and no experience or special equipment is required. This activity is recommended for ages 8 and up. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
Basic training and equipment are provided for the volunteers, and professional biologists are on hand to evaluate the samples. Potential invasive species will be verified and cataloged with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to guide species control and conservation management plans.
Snapshot Day offers a hands-on, community-driven approach to science, allowing volunteers to directly contribute to preserving Wisconsin’s water health.
Friends of Cherokee Marsh and Wild Warner will be the local hosts, partnering with UW-Madison Extension, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and WAV (Water Action Volunteers).
In past years, volunteers have found zebra mussels, Chinese mystery snails that someone probably dumped from an aquarium, and a variety of invasive plants.
Early registration is encouraged to ensure enough supplies and materials for the day. Interested volunteers should register at wateractionvolunteers.org/events/aquatic-invasive-species-snapshot-day-2025 and select the Dane County location. After registration, additional instructions will be emailed to registrants.
