The Water Condition Viewer (WCV) is an interactive mapping tool that focuses on water condition, monitoring, assessment and management data. Data includes Clean Water Act, Monitoring Projects, Healthy Watersheds Assessments, Targeted Watershed Assessments, Wastewater Evaluation, Watershed Planning, County Land and Water Plans, Nine Key Element Plans and more. All datasets from specialized themes are available from this main, general set of layers.

This map viewer was created for use by the general public to view water quantity data collected by Wisconsin DNR (WDNR), the US Geological Survey (UGSG) and the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS).

This viewer also provides a means for the public to view pending high capacity well applications and recently approved wells. As required by Wisconsin law, these locations are generalized to display at the public land survey section level. Therefore, any well or surface water intake is symbolized by the section in which is located. Clicking identify on sections may return multiple records, one for each data point. This viewer contains a number of layer groups:

Well Applications and Approvals – This layer displays the locations of pending and approved high capacity well applications. It includes:
High capacity wells that have been applied for by the owner but have not yet been approved by the Department
High capacity wells approved in the last 30 days
High capacity wells approved by WDNR but that have not yet been constructed

High Capacity Withdrawal Locations – This layer show the location of high capacity wells constructed and available for use as well as currently registered high capacity surface water withdrawals. It includes:

Existing high capacity wells
Existing surface water withdrawals

USGS Water Quantity Monitoring – This layer shows the locations of groundwater level monitoring points, streamflow gages, and lake level gages monitored and recorded by USGS. It includes currently active monitoring locations as well as historical monitoring locations. Symbol sizes are scaled according to the number of measurements taken at each location.

WDNR Water Quantity Monitoring Groundwater Protection Features – This layer shows the locations of streamflow and lake level measurements maintained by WDNR. It includes a variety of measurement types taken by WDNR staff, partner organizations, county staff and volunteers.

WGNHS Spring Monitoring – This layer shows the location of springs surveyed by WGNHS staff between 2015 and 2017. Note that spring flow varies seasonally and annually. In addition, many spring locations are located on private land and not accessible by the public without landowner permission.

Groundwater Protection Features – This layer displays the locations of groundwater protection features as defined by Wisconsin Rule NR820. It includes trout streams, outstanding and exceptional water resources, and springs with a flow rate surveyed by WGNHS of 1 cubic foot per second (CFS) or greater. Note that all 1 CFS may not have been surveyed.

Guidance for how to use WDNR Geocortex viewers can be found here. For more information, please contact the water use section at 608-266-2299 or at DNRWATERUSEREGISTRATION@wisconsin.gov

The Wisconsin Environmental Mesonet (WiscoNet) is a growing network of weather and soil monitoring stations across Wisconsin, designed to provide high quality data at high spatial and temporal resolutions. There are currently 14 Wisconet stations with plans to expand to around 90 by 2026. Each Wisconet station provides more than one dozen measurements every 5 minutes.

The stations measure temperature, dew point, wind, rain, soil moisture and temperature, and more.

You can view data through an interactive map or a list of stations.

The Wisconsin Wetland Inventory (WWI) regulatory maps show graphic representations of the type, size and location of wetlands in Wisconsin. These maps have been prepared from the analysis of high altitude imagery in conjunction with soil surveys, topographic maps, previous wetland inventories and field work. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages the WWI.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) began producing non-regulatory, polygonal, geospatial wetland maps for the United States via their National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) in the mid-1970s. While DNR does provide WWI data to USFWS, there can be a significant lag before those updates appear in the NWI.

STATEWIDE: Digital wetlands data are available from the Wisconsin DNR for the state. Alternatively, wetlands are available for free viewing as a layer in the DNR Surface Water Data Viewer.

Wisconsin Wetland Inventory Geodatabase – free download
App: Wisconsin DNR Surface Water Data Viewer

NATIONAL: The NWI is slightly more detailed than WWI since NWI also maps deep water systems including lakes, streams and rivers. The Wisconsin DNR provides their WWI data to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service for integration into the NWI, but users should be cautioned that Wisconsin updates to NWI can reportedly take months, and in some cases years. Users requiring Wisconsin wetlands data are strongly encouraged to start with the Wisconsin Wetland Inventory.

National Wetlands Inventory Data

The Champion Tree Program recognizes and celebrates the state’s largest trees. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources began documenting these trees in 1941 with the help of the community. People around the state discovered these trees in the Northwoods, in neighbors’ yards and along city streets. The program has endured as a result of people such as yourself. We invite you to join us in honoring and preserving Wisconsin’s natural resources heritage.

Do you know your Wisconsin fish? Wisconsin is home to more than 160 different fish species. The fish species below are most commonly caught by Wisconsin anglers.

Also links to these resources:
Wisconsin's state record fish
Hooked on Wisconsin Anglers' Club
Game fish of Wisconsin poster
Fish Wildcards - A set of 45 fish, plus games, knots, basic fish anatomy, a common fish parasite, and a handy trick to estimate your fish’s weight with a ruler! Two versions:
Match Your Catch, Low-Res Version [PDF] or
Match Your Catch, Hi-Res Version [PDF]
Fish of Wisconsin [exit DNR]
Fish identification database [exit DNR]
Burbot, bowfin and snakehead identification
Wisconsin fish species list [PDF] - a printable document with Wisconsin's fish species.

This is a map showing the location and severity of each of the Earthquakes which have occurred in Wisconsin in recorded history. This site is also where one can find recent or historic earthquakes, lists, information on selected significant earthquakes, earthquake resources by state, or find webservices.

Fishing in Wisconsin's waters is enjoyed by many, but only a few anglers apply their skills to the extent that they catch a verified record fish. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recognizes anglers who have legally taken the largest fish on record by hook and line and those fish that have been taken by alternate methods (for example, spearing or bow fishing).

Live release record fish category
Hook and line records
Alternate method records (spear, bow and arrow, crossbow)
The DNR does not keep line-class or lake-specific records. However, you may contact the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame [exit DNR] for national line class records.

DO YOU THINK YOU'VE CAUGHT A RECORD FISH?
If you think you or someone you know has caught a fish that might be a state record, there are several things you should do:

don't clean or freeze the fish
keep the fish cool - preferably on ice
get the fish weighed as soon as possible on a certified scale (found in grocery, hardware stores, etc.) and witnessed by an observer
contact the nearest DNR office to get the fish species positively identified and to find out whether the fish is a state record
obtain and complete a record fish application [PDF]
An official record fish application must accompany all prospective record fish entries.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources dataset of current Wolf population and distribution of wolf packs found throughout Wisconsin.

Following a federal court ruling on Feb. 10, 2022, gray wolves are listed as an endangered species in the lower 48 states (excluding the northern Rocky Mountains region). As such, wolves are federally protected. Harvest and lethal depredation control are prohibited.

Wisconsin's wolf population remains healthy and secure in the state. The department will continue its robust wolf population monitoring program and the development of an updated wolf management plan.

The DNR will continue to partner with USDA-Wildlife Services to address wolf conflicts in Wisconsin. If you suspect wolves in the depredation of livestock, pets or hunting dogs, or if wolves are exhibiting threatening or dangerous behavior, contact USDA-Wildlife Services staff immediately. If in northern Wisconsin, call 1-800-228-1368 or 715-369-5221; in southern Wisconsin, call 1-800-433-0663 or 920-324-4514. While gray wolves are listed as a federally endangered species, it remains unlawful to shoot a wolf unless there is an immediate threat to human safety.

Biofuels are made from plants that are growing today, and are being considered as an alternative to fossil fuels. To become biofuels, plants need to go through a series of chemical and physical processes that transform the sugars into ethanol. Scientists are interested in seeing how yeast’s ability to transform sugar into fuel is affected by environmental conditions in fields, such as droughts.

This resource has been evaluated using the HQUIM rubric linked here. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1y6pUBeJXq-dZLdIjWx_5rNjaj4JCttLpDm5fOt9mNsA/edit?usp=sharing

Lake Superior plays a vital role in the lives of people who live and work on its shores, and therefore all sorts of data are recorded to help understand and take care of it. Forrest, a high school student, used data from archives to figure out if the ice season was getting shorter each winter in his home town. The length of the ice season is important because it frees the island residents from working around a ferry schedule, allowing them to drive on the ice to get to the mainland.

This resource has been evaluated using the HQIM Rubric found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ppn2frk888P0KwW6IJ8wDJNTa32Pa2T0nzrR6K8Tzos/edit?usp=drive_link