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Updated February 20, 2020
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What's
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Good News For Rare Species. . . The first statewide native mussel survey in 40 years;
Rare piping plover chicks fledging in record numbers; The first bats vaccinated against white-nose syndrome; Increased invasive species control work on state natural areas. |
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These are just a few of the gains for Wisconsin’s rare species and State Natural Areas we share in our 2019 Natural Heritage Conservation Program Field Notes.
This sampling of great photos and short stories is one way we thank people like you for helping conserve the rare plants, animals and State Natural Areas that make Wisconsin so special.
Whether you're a partner, volunteer or donor, we want you to know that your contributions are very important and we're grateful you're part of the team.
Thank you! We look forward to doing even more great work together in 2019!
This sampling of great photos and short stories is one way we thank people like you for helping conserve the rare plants, animals and State Natural Areas that make Wisconsin so special.
Whether you're a partner, volunteer or donor, we want you to know that your contributions are very important and we're grateful you're part of the team.
Thank you! We look forward to doing even more great work together in 2019!
Drew Feldkirchner, DNR Natural Heritage Conservation Director
Click on the
GREENSPACE WORKSHOP BUTTON for some resources that were used. |
The Greenspace Workshop is now a memory, but you can find out what everyone is buzzing about. |
Top Twelve Great State Natural Areas for...Click on the picture
for more information. |
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Bird Survey Ends With a Photo Finish
Click on the image for a larger view.
Volunteers and organizers wrapped up Wisconsin’s 5-year statewide breeding bird survey with an exciting photo finish: volunteer Aaron Haycraft sighted a glossy ibis pair and their young at Horicon Marsh, the first time this Atlantic Coast bird has been documented nesting in Wisconsin. Twelve other new bird species were documented breeding in Wisconsin that were not documented during a similar survey in 2000.
Minimize Yard Clean Up
To Protect Pollinators!
Are you getting ready to fill leaf bags and trim trees? You might want to wait. That impulse to clean up gardens and lawns for the fall may have serious impacts on pollinators and beneficial insects. If you cut down stalks and stems that bees are settling into for the winter, it’s “lights out” for those pollinator friends. Applying wood mulch or tilling your garden this fall could wipe out any chance for native bees to emerge early in the spring to pollinate your front yard apple tree. And the eastern black swallowtail, who spends the winter camouflaged as a dried leaf or a broken twig, could easily end up in the recycle bag or burn barrel.
Bumblebee queens emerge from their childhood homes in the fall and search for overwintering sites, burrowing into leaf litter and loose soil. Leaf litter contains a mix of bacteria, fungi and invertebrates and is an ecosystem unto itself. It provides habitat for beneficial insects who in turn break the organic matter down into a “treasure” of nutrients for the soil. All those leaves collecting under trees or near fences provide a wealth of overwintering habitat for creatures such as worms, millipedes, lightening bugs, spiders, beetles, slugs and snails. But one weekend and some garden tools could destroy entire populations of insects. Those insects could have provided the first spring meal for baby bluebirds or be the reason that chickadees, warblers and other songbirds won’t visit your yard.
So relax, put your garden gloves away, and store the tools and tiller. Leave your leaves alone whenever possible. If you must rake them from your lawn, put them to work in another part of your yard – behind your garage or under the tree line between you and your neighbor. By setting aside undisturbed patches of habitat allowing leaf litter, dead twigs and stems to remain, you are providing a safe haven for wildlife and attracting birds. So, when you are watching the snow get deeper this winter, and your yard looks cold and lifeless, remember just below that white landscape, the habitat you saved is teeming with life.
If you still have questions, contact the Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department at 715-369-7835 or click on the Bee the Change button below.
Bumblebee queens emerge from their childhood homes in the fall and search for overwintering sites, burrowing into leaf litter and loose soil. Leaf litter contains a mix of bacteria, fungi and invertebrates and is an ecosystem unto itself. It provides habitat for beneficial insects who in turn break the organic matter down into a “treasure” of nutrients for the soil. All those leaves collecting under trees or near fences provide a wealth of overwintering habitat for creatures such as worms, millipedes, lightening bugs, spiders, beetles, slugs and snails. But one weekend and some garden tools could destroy entire populations of insects. Those insects could have provided the first spring meal for baby bluebirds or be the reason that chickadees, warblers and other songbirds won’t visit your yard.
So relax, put your garden gloves away, and store the tools and tiller. Leave your leaves alone whenever possible. If you must rake them from your lawn, put them to work in another part of your yard – behind your garage or under the tree line between you and your neighbor. By setting aside undisturbed patches of habitat allowing leaf litter, dead twigs and stems to remain, you are providing a safe haven for wildlife and attracting birds. So, when you are watching the snow get deeper this winter, and your yard looks cold and lifeless, remember just below that white landscape, the habitat you saved is teeming with life.
If you still have questions, contact the Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department at 715-369-7835 or click on the Bee the Change button below.
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A New Study Finds Steep, Long-term Losses Across Virtually All Groups of Birds in the U.S. and Canada.
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How are Wisconsin birds faring?
Trends in Wisconsin bird populations generally mirror the national patterns detailed in a study released last week in Science. Many landbirds, shorebirds, waterbirds and aerial insectivores have significantly declined over the last half-century and some common birds like Baltimore orioles and dark-eyed juncos have suffered among the greatest losses.
Tune in to Wisconsin Public Radio's Central Time on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 4.30 to hear NHC's Ryan Brady discuss study results and learn more about how Wisconsin birds are faring. Or listen later at your convenience at the same link.
How we can all help birds?
The silver lining in the national study and in Wisconsin is that some bird populations have increased due to action taken by governments, individuals, and others. Raptors are up by 15 million nationally, waterfowl by 35 million, and woodpeckers by 14 million.
2019 State of the Birds and how conservation helps.
7 actions to help birds around your home.
Trends in Wisconsin bird populations generally mirror the national patterns detailed in a study released last week in Science. Many landbirds, shorebirds, waterbirds and aerial insectivores have significantly declined over the last half-century and some common birds like Baltimore orioles and dark-eyed juncos have suffered among the greatest losses.
Tune in to Wisconsin Public Radio's Central Time on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 4.30 to hear NHC's Ryan Brady discuss study results and learn more about how Wisconsin birds are faring. Or listen later at your convenience at the same link.
How we can all help birds?
The silver lining in the national study and in Wisconsin is that some bird populations have increased due to action taken by governments, individuals, and others. Raptors are up by 15 million nationally, waterfowl by 35 million, and woodpeckers by 14 million.
2019 State of the Birds and how conservation helps.
7 actions to help birds around your home.
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Check out the new video on
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Click on the Hot Topic!
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Restored Habitat Provides Oasis
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Meet Tom and Eva Wedel, owners of Oak Woods Foundation in Argyle, Wisconsin. This awe-inspiring oasis of tranquility is home to 400 acres of rolling prairies and forests, providing habitat for fluttering monarchs and other butterflies feeding on milkweed and various wildflowers.
See the interactive, multimedia story map.
Read the full, printable story.
See the interactive, multimedia story map.
Read the full, printable story.
Dust off your hummingbird feeders and brew up some nectar as Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds customarily return to Wisconsin in the first 2 weeks of May. The 'hummers' are going to be very hungry when they arrive as there are few plants for them to forage following our late-arriving snow storms.
6 Ways To Attract Hummers to Your Yard
Hummingbird Nectar Recipe
1. Combine one part plain white, granulated table sugar and four parts water.
2. Slowly heat the solution for 1-2 minutes to help the sugar dissolve and slow fermentation.
3. Allow the solution to cool completely before filling feeders.
Learn More
6 Ways To Attract Hummers to Your Yard
- More than most birds, hummers need to bathe regularly, due to the sticky nature of nectar.
- They prefer very shallow, moving water, or a spray mist.
- Placing nesting material near a feeder may attract female hummingbirds to nest near you.
- Hummer Helper®”is a practical nesting material and is available at many bird stores and garden centers.
- Hummer nests are often re-used, wholly or in part. Leave a nest in place.
Hummingbird Nectar Recipe
1. Combine one part plain white, granulated table sugar and four parts water.
2. Slowly heat the solution for 1-2 minutes to help the sugar dissolve and slow fermentation.
3. Allow the solution to cool completely before filling feeders.
Learn More
Engaging Youth:
Oneida County Takes the AIS
Fight to the Next Generation
A Teen Scientist Helped me Discover
Tons of Golf Balls
Polluting the Ocean
Bald Eagle Watching & Nest Counts
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Behind the Scenes at one of the Midwest's
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Check out this great
ENDANGERED SPECIES
resource!
Lumber Company's Gift of Land
Opens More Than 4 Miles of Undeveloped Shoreline on Northwoods Lake to Public
Nearly 4.4 miles of natural shoreline along Katherine Lake in Oneida County was included in the Yawkey Lumber Co.'s donation of 430 acres of forest and wetlands to the Northwoods Land Trust. (Photo: Northwoods Land Trust)
The Sweet and Tart Legacy of Wisconsin's Cranberry Crop
What the World Needs Now. . .
“Drain the swamp” has long meant getting rid of something distasteful. Actually, the world needs more swamps. . .
Click on the button below to get the full story.
Click on the button below to get the full story.
Great Lakes Restoration
A report released Tuesday claims federal dollars invested in Great Lakes restoration efforts are returning far more back to the regional economy. Click on the button below to read the whole story.
Northern Wisconsin Project Seeks To
'Slow The Flow' Of Stormwater
Please click on the button below for the story.
Goats and Humans Fighting Invasive Plants, One Munch at a Time!
Environmental Transformation Spells Brighter Future for Redonda's Fantastic Beasts...
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Check out our Creature Feature page! |
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Here's a step-by-step process
of how we sowed our seed at a seed sowing party. Watch and Learn! |
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