FRWMN Monitors Keep a
Watchful Eye on the Health of
Fox River Watershed Streams

FRWMN Stream Monitors and Friends of the Monitoring Network,

This is the first issue of FRWMN News -- The periodic e-mail newsletter for FRWMN Stream Monitors and Friends of the Monitoring Network. This e-newsletter format is an easy way for Gary and I to share information with you AND for you to share information with others in the Monitoring Network. If you come across an item that would be of interest to others, please e-mail it to either Gary or me. Send educational resources, upcoming program announcements, stream monitoring tips, highlights of your monitoring experience, etc. We all benefit when we share resources with one another. This e-mail newsletter format is an easy way for us to stay connected and exchange information.

In this Issue:

• FRWMN 2006 Heroes
• Brush Up on Your Stream Critter ID Skills Register Now
• Learn About GIS Environmental Applications Register Now
• Wanted: Monitoring Mentors
• Invest in Friends of the Fox River
• H2O University

FRWMN 2006 Heroes

The Monitoring Network kicked off 2006 with our annual monitoring banquet held at Rosie O'Hare's Public House in East Dundee in January. We missed all of you who could not attend. After a hearty Italian dinner, FRWMN awards were presented. Judy Boehmer was awarded the Network's highest honor, the Fox Environmental Hero Award. Judy monitors Fitchie Creek in Elgin, assists teachers while stream monitoring with students, and helps mentor new FRWMN stream monitors. The 2006 Reese's Cleanup Award was presented to Kane County Forest Preserve District for their long-term support of the Monitoring Network. Monica Meyers, Executive Director of the Kane County Forest Preserve District, accepted the award on behalf of the District. Special thanks go to Elgin Community College's 2005 4-The-Earth Club who raised the funds to pay for the 2006 banquet.

Brush up on Your Stream Critter ID Skills

Mary Kozub, FRWMN's outreach educator in McHenry County, has put together a fun and informational Macroinvertebrate ID program on Tuesday, March 7, 7:00-9:00 p.m. at Prairieview Education Center in Crystal Lake. The program will open with a mixer, including time to network with other monitors and view stream specimens from the Fox River Basin. Next, we'll spend time refreshing our identification skills with Restoration Ecologist John Aavang. By the end of the session, you'll be ready for the 2006 monitoring season. To register, call Mary at 815-479-5779. Visit www.friendsofthefoxriver.org/cal-030706.htm for more info. Register now.

An Opportunity to Learn about GIS Environmental Applications

Judson College in Elgin will be the site of the FOXMap Focus Conference for students, their teachers, FRWMN monitors, interested citizens, and local environmental management professionals. On Tuesday, March 7, 8:00 AM-2:30 PM, professionals will demonstrate how they use GPS & GIS technologies to obtain local watershed information. Students from seven schools will present their FOXMap Fall findings and offer conclusions based on their different watershed studies. If you want learn more about how GIS technology is used by professionals or you want to know how to get your students actively involved in GIS/environmental applications, this is an opportunity you won't want to miss. To register, call Gary Swick at 847-426-1322 or e-mail at swick@mc.net. Visit www.friendsofthefoxriver.org/studentconference.htm for more info. Register now.

Wanted: Monitoring Mentors

Do you remember the first time you monitored water quality? You may have wondered if you were doing everything correctly. It probably would have been a lot easier if you had a Monitoring Mentor. In 2005, a few of our Network veteran monitors volunteered to mentor new monitors during their first time in the stream. It was an overwhelming success! Monitoring Mentors also helped teachers and students on stream monitoring field trips. Can we add your name to the Monitoring Mentor list? Here's how it works. If a new monitor requests a mentor, we send an e-mail with specific details to the Monitoring Mentor volunteer list. Monitoring mentors let us know if they have time to assist a new monitor or a school group. If there's a mentor available, we relay the contact info between the two people and they contact one another to figure out what scheduling works best for them. Call or e-mail Sue Bennett @ 815-356-6605 or sbennett@friendsofthefoxriver.org to let us if know if we can put you on the Monitoring Mentor list.

Invest in Friends of the Fox River

Friends of the Fox River sponsors the Fox River Watershed Monitoring Network program. Over the past five years, the Monitoring Network and its Education Partners have trained over 400 stream monitors. We have also established over 100 stream monitoring sites in the Fox River Watershed. In 2005, over 4,000 students, teachers, and adults "got their feet wet" in streams and actively monitored water quality. Another 3,500 citizens were educated through the Network's outreach programs and events. Six FRWMN monitoring sites have been identified as "stream sites of concern" and are actively being investigated for water quality degradation issues. The Network is directly supported through Friends of the Fox River membership dues and donations. We need everyone's support. Your membership or donation to Friends of the Fox River directly funds Friends of the Fox River's outreach programs - the Monitoring Network, the Fox Rescue cleanups and the River Habitat Improvement projects. When you invest in Friends of the Fox River, you invest in the protection of the Fox River and its tributaries. Visit http://www.friendsofthefoxriver.org/getinvolved.htm#membership for membership information. Join today.

H20 University

See you in the stream,

Sue Bennett
Programs Manager
Friends of the Fox River
815-356-6605

Gary Swick
Monitoring Network Director
Friends of the Fox River
847-426-1322