Lake Superior Partners Meet April 16 in Iron River

The Lake Superior Basin Team is meeting on Thursday, April 16 at 7:00pm at the Community Hall in Iron River. Please join us to hear presentations on two new initiatives in the watershed.

First we'll hear from Carmen Wagner and Kristen Tomaszewski from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources about a forest watershed project that looks at how forest canopy cover affects water runoff into our streams. Scientists have seen that leaving at least 60% forest cover in our woodlands can reduce the velocity and volume of water entering our streams, reducing the erosion of clay and soil that harms fish and our drinking water supply.

Also at the meeting will be updates from Matt Hudson and Michele Wheeler of the Bad River Watershed Association on their Watershed Action Plan.

For more information, contact me via email at ruth.oppedahl@uwex.edu or call 715-685-2676.

Hooded Mergansers at the Center

A pair of Hooded Mergansers are hanging out at the pond behind the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center. They are pretty shy and nest in hollow trees. They pair up in winter and may be headed further north. Our pond was tested for dissolved oxygen this winter, and did not have enough to support most fish. So I wonder what the mergansers are eating?

Photo courtesy of USFWS.

Wisconsin: Making it Home

A partnership of community groups and agencies are interested in bringing the Wisconsin Humanities Council’s Wisconsin: Making it Home film festival to the Chequamegon Bay area in 2010. The purpose of the festival is to promote dialog in communities about humans and nature. The Making it Home touring festivals include films from the 2009 Tales from Planet Earth Environmental Film Festival. The films tell stories from around the world that reveal connections between people and place, that explore questions of justice and responsibility, and that challenge assumptions about how we live on the planet.

We hope that we are successful in bringing this film festival to our area. If you are interested in volunteering, or would like to help plan the festival, please contact me.

For more information see our website.

Working Lands Workshop March 10

About four years ago I traveled to Madison with Bill Ferraro and Rick Dale, two fruit growers from Bayfield, to make a presentation about our farmland preservation program. Rick and Bill met with Rod Nilsestuen, the Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture to explain the benefits of purchasing development rights (PDR)on Bayfield orchards to preserve farmland.

We also presented a slide show about our program (the second in Wisconsin after the Town of Dunn) and information about twenty-four other states that have a state fund to support local PDR purchases. We had a full house in front of the Working Lands Initiative Committee and a great discussion about what works.

Secy Nilsestuen and his committee have done an excellent job incorporating this concept into the new Working Lands Program. To learn more about it, come to our workshop on Tuesday, March 10 at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center (Ashland, WI). We look forward to hearing more about the status of the program, and other efforts to protect farmland and working forests.

Brunsweiler Wild River Proposal

In January 2009, Senator Bob Jauch announced his goal of adding the Brunsweiler River in Ashland County to the Wild Rivers list, and naming it “The Martin Hanson Wild River” in honor of Wisconsin’s long-time conservationist.

The State Wild River legislation was passed over 40 years ago, the intent of the program is to “preserve some rivers in a free flowing condition and to protect them from development.” The program was developed to afford the people of Wisconsin an opportunity to enjoy natural streams, to attract out-of-state visitors and assure the well-being of the tourist industry. Currently, there are three Wild Rivers in Wisconsin: the Pike, Pine and Popple Rivers. The last time a river received the designation was in 1965.

The Brunsweiler River is an excellent candidate, as it provides a remote location for river recreation, with little development on its banks in the segment proposed for designation. The Brunsweiler segment includes more than a 10-mile stretch of river within the Chequamegon National Forest. The Brunsweiler was added to the state’s list of Outstanding Resource Waters in November, 2006. Because the proposed wild river segment of the Brunsweiler River is within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, and it touches very few private parcels, the designation is expected to have little impact on current management of the river and little impact on private landowners.

There is considerable grassroots support for this initiative. This proposal was one of the top initiatives voted on by local conservation organizations at an August 14, 2008 meeting of the League of Conservation Voters in Ashland and Bayfield Counties. In order to be designated as state Wild River, a bill would have to be passed by both houses of the Legislature and signed by the Governor.
Click here to learn more about the Brunsweiler Wild River Proposal.

Lake Superior Youth Symposium

Please share this information with high school youth who love Lake Superior and want to meet others who are taking action to protect the big lake.

Lake Superior Youth Symposium May 14-17, 2009 in Duluth, MN.

Renewable Energy for America grantwriting workshop Feb 10

USDA Training Webinar with Live Location and Satellite Host Sites
Attend this workshop to understand the requirements of USDA funding in order to help your customers finance renewable energy projects.

This 75%/25% cost-share program can fund installations to save energy on agricultural operations or other small, rural businesses.

The Renewable Energy for America Program provides grants and loan guarantees to agricultural producers and small rural businesses to purchase and install renewable energy systems or make energy efficiency improvements. Eligible projects include biomass, wind, solar, geothermal and hydrogen; energy efficiency projects reduce energy usage in existing buildings and processes. Grants for energy efficiency measures include: lighting, heating, cooling, insulation, & pump improvements.

WORKSHOP DATE: Tuesday, February 10, 2009
TIME: 9:00 a.m – 12:00 p.m.
PLACES: Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center-Ashland, WI (2 miles west of Ashland on Hwy 2)
Chippewa County Extension Office- Chippewa Falls, WI
Price County Extension Office - Phillips, WI
Sawyer County Extension Office - Hayward, WI