IOWATER ANNOUNCES NEW DATES FOR VOLUNTEER WATER MONITORING TRAINING

DES MOINES - IOWATER, the citizen volunteer monitoring program, has
announced two new dates for its 2002 monitoring season.

Iowans concerned about the quality of their water may become a certified
Level 1 IOWATER volunteer at the following locations:

· May 4-5 in Knoxville (Marion County), and
· May 28-29 in Sac City (Sac County)

"We should all be interested in our natural resources," said IOWATER Field
Coordinator Jacklyn Gautsch. "IOWATER is a great way for all Iowans to get
involved in the monitoring of our water resources. We provide the training
and the equipment at a minimal charge. And the best part is, we conduct
workshops all across the state. Everyone should be able to make it to a
workshop somewhere."

IOWATER has trained more than 1,000 volunteer monitors across the state
since its inception in 1998. There are two levels of training, where the
program combines classroom sessions with in-stream sessions. Level 1
workshops are 10 hours in length over a two-day period. Monitors learn to
identify stream-dwelling bugs, test for the chemical parameters of pH,
nitrate/nitrite, dissolved oxygen and phosphorus, and measure the physical
characteristics of a stream such as stream width, depth and velocity.

Once volunteers have taken the Level 1 training, they are then eligible to
take Level 2 training. Level 2 training incorporates bacterial and chloride
monitoring, and is completed in a one-day, eight-hour workshop. Level 2
modules are either four or five hours in length and cover in-depth
stream-dwelling bug identification and tracking, soil monitoring, water
ecology, standing waters, and activities for secondary educators and their
students.

Level 1 and Level 2 workshops cost $25 to attend. Level 2 modules are $10.
Volunteers receive all the equipment they need to begin a monitoring routine
as well as the hands-on training on how to monitor.

To sign up for the Knoxville workshop, contact Karie Wiltshire at
641/842-5314 or [log in to unmask] To sign up for the Sac
City workshop, contact Lane Collins at 712/662-7773 or
[log in to unmask]

For more information about IOWATER, including a complete listing of workshop
dates for Level 1, Level 2 and Level 2 modules, visit the IOWATER Web site
at www.iowater.net, or contact Gautsch at 515/281-4476 or
[log in to unmask]

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