Bob Jozwowski received the Epsilon Sigma Phi (ESP) National Friend of Extension Award for his contributions and leadership monitoring Wisconsin’s streams and rivers via Water Action Volunteers (WAV). Jozwowski has logged over 800 volunteer hours since 2011, which includes 568 stream site visits. He has expanded the program’s reach by leading 36 stream monitoring teams in 10 Wisconsin counties. 

“Bob is an exceptional partner who leads one of our largest volunteer stream monitoring groups in Wisconsin,” Katy Bradford, WAV’s program manager, said. “It’s really amazing how much he gives to the program and to his group.” 

WAV is a collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other local groups and volunteers who are committed to protecting Wisconsin’s 86,000+ miles of streams and rivers. Volunteers like Jozwowski conduct site visits and upload water quality data to a state database, which is used to make important decisions about stream health. 

It’s not just data collection that makes Jozwowski such a valuable contributor — he has built relationships with stakeholders to ensure continued financial support for the program and recruited new volunteers to expand its reach at new sites across the state. Recently, Jozwowski recruited volunteers to collect phosphorous samples at sites designated “high priority” by DNR, which had been a notable data gap. 

Jozwowski will be recognized at ESP’s national conference in Virginia Beach, Virginia, October 28–31.