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.