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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ CLMN Training Resources

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​CLMN Training Coordinators

These coordinators are your primary contact for equipment, reports and additional training opportunities.
 
CLMN & AIS Statewid​e Contacts​
These contacts cover statewide issues in their area of expertise.
 
Wisconsin DNR Lake Coordinators​
These coordinators work on lake planning and protection grants, as well as AIS grants.

These staff are great local contacts for AIS issues.

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​CLMN How-To Videos

 How to Create a MyWisconsin ID Account and Link it to the SWIMS Database​

This video demonstrates how to create a new account (called a MyWisconsin ID) to access and report data to the SWIMS database.

This video gives you a sense of what water clarity monitoring entails. Have you already been trained in monitoring water clarity, but haven't used your Secchi disc in awhile and want to refresh your memory? Check out this video!​
 
 Water Chemistry How-To Video

This video gives you a sense of what water chemistry monitoring is all about. Already a CLMN chemistry monitoring volunteer? You can use this video as a little refresher after the winter months to make sure you collect and report accurate data.

 CLMN Quality Assurance Procedures​

This video demonstrates how to collect, prepare, and ship duplicate and blank samples for the Wisconsin Citizen Lake Monitoring Network's Quality Assurance project.

This video demonstrates how to enter CLMN water quality data into the SWIMS database.

 How to Pack CLMN Water Chemistry Samples​

This video demonstrates how to pack total phosphorus and chlorophyll samples for shipment to the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene for analysis.

 Water Explorer (WEx) Tool Demonstration​

This video demonstrates how to access and use the Water Explorer tool to view water quality data and trends. It also shows you how to download graphs and a full summary report that you can share with others.​

This video walks through the aquatic invasive species monitoring procedures for volunteers of the Wisconsin Citizen Lake Monitoring Network.

This video is a review of the Wisconsin Citizen Lake Monitoring Network protocols for monitoring zebra mussels in Wisconsin lakes.

 How to Enter AIS Monitoring Data into the SWIMS Database

This video demonstrates how to enter aquatic invasive species monitoring data into the SWIMS database.

Learn to identify starry stonewort (Nitellopsis obtusa) and distinguish it from several look-alike species.

 Ice Cover Monitoring How-To Video

This video gives an overview of ice cover monitoring on Wisconsin lakes and how to enter the data into the SWIMS database.

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​​CLMN Training Manuals


Aquatic Invasive Species Monitoring​

Wisconsin Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detectors Handbook (PDF version for viewing on web) (PDF version for print)​

Order a spiral bound copy of this publication HERE.

This handy guidebook contains an identification guide to common and uncommon aquatic invasive plants and animals of Wisconsin. It now includes three additional species and also includes the aquatic invasive species monitoring methods for both lake and stream monitoring.

The former CLMN-AIS monitoring manual is a great reference for more detailed information on AIS. You can find that manual HERE.


Water Clarity - Secchi Monitoring
Wisconsin Citizen Lake Monitoring Training Manual (Secchi Disc Procedures) full version​, 5.8 MB PDF (revised 2025) 

 
Chemistry Procedures
Wisconsin Citizen Lake Monitoring Training Manual (Chemistry Procedures) - full version, 7.7 MB 
(revised 2025)

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AIS Fact Sheets


Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea)

 
Banded mystery snail (Viviparus georgianus)

 
Big-eared Radix (Radix auricularia)

 
Brittle naiad (Najas minor)


Carolina Fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana)

 
Chinese mystery snail (Cipangopaludina chinensis)

 
Curly-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus)

 
Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)

 
Faucet snail (Bithynia tentaculata)

 
Flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus)

 
Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata)

 
Japanese Hops (Humulus japonicus)​

 
Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica)

 
New Zealand mudsnail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum)

 
Phragmites a.k.a. common reed (Phragmites australis)

 
Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

 
Rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus)

 
Starry stonewort (Nitellopsis obtusa)

 
Water chestnut (Trapa natans)

 
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)​

 
Yellow floating heart (Nymphoides peltata)

 
Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus)

 

 

 

Books/Guides

 

This delightful, large-format field guide to aquatic plants in North America is accessible and inviting to general readers, yet detailed enough for use by botanists and natural resource managers.


 

Aquatic Plants of the Upper Midwest (Fourth edition released in 2019)

 

Over 570 high-resolution, color photographs fill this easy-to-use field guide. Beginners to the world of aquatic plants will enjoy the easy descriptions and abundant photographs, while more advanced biologists will appreciate the comprehensive treatments, dichotomous keys, and other resources. It covers 164 species in total, including both native and non-native species, over 20 species of macro-algae (Chara, Nitella, etc.), and an appendix of non-native species in nearby states that are threatening to invade our region in the future.

The 4th Edition contains two updated keys, new photographs, and updated scientific names. It features a new, slim design for easy packing. Spiral-bound with laminated covers for utility in the field.
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This guidebook will provide useful information to lake organizations, conservation groups, municipal governments, and others for the management of aquatic invasive species. The guide provides biological information about some of the aquatic invasives found in Wisconsin, current control and treatment options available, and tips about funding the various treatment methods. Ideas are offered about warding off potential introductions of aquatic invasive species (proactive management) and about how to cope with an existing infestation (reactive management). This source is not intended to provide a comprehensive literature/research review or reference listing, but instead is meant for use as a convenient starting point in the search for answers to tough questions about AIS management.

 

 
Many of these publications are available in PDF and can be printed directly from your computer. Others can be ordered and sent to you directly.

 
 
Understanding Lake Data​ (A guide to interpreting lake data)

 
This guide was written to help people understand information about lake water quality and to interpret lake data. Each lake possesses a unique “personality,” or set of physical and chemical characteristics which may change over time. Lakes exhibit chemical changes on a daily basis while other changes, such as plant and algae growth, occur seasonally. A glossary of technical terms is included to help the reader understand the language used in the study of lakes (limnology). 

 
 

Use this short guide to interpret the data that is included in your lake's annual reports.​



CLMN brochure

Are you a citizen lake monitor and want to share what you do with others? Hand them a CLMN brochure! Maybe you know someone who is interested in the program, but doesn't go online much (or at all). This is a quick reference to the types of monitoring done by CLMN volunteers. 

​Laminates​​

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CLMN Newsletter - The Monitor


This newsletter of the Citizen Lake Monitoring Network is intended for volunteer citizen scientists already involved in CLMN as well as friends and neighbors who might be interested in the program. You are encouraged to reprint or reproduce these articles for further distribution with acknowledgements to the author, The Monitor (including volume and number of edition), and the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership.

In 2022, The Monitor was replaced by more frequent, single-topic email communications rather than a 2-page newsletter.
 
Archive:

For older issues of The Monitor, please contact us for a copy.

​Webinar Series and Recordings

The Wisconsin Citizen Lake Monitoring Network and the Water Action Volunteers stream monitoring program are excited to announce our 2025-26 Winter Water Talks online webinar series! All of these webinars are free, open to the public, and held via Zoom. 

November 10th, 2025
Manoomin - Being in relationship with "the food that grows on water"
Kathleen Smith and Esiban Parent, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission

December 18th, 2025
Ice Fishing - History, Technology, and Outreach
John Heusinkveld, Northwoods Land Trust; Stephanie Boismenue, Oneida County Land & Water Conservation Department

January 14th, 2026
TBD
Margaret Zimmer, UW-Madison

February 11th, 2026
Eagles
Sean Strom, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

March 11th, 2026
Land Trusts and Conserving Lands
John Heusinkveld, Northwoods Land Trust

Recordings of past Winter Water Talks are available here:



For more information, contact
 
Paul Skawinski, Citizen Lake Monitoring Network Educator
 
(715) 346-4853 Paul.Skawinski@uwsp.edu

 
Or go to

 
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Lakes pages​ (exit Extension Lakes)​​​​​​​​

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University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
University of Wisconsin - Extension Lakes
800 Reserve St. Stevens Point, WI 54481-3897 
Phone: 715-346-2116 • Fax: 715-346-4038
Direct comments to uwexlakes@uwsp.edu​


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