Find Wisconsin's Freshwater Sponges

This sponge monitoring program calls on citizen scientists to submit observations of sponges in local waterways to help biologists prioritize future survey efforts. Freshwater sponges are aquatic animals that grow in lakes, rivers, bogs, and streams attached to submerged rocks, sticks, logs, or aquatic vegetation.

These sedentary animals feed by filtering small particles from the water and are thought to be sensitive indicators of pollution. Limited research seems to indicate that the range of some sponge species is more restricted now than in previous years. This study tries to shed more light on how abundant and widely distributed Wisconsin’s sponges are today.