Louisville, CO & Ketchum, ID - August 12, 2025  onWater Fish, the leading mobile fishing app, has announced the launch of a new integration with Project Big Wood’s EcoWatch community scientist program. This native mobile submission feature enables river users to effortlessly share real-time observations, such as water temperature, flow, pollution indicators, fish sightings, and hatch activity, directly from the Big Wood River to Project Big Wood’s EcoWatch database.

EcoWatch is a cornerstone of Project Big Wood’s mission to unite communities through data, education, advocacy, and earthworks, supporting their goal to protect the Big Wood River watershed. By crowdsourcing vital ecological data via water clarity, trout counts, and habitat observations, EcoWatch empowers users to help build a data-backed foundation for conservation efforts.

Key benefits of the integration:

• Convenient mobile reporting: Users can submit EcoWatch reports directly from the field using their phone camera and location with ease, increasing volume of observations and community science participation. They can even make submissions if they aren’t within cell service range.
• Real‑time insights: Observations help track water conditions, fish behavior, and hatch patterns over time.
• Community storytelling: App users share findings, photos, and notes, amplifying regional awareness and engagement.

onWater Fish Director of Community Partnerships & Marketing, Lindsay Kocka, said:

“Partnering with Project Big Wood aligns seamlessly with our mission of helping to empower river users to be active stewards while supporting organizations who’re dedicated to the cause. This integration will enable anglers, guides, and anyone who’s connected to the watershed to submit ecological data with ease while they’re recreating.”

Project Big Wood Executive Director, Amanda Bauman, added:

“This mobile integration is set to greatly expand participation in our EcoWatch program. We anticipate seeing an increase in data submissions from guide trips, weekend anglers, and families, creating a richer, more actionable picture of river health.”

The EcoWatch mobile tool, historically a desktop only web form, is now fully accessible via the onWater Fish app. To use it, any and all interested community scientists can simply head to projectbigwood.org/ecowatch to gain access to the free tool. All data flows seamlessly into the Project Big Wood EcoWatch portal hosted on their website.

About Project Big Wood
Project Big Wood is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2023 and based in Ketchum, Idaho. Dedicated to preserving and revitalizing the Big Wood River as a world-class trout fishery and natural resource, the organization is guided by four core pillars: data, education, advocacy, and earthworks. Project Big Wood engages the community through a wide range of conservation efforts, from hatch competitions to hands-on river restoration days, and empowers locals to take part in safeguarding the river’s long-term health.

About onWater Fish
onWater Fish is a mobile-first platform built for water recreation enthusiasts. Combining mapping, community data-sharing, and community science ecological reporting, it's designed to bring stewardship directly to users' hands while continuing to enable anglers to recreate responsibly and with greater knowledge of their fisheries. Learn more about how the C.A.T.C.H. Project(Community of Anglers Tracking for Conservation and Habitat) is creating a network of industry partners who’re working together as a conservation coalition inside of the app. https://www.onwaterapp.com/catch-project

Contacts
onWater Fish: Lindsay Kocka, Director of Community Partnerships lindsay@onwaterapp.com
Project Big Wood: Amanda Bauman, Executive Director amanda@projectbigwood.org

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