White River Management Planning Open House July 26

White River by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

July 10, 2012

SPOONER, Wis. – The public will have an opportunity to contribute ideas and discuss how three properties in Bayfield and Ashland counties should be managed for recreation and resources protection at an upcoming open house.

The Department of Natural Resources is developing a new master plan for the three public properties that cover approximately 14,376 acres, along the White River corridor. The properties are the

•         White River Wildlife Area: 1,000 acres in northwest Ashland County.

•         White River Fishery Areas: 4,142 acres in various parcels in northwest Ashland and central Bayfield counties (includes 40 acre Sajdak Springs State Natural Area).

•         Bibon Swamp State Natural Area: 9,234 acres in southeast Bayfield County.

The western border of these properties neighbors the Chequamegon National Forest, where the headwaters of the White River form.  The eastern property border of the wildlife area neighbors Bad River Tribal Lands, where the White River joins with the Bad River and empties into Lake Superior. 

“The White River and its watershed are important recreational and economic resources,” says Terry Margenau, the DNR property manager who is coordinating the planning effort. “In addition to being one of the outstanding inland trout producing streams in northwest Wisconsin, it is an important tributary to the internationally recognized Kakagon-Bad River Slough, a wetland estuary complex of Lake Superior.”

The properties contain remnant Boreal Forests, steep slopes, and wetlands.  They form an environmental corridor along the White River, and with its tributaries, reside almost entirely within the Superior Coastal Plain Ecological Landscape.

The open house will be held on Thursday, July 26, 2012 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Northern Great Lakes Visitor  Center (29270 County Highway G) located in Ashland, Wisconsin.

Background information about the properties, property maps, and a preliminary vision and goals document are available by searching for “White River property group master plan,”on the DNR website.  These materials are also available to the public during office hours at the Spooner DNR Service Center at 810 W. Maple Street, and the Ashland Service Center at 2501 Golf Course Road in Ashland. 

Public input is welcome throughout the master planning process, and two formal 30-day comment periods are provided – initially surrounding the kick off meeting on July 26, and later for the release of the draft master plan sometime during the coming winter.

Comments can be provided at the July 26 public meeting or submitted in writing or email by Thursday, August 9 to the master plan contacts:

Terry Margenau at Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources, 810 W. Maple Street, Spooner, WI 54801 or terry.margenau@wisconsin.gov

Beth Kienbaum at Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources, 101 S. Webster Street - LF/6 Madison WI 53703 or beth.kienbaum@wisconsin.gov

BRWA Celebrates Ten Years on June 23!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                            Contact: Valerie Damstra
June 6, 2012                                                                                    715-682-2669
                                                                                                       valerie@badriverwatershed.org

Bad River Watershed Association Celebrates Ten Years Connecting People, Land and Water

The Bad River Watershed Association (BRWA) celebrates its ten year anniversary at a special event to be held on Saturday, June 23^rd, 2012 at 6:00pm at Freehands Farm.

Over ten years ago a group of visionary individuals came together create the Bad River Watershed Association (BRWA), a community organization that involves citizens in taking care of and enjoying the land and water resources throughout the Bad River Watershed.  Now, past, present and future members, volunteers, and supporters are invited to celebrate at this special event.

Local food and refreshments, including a cake and ice cream social, will be served with treats from the Delta Diner, the O’Dovero Meat Market, South Shore Brewery, and more.  The celebration will also feature family games and activities, a campfire to roast hot dogs or make S’mores, the presentation of the Karen Danielsen Outstanding Stewardship Award, and live music by Andy Noyes and Stevie Matier.

Tickets are available at the event, and cost $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 3-12 (2 and under are free), or $25 per family.  Proceeds will help support BRWA’s volunteer water quality monitoring program.  Freehands Farm is located at 60445 Summit Rd, Ashland.  For questions or more information call Valerie at 715-682-2669 or visit www.badriverwatershed.org.

The Bad River Watershed Association is a nonprofit organization with the mission to promote the healthy relationship between the people and natural communities of the Bad River Watershed, by involving all citizens in assessing, maintaining, and improving watershed integrity for future generations. The Bad River Watershed drains over 1,000 square miles within the counties of Ashland, Iron, and Bayfield.  For more information about the Bad River Watershed or BRWA visit www.badriverwatershed.org.

Art Show: Penokee: Explore the Iron Hills

Penokee: Explore the Iron Hills website.

Birdathon--Support the "Invasion of the Boreal Chickadees" team!

From Ryan Brady representing the all-star team birding in Wisconsin's Lake Superior Basin

---------------------------------------------------------------

Hello friends and colleagues,

This year marks the first-ever Great Wisconsin Birdathon, which aims to raise money for important bird conservation issues in and beyond Wisconsin.  I'm excited to represent northern Wisconsin as one of six regional teams statewide.  Together with the incomparable Laura Erickson and iconic Ashland birder Dick Verch, our team -- dubbed the "Invasion of the Boreal Chickadees" -- will venture afield during the last week of May to see as many species as possible in a 24-hour period, all to protect and conserve our feathered friends.

To make the event a success, we need your support.  You can pledge a specific amount or on a per-species basis (we anticipate ~140-150 species) at the NRF website below or by responding to this email.  In June, we will send you our species totals, a recap of our exciting day, the amount you owe, and instructions for making your pledge payment.

Some of the priority projects your money will support in 2012 include:

• Bird City Wisconsin: www.birdcitywisconsin.org
• Neotropical wintering areas for "our" summer birds (e.g., Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica):  www.osaconservation.org
• Monitoring Kirtland’s Warblers: www.fws.gov/midwest/greenbay/
• Reintroducing Whooping Cranes to Wisconsin: www.bringbackthecranes.org
• WBCI Statewide Bird Surveys:  http://wiatri.net/projects/birdroutes/index.htm
• Wisconsin Stopover Initiative:  http://www.wisconsinbirds.org/migratory/

More details can be found at http://wisconservation.org/index.php?page=great-wisconsin-birdathon.  Please spread the word and support the Northern team!

Thanks,

Ryan 

Northwest Wisconsin Lakes Conference Comes to Spooner June 22

Dave Zentner shows off a prize catch.

Make your plans now to attend the 2012 Northwest Wisconsin Lakes Conference, which will be held this year on Friday, June 22 in Spooner at the Spooner High School.  This regional event has become one of the state’s premier lake conferences.  The all day program will again be a great opportunity for lake enthusiasts, local government officials and others interested in protecting our water resources to take in a number of educational presentations, visit many informative exhibits and network with fellow conference attendees.

Stan Tekiela sets up to 

photograph wildlife.

Two keynote speakers will be featured at the conference.  Dave Zentner, twice named National Conservationist of the Year, will lead off the  morning with presentation titled, “Citizen Conservation During Divisive  Political Times.”  Dave is a retired business owner, avid outdoorsman, who loves hunting and fishing, and past national president of the Izaak Walton League and a lead proponent in the establishment of Voyageurs National Park.  In the afternoon, award winning author, naturalist and wildlife photographer Stan Tekiela will give a talk on “Fascinating Loons.”  Stan has written and photographed over a hundred state-by-state field guides and other books on nature.  He also has a nationally syndicated NatureSmart Column that takes an in-depth look at animals, plants and nature in general, as well as lots of Gee-Whiz Nature Stuff.  You won’t want to miss Dave’s and Stan’s presentations.

Conference breakout sessions will cover a wide array of lake-related topics and issues, including: communicating your lake message, lake education projects, motivating lake volunteers, aquatic plants, coalition and collaboration building, connecting youth to water, lake science and state of our lakes, invasive aquatic plant management, lake legislative updates, utilizing student researchers, understanding developmental impacts on water quality, and wild rice.

The registration fee is $40, which includes: admission, program materials, a continental breakfast and lunch.  Students, both high school and college, can attend free of charge, but need to indicate the school/college they attend on the conference registration form. 

For more information or to register, contact Wisconsin Lakes at 1-800-542-5253 in Wisconsin or (608) 661-4313 or go online at www.wisconsinlakes.org.  For more detailed information on the conference program and speakers, contact John Haack at (715) 635-7406 or john.haack@ces.uwex.edu

Hummingbirds are almost here!

3/25/2012
Hummingbirds are arriving in the northern Wisconsin about a month earlier than normal.  I always see my first hummer on May 10 in Washburn, Wisconsin.  Track the migrating hummingbirds at hummingbirds.net website and consider getting your feeders out now!

Postcards from Our Estuary

Painting by Jan Wise

Arts on a Postcard Exhibit Competition 

Superior Council for the Arts, Superior, WI

July 15 - Sept. 4, 2012. Open to Everyone.
Imagine sending “wish you were here” postcards while on a fascinating vacation exploring the slow waters at the confluence of the St. Louis River and Lake Superior—16,697 acres in Lake Superior’s watershed: lakes, rivers, creeks, bays, wetlands and sloughs teeming with aquatic plant and animal life. THIS is special - wish you were here!

• Postcard categories: original art, photography, poetry, short story, musical score, etc.
  
• Specifications: rectangular entries on card stock: 4 1/4" x 6"
  
• SCFTA members & Under 18: Three entries free. Others: $10.00 per entry. International entries welcome.
  
• July 15 is Lake Superior Day. This is the date around which we will plan week-long events in the Gardens, the Gallery and the Boathouse.
  
• Twenty postcard entries will be chosen to be enlarged to small billboard size for outdoor exhibition in Broadway Community Gardens & the grounds around the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve (LSNERR) headquarters on Barker's Island.
  
• June 15 is the mailing deadline to be considered for the billboard enlargement. Details to be announced.
  
• Entry implies permission for SCFTA to reproduce selected entries for billboards and publicity.
  
• July 15 - Sept 4, 2012: Gallery exhibits of postcards at North End Arts Gallery on Broadway & The Boathouse at Barkers Island.
  
• Download our Call For Entry form here.
  
• For more information contact Superior Council for the Arts at: info@superiorcfta.org or call us at 715 392-6007.
  Estuary artwork courtesy of Jan Wise.
  

New website for Weed Coop

A wonderful new website for the Northwoods Weed Cooperative Management Area.  Great job Darienne!
http://www.northwoodscwma.org/

Wisconsin Lakes Convention April 10-12

KI Convention Center, Green Bay Wisconsin

Register On-line Now for Early Bird Pricing!
 

The Wisconsin Lakes Partnership will host their 34th annual Lakes Convention on April 10-12, 2012 at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay. The convention theme, “Partnering for Lakes,” will focus on how we can continue to work together to protect our state waters. Who are we? We are lakefront property owners, farmers, swimmers, scientists, builders, business owners, anglers, realtors, lake groups, government officials, boaters, foresters, teachers – we are the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership. 

Continuing with tradition, the convention will offer interactive workshops, full-group (plenary) sessions, a poster session, over 35 concurrent sessions, and several opportunities to create new partnerships and bolster seasoned ones. Two of the keynote speakers this year are John McKnight and Darby Nelson.

Invasives Plant Meeting March 8 in Hayward, WI

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

These are the dates and locations of our 2012 invasive plant update meetings.  The meetings will be limited to 50 people per location.  Cost will be $10 per person to cover food and materials. This meeting will be an informal round table discussion about the control measures for the following invasive plants. We will also be discussing Wisconsin’s Invasive Species Rule - NR 40, or Minnesota’s Noxious and Invasive Weed Program (depending on location or attendees) how does this rule impact you.  Rick Schulte, Dale Sutherland, Lee Shambeau will help coordinate the meeting with impute from everyone as to what has or has not worked for their control practices. Please forward this to any Federal, State, Local agency or groups that are working on invasives or should be. Registration will be at 8:30 and start at 8:45.  We should finish around 2:00

March 7^th Eagle River, WI - Lincoln Town Hall is located at 1205 Sundstein Road, Eagle River, WI 54521.

March 8^th Hayward, WI – Comfort Suites 15586 County Road B, Hayward, WI 54843

March 9^th Rochester, MN – Cascade Meadow Wetlands & Environmental Learning Center 2900-19^th ST NW Rochester MN 55901

Here is a list of the invasives that will be discussed, if you have others please forward them in advance so we can have some information put together.

1.    Buckthorn

2.    Garlic mustard

3.    Spotted knapweed

4.    Boxelder

5.    Wild parsnip

6.    Honeysuckle

7.    Reed canary grass

8.    Purple Loosestrife

9.    Black locust

10.Sweet Clover

11.Canada thistle & others

12.Sumac

13.Prickly ash

14.Autumn olive

15.Crown & Cow vetch

16.Japanese knotweed (Japanese Bamboo)

17.Leafy spurge

18.Multiflora Rose

19.Phragmites

20.Cattail

21.Tansy

22.Teasel

23.St. Johnswort

24.Orange Hawkweed

25.Amur Maple

26.Wild Chervil

27.Swallow-wort

28.Japanese Hops

29.Yellow Star Thistle

30.Grecian Foxglove

31.Oriental Bittersweet

32.Dalmatian Toadflax

33.Narrowleaf Bittercress

34.Japanese Barberry

35.Norway Maple

All reservations for the meetings should be set to Marion Shambeau

marion@4-control.com   

            or

888-454-1121

Thank you,

Lee Shambeau

4 Control Inc.

P O Box 517

Menomonie, WI 54751

888.454.1121 office

715.505.4444 cell

715.235.4495 fax 

Mobile apps for field work

Water Tracker

The University of Florida has collected recommended mobile apps from field ecologists across the country and listed them here.  They include field guides like ibird, but also data entry programs and apps that link you to real time river flow gauges.

How have you integrated mobile apps into your natural resources work?

But then again, what about this?

Cartoon by Michael Leunig, http://www.leunig.com.au

Northwoods Coop Weed Management Winter Newsletter

The Northwoods Cooperative Weed Management Area is very active in the northern tier of counties along Lake Superior in Wisconsin.  The Weed Coop host volunteer workdays, educates the public about invasive species and provides training for town road supervisors on controlling invasive plants--when and how.

Click here for the most recent and past newsletters.

Playing Tag with Sustainable Ag

"Playing Tag with Sustainable Ag"

Thursday, Feb 9, 6:30pm Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center (map) 29270 Cty G, Ashland, Wisconsin

Join us for an update for growers, distributors and consumers of local food (all of us!) Claire Hintz and Jason Fischbach on the state of sustainable agriculture in our region.

Claire Hintz is owned of Elsewhere Farm in Herbster. She will present what she found on her trip around lake Superior to Research other communities' food networks. Jason, University of Wisconsin Agriculture Agent will give an update on the most recent projects underway in our region and how people can support what's happening. A lively discussion will follow.

Sponsored by the Alliance for Sustainability and the University of Wisconsin Extension--Bayfield County

Wisconsin Phenology Calendar Now Available

The Wildlife Phenology Calendar (G3846) will be available for purchase next week. Phenology is the study of periodic plant and animal life-cycle events in nature that are influenced by climate and seasonal change, such as wildlife emerging from hibernation, birds nesting or migrating, and flowers blooming. This year's calendar focuses on plants and animals featured in Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac. You can order next week on the Learning Store. We're also featuring other publications related to phenology on the Learning Store's home page this week. 

Nov 16 Wisconsin Lake Superior Partner team Meeting in Iron River, WI

Lake Superior Partner Team

Wednesday, November 16 from 9:30am- 12noon

Iron River Community Center (map)

-DRAFT-

AGENDA (please contact me with corrections/updates/additions)

1)  Welcome and introductions

2)  Announcements- round robin

3) Update from mining workshop at Bad River Sep 12-14 (anyone available to do this?)

4) (tent.) Slow the Flow poster from John Jeraczek

5) Mining meeting in March 2012 by Lake Superior Binational Forum--Lissa Radke 

6) other

--Post meeting on Low Impact Development Workshop planning for January 12—Diane Nelson et al.

Great Lakes Project WET Educator Workshop October 29, 2011 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, Ashland WI Cost: $20.00 Contact: Amalia Baldwin (608) 264-8930 or amalia.baldwin@wi.gov Project WET is an interdisciplinary K-12 conservation and environmental education program focused on water. This workshop will offer exciting new Great Lakes-based teaching ideas for use in science, math, social studies, language arts, and environmental education classes.

Each participant in the workshop will receive the Project WET K-12 Curriculum and Activity Guide with over 90 hands-on, ready-to-use activities and a packet of Great Lakes-related resource materials for use in an indoor or outdoor classroom. Participants will also learn from a National Park Service ranger about aquatic invasive species living in Lake Superior and how they can teach about invasive species in the classroom.

Join us for a fun-filled professional development opportunity and walk away with a bucket full of educational materials and a mind swimming with ideas!

Wisconsin Point Planning Open House Aug 29, 6-8pm

You are cordially invited to attend a public open house concerning the development of a management plan for Wisconsin Point and surrounding area. This event will take place from 6-8 PM on Monday, August 29th at the Superior Public Library, 1530 Tower Ave in Superior. Your input will be essential to crafting a vision for Wisconsin Point and identifying a long-range management strategy for this unique resource.

Please feel free to share this with others within your organization!

Regards,
Jason

Jason K. Laumann
Senior Planner
Northwest Regional Planning Commission
1400 South River Street | Spooner, Wisconsin 54801
ph 715.635.2197 | fax 715.635.7262

Chequamegon-Nicolet Nat'l Forest Takes Lead on Climate Change For Future Planning

In July, the Lake Superior Partner Team heard from Dale Higgins, US Forest Service Hydrologist about the Forest Service's work on climate change. He is involved in assessing vulnerability of sites and prioritizing key areas in the Chequamegon National Forest in the Lake Superior watershed.

The Forest Service has selected two watersheds to study: the headwaters of the Marengo and the 20-Mile Creek. The goal is to document and improve watershed conditions. He is looking at twelve indicators eg aquatic/physical, geomorphic etc. Assessment is mainly done via GIS data. The next step will be to prioritize areas for restoration work for the next 3-5 years.

Why these watersheds?
20 Mile has a good mix of projects already approved or underway. Good partner potential. Located in the Great Lakes basin. Small enough to get a plan done by Sep 30. 11,734 acres. 43% in National Forest.

Marengo headwaters excellent mix of projects. Good opportunity for collaborations. Bigger, more complex. 33,144 acres. 63% in the National Forest.

Potential projects include: road stream crossings, instream restoration, relocation of FR378, restore chanellized section, decommission roads, riparian restoration, stabilizing streambanks.

Climate Change Response Framework in Northern Wisconsin--report now available!

The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest is at the forefront of research and action planning for adaption to climate change. The Climate Change Response Framework Project is a highly collaborative effort working to help land managers in northern Wisconsin understand the potential effects of climate change on forest ecosystems and integrate climate change considerations into management. Since 2009, this project has set out numerous tasks to bridge the gap between scientific research on climate change impacts and on-the-ground management activities. Land managers currently face the immense challenge of anticipating the effects of climate change on forest ecosystems and then developing and applying appropriate management strategies. Our project works to identify strategies and approaches for climate change adaptation and mitigation relevant to forest ecosystems in northern Wisconsin. A new report has been released to help land managers and others concerned about the health of our forests, plan for changes in our climate and its effects on our forests.

Summary of report

To order the a hard copy of the Climate Change Response Framework
in Northern Wisconsin report, click here.

Aug 11 Bird City Meeting in Ashland

On Thursday, August 11 at 6:30pm at Northland College's Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, Bird City Wisconsin coordinator Carl Schwartz will be scouting out potential supporters for Bird City recognition efforts in the Bayfield Peninsula. Schwartz will be making a public presentation aimed principally at Ashland, Bayfield and Washburn residents interested in seeking Bird City status for their communities.

Modeled on the “Tree City USA” program, Bird City Wisconsin developed 22 criteria across five categories, including habitat creation and protection, community forest management, limiting hazards, public education, and recognizing International Migratory Bird Day. If a community meets at least seven criteria, it becomes an official “Bird City.”

There are 182 "Tree Cities" in Wisconsin, with some recognized for more than 30 http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifyears, so the Bird City Steering Committee had anticipated that many communities would take advantage of their Tree City status to meet BCW's category 2 requirement: "Participation in Programs Promoting Effective Community Forest Management."

While Bird City also offers communities an opportunity to demonstrate some other important accomplishment in this area, Schwartz said Tree City communities not only understood the concept of a community recognition program but also appreciated the importance of habitat improvement in bird conservation.

Website: Wisconsin Bird City website

July 19 Partner Team Meeting in Iron River

Lake Superior Partner Team
Tuesday, July 19 from 9:30am- 12noon
Iron River Community Center (map)

AGENDA
1) Welcome and introductions
2) Announcements- round robin
3) Marengo River Watershed Action Plan update - Matt Hudson/Valerie Olinik
4) US Forest Service Watershed Condition Framework. The Forest Service recently selected two HUC6 sub-watersheds in the Lake Superior basin as priority watersheds and will be developing Watershed Restoration Action plans for these in the near future. – Dale Higgins
5) Basin Plan idea discussion – Ruth Oppedahl
6) Bad River Tribe's water quality standards - Naomi Tillison

Click here for past minutes and agendas.