Crawford Stewardship Project and Valley Stewardship Network are excited to invite citizen partners in our study of Crawford County’s fascinating, complicated, and vulnerable geology: Karst Landscapes and Groundwater Susceptibility, A Survey of Crawford County.  Through this survey, we will provide a relevant tool for use by municipalities, farmers, and other local residents to make educated decisions about their land-use. 

The survey will encompass compilation of existing geological data and maps, incorporation of historical documents, and will be supplemented with a long-term interactive platform for continually adding and improving information.  This will be achieved with guidance from our Legion GIS (Geographic Information Systems) professionals, Professor Emeritus Kelvin Rodolfo, and many volunteer citizen-scientists! 

Crawford Stewardship Project is partnering up to hold three free events to give interested people the opportunity to directly contribute to the data that will be used in the final survey.  These will be engaging and educational for participants and will help us make a better tool for all to use. 

Interested citizen scientists (anyone who considers this valuable) should check out one or all of our citizen science events!

We have developed user-friendly platforms for anyone to help us create and refine the data for this important tool.  No experience required for this fun and important work.

On August 8th, from 6-8pm in the Legion GIS office (112 S Main St, Viroqua) we will be embarking on a historical investigation of well-drillers logs to search for indications of karst features below the surface. 

On August 9th, from 7-9pm in the Soldiers Grove Public Library we will be using aerial imagery to improve the precision of well locations.

On August 18th, from 7-9pm at the Gays Mills Public Library, we will use aerial imagery and elevation data to verify potential sinkholes identified with a computer algorithm.

In our ancient driftless landscape, weathered and crumbled by over a half billion years of exposure to the elements, understanding the ground beneath our feet is crucial for good decisions regarding our relationship with the planet.

Want to get involved?  Do you have a lap-top that you could use at the event?  For any further questions and clarifications, or just to let us know you are coming, please contact CSP Coordinator, Forest Jahnke (608) 632-2183 or forestjahnke@gmail.com.