Ozaukee County, project partners and volunteers conduct fisheries and wildlife assessments in support of multiple ongoing restoration and monitoring projects. Report the number of each fish or wildlife species seen on the Mequon-Thiensville Fishway using the reporting form.
Citizen-based monitoring of the video feed is an integral component of ongoing fish and wildlife monitoring efforts in Ozaukee County. Volunteer monitoring helps assess diversity of the local fish community, timing and duration of fish spawning runs, and presence of invasive species. This unique monitoring opportunity is also available to individuals who may not be able to volunteer in the field.
The reporting form, improvement of the video stream and advertising of the monitoring opportunity is supported by funding from the Wisconsin Citizen-Based Monitoring Partnership Program. The Wisconsin Citizen-Based Monitoring Partnership Program supports citizen and volunteer participation in natural resources monitoring throughout the state. View more information about the program.
Funding & Installation The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) funded and installed an underwater camera and 2 passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag readers in the fishway exit in June of 2009. The camera provides the live video feed from the Milwaukee River, while the tag readers allow project partners to monitor the passage of tagged fish.
Maintenance Staff from the Village of Thiensville and Ozaukee County maintain the camera and tag readers on a day-to-day basis, including troubleshooting the video feed, checking for new tags, clearing debris from the enclosure, and cleaning the glass.
