UW SYSTEM BOARD OF REGEGENTS: PREV - Aquarium Release Prevention Signage (WI Sea Grant)

Wisconsin Sea Grant is sponsoring a project to increase awareness of the impacts and alternatives to intentional pet and water garden releases in the Madison and Milwaukee metro areas through informational signage and surveys of key user groups. Results will be used in broader educational efforts and will contribute to research in AIS prevention.

Activities: 1) Research project sites 2) Design signage 3) Print signs and prepare installation equipment 4) Gather landowner permissions and complete local permits 5) Install signage 6) Evaluate signage impressions and efficacy via survey 7) Share outcomes via summary report, Aquarium Release Prevention signage guide, and a peer-reviewed article

Deliverables: 1) List of project sites 2) electronic copies of signage design 3) photo documentation of installed signage 4) electronic copy of survey 5) Final summary report 7) Aquarium Pet and Water Garden Release Prevention Signage Guide 8) Peer-reviewed article

Conditions: 1) Reports and data collected will be entered into SWIMS database under the grant project number 2) 200 hours of Clean Boats, Clean Waters (CBCW) is not required for this project due to being a regional Organisms in Trade (OIT) pathways project 3) Signage and surveys shall use DNR messaging and will be reviewed and approved by the DNR Biologist prior to creation and deployment 4) Obtain landowner permissions and complete any required local permitting and due diligence prior to signage installations 5) DNR shall be given opportunity to review and comment on peer-reviewed publication prior to submittal; any peer-reviewed publications must acknowledge DNR as funding source

This scope summarizes details provided in the application and does not negate tasks and/or deliverables described therein. Data, reports, surveys, and supporting information, including photos, maps and GIS data, must be submitted to the DNR Biologist in electronic format and in any other format they specify.

People/Organizations Involved

• Scott McComb