Table of ContentsStep 1 | An Introduction to Developing a Volunteer Water Monitoring Program
Step 2 | Setting Goals and Objectives
Step 3 | Understanding Elements of Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) Protocols
Step 4 | Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Volunteers
Step 5 | Collecting Reliable Data
Step 6 | Data Collection, Analysis and Data Management
Step 7 | Evaluating the Success of Your Program
Additional Resources
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Step 2 | Setting Goals and ObjectivesAfter completing this section, you should be able to:
In this step, you will find recommendations for how to form a steering committee, develop a scientific question for your program to answer and learn how to develop long and short-term goals and objectives. You will also watch a short video that discusses various partners and their roles in the MiCorps program. Starting up a monitoring program takes good planning. Your first steps should be to identify goals and objectives for your program. Set up a brainstorming session and consider your reasons for wanting to start a monitoring program, what you would want to accomplish with the program and how the data would be used.
Before you determine what and how you want to monitor, you must decide why you want to monitor and what the monitoring will accomplish. Having a rough idea of the answers to those questions will be beneficial in recruiting partners for your program. It will enable you to choose steering committee members with expertise in the areas you are considering monitoring. There are many different types and sizes of volunteer monitoring programs throughout the United States. Some volunteer programs are environmental watch programs that collect baseline data and track changes in water quality if or when it arises. Other programs such as MiCorps are a network of volunteer monitoring programs which assist the state environmental agency in collecting and sharing water quality data for use in water resources management and protection programs. There are also monitoring programs which that simply collect baseline data and characterize ecosystem. While they may not contribute to a state agency they may resolve issues and educate the public within their organization. Some volunteer programs focus solely on education and outreach while others take it a step further and use volunteer collected data for research and decision making purposes. Science Based Volunteer Monitoring Programs: Science based programs produce data which can be used for research or can complement state agency data. Development of a science-based program must be a collaboration among trained scientists and volunteers. The volunteers along with scientists will investigate and document specific water quality issues while agency staff at state or federal levels will insure stringent protocols are in place to ensure validity of data. Development of a Quality Assurance/Quality Control plan is necessary to evaluate monitoring procedures and protocols and evaluate the validity of data collected. A Quality Assurance Project Plan may also be required by the Environmental Protection Agency or other agencies if the data will supplement agency data. Education Based Volunteer Monitoring Programs: Education focused programs expose citizens to water quality issues and proper monitoring methods, but the data collected is not used for regulatory or management purposes. Generally education based programs are found within schools or youth programs. A high school classroom working with an trained ecologist to collect macroinvertebrates from multiple streams in the watershed is one example of an educational program. Students are exposed to collection techniques and study design, however the data collected does not contribute to a watershed management plan or other official documentation. A 2002 inquiry of Extension-based volunteer monitoring programs found a variety of reasons for starting a program. The following is a list of the some of the most common responses:
Self-Assignment: Reflect on why you are interested in creating a volunteer monitoring program. Will your program create a long-term data set or enhance education in your community? The answer to this question is very important because it will help your volunteers see what they are dedicating their time and effort towards. As you begin the process of forming your steering committee and developing short and long-term goals for your project, keep in mind why you want to monitor.
In this next video, Dr. Latimore describes the partners involved in MiCorps. As you watch the video, think about the implications of her suggestions for plans you have for your own program. Take note of the various partners which are involved and how you could partner with similar organizations.
Forming a Steering Committee
Once you have an idea of the type of volunteer monitoring program you want to have and its purpose, it is time to form a Steering Committee to narrow the scope of the program and assist with the program development and implementation. The steering committee will serve as a guiding force in the development of the volunteer monitoring program. No step is more crucial in the planning process than establishing the goals of the volunteer program. These goals should direct every step that follows. The goals are best developed by the people who will ultimately be using the data. After establishment of a program, volunteers can be more involved in developing new goals or parameters to monitor, but it is best to have early input from groups who will be using the data. The steering committee’s responsibility is to create a clear mission for the volunteer program and subsequent goals and objectives. The majority of programs also rely on a steering committee or technical committee to address quality assurance and control issues, creating volunteer training manuals, finding long-term funding, and volunteer outreach. The steering committee should include a wide range of participants including but not limited to ecologists, state agency personnel, local and regional officials, and citizens who may potentially volunteer or who represent groups of volunteers who may eventually be recruited into the program. Including data users in the development of your program can improve the likelihood that they will accept and use your data. Potential end data users include environmental protection agencies, fisheries biologists, health departments, education institutions, local government planning and zoning agencies, university researchers, conservation districts, and federal agencies such as US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Environmental Protection Agency, US Forest Service, or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. End users should be consulted in the development of procedures and protocols for sampling parameters and methodologies. This will increase the likelihood of your data being used because they can ensure that the data reporting methods and database are compatible with their current system. Read the introduction and one case study from Creative Partnerships in Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring: A What Works Snapshot developed by The River Network and learn how various programs overcame conflict and invested in local partnerships to develop and grow their monitoring programs.
Self-Assignment: After reading a case study, what representatives would serve on your steering committee? Do you have the technical expertise for proper data collection or will you need to partner with an organization that can offer that service? Referring back to why you want to start your monitoring program, list 5 people or organizations that would be able to assist you in creating a monitoring program. Defining the Scientific Question
Once the steering committee is established, it is time to define the scientific question which your project will attempt to answer. Your monitoring question does not have to be a new question. It could build on other research in the area or establish baseline data on a water body. To develop your question ask yourself, why is monitoring taking place? This should assist in developing your scientific question. Example monitoring questions might include:
Develop Goals and Objectives
Once the steering committee has addressed why the monitoring will take place and what water quality issues it will address, the next step is developing the goals and objectives of the program. Each phase of the development process will be guided by the goals and objectives, therefore it is important that they are measurable and articulated in a detailed manner. When developing the goals of the program consider the skills and knowledge of your steering committee. Also consider the financial resources you currently have available. Is there enough to sustain the program long-term or would it be best to reduce the number of water quality parameters to reduce cost? It is also important to note the level of commitment required to run a program. It is very important to keep in mind what you want to monitor (lakes, streams, remediation sites, etc.), how the data will be used (increase citizen knowledge, contribute to state wide baseline data, etc.) and how long the monitoring will take place (finite amount of time or indefinitely). Project goals address what you want the monitoring to accomplish. An example could be to “increase citizen awareness of collection methods of water quality data.” Objectives are more specific and measurable and address how you will get to the goal. An example could be “Collect water quality data including Secchi disk transparency, total phosphorus, chlorophyll a, and dissolved oxygen for the next two years.” The members of your steering committee will be able to refine the goals of the project and determine the best methods to address water quality concerns. They will also have the expertise to decide the water quality parameters and protocols to follow. Once a steering committee has been established and goals and objectives for a program have been finalized, it is time to address how you are going to accomplish the monitoring tasks. Self-Assignment: Consider your reasons for starting a volunteer monitoring program. Develop one
short-term and one long-term goal for your program and at least one specific, measurable objective that would help you address each of those goals. Designing Your Monitoring Strategy: Basic Questions and Resources to Help Guide You
This factsheet, developed by the National Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program, includes additional material on how to develop a volunteer monitoring program. Assessing the Needs of Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs: Survey Results & Implications. 2012. Extension Volunteer Monitoring Network. |
- Home
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Steps
- Step 1 | An Introduction to Developing a Volunteer Monitoring Program
- Step 2 | Setting Goals and Objectives
- Step 3 | Understanding Elements of Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) Protocols
- Step 4 | Recruiting, Training and Retaining Volunteers
- Step 5 | Collecting Reliable Data
- Step 6 | Data Collection, Analysis and Data Management
- Step 7 | Evaluating the Success of Your Program
- Acknowledgements