Friday Concurrent Session 8
60 minutes
April 12, 2019 ~ 2:45-3:45 pm
Agenda subject to change.
Programmatic Capacity Demonstrated at a Statewide Scale
This session will highlight two groups that are carrying out major programmatic efforts all across Wisconsin. 2019 is the 15th anniversary of the Wisconsin Citizen-based Monitoring (WCBM) Network, a statewide stakeholder collaboration designed to improve Wisconsin's natural resource citizen science efforts by providing communications, resources, and recognition. Since 2004, the WCBM Network has offered volunteers, practitioners, educators and others involved in citizen science, opportunities for networking and resource sharing. It hosts conferences, offers funding and equipment lending opportunities, and promotes and encourages cross-promotion of projects and partner organizations. Members of the citizen-based monitoring community use those resources to study, manage and protect Wisconsin’s plants, animals and waters. Learn about the history and accomplishments of the WCBM Network, what resources it offers, ongoing work and how to get involved.
WisCorps, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) conservation corps headquartered in La Crosse, Wisconsin that engages youth and young adults in three areas: Conservation Projects throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest; WisCorps WORKS, an in- and out-of-school youth work program in 8 Western Wisconsin counties; and Nature education programs for schoolchildren, youth, and adults. Through their Conservation Projects, WisCorps engages partners to complete a range of physical projects including trail construction, invasive species management, shoreland restoration, and stream bank stabilization.
Presenters:
Putting Wisconsin's Water First - Legislative and Gubernatorial Efforts to Address Water Quality in Wisconsin
2019 saw the declaration from Governor Evers naming it the “Year of Clean Drinking Water” as well as the creation of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’s bipartisan legislative Taskforce For Water Quality, but what does all this mean? With an invited panel of legislators and representatives from the Governor, this session will look at the big picture work being done in our state government to address policy needs to solve our water crisis and ensure clean water for future generations.
Moderator: Mike Engleson, Director, Wisconsin Lakes
Panelists: Legislators and state agency representatives
Starry Stonewort Management Updates
In this session, we will discuss the management techniques attempted in southeastern Wisconsin to control starry stonewort. Four different lakes with differing management techniques will be highlighted in this session: Green Lake in Washington County (barrier treatment with chemicals), Little Muskego Lake (extended fall and winter drawdown), Pike Lake (no management of any kind) and Wind Lake (large-scale spring treatment). We will also discuss the role of social capital in the implementation of these projects.
Presenters:
Heidi Bunk, Lakes Biologist for Southeast Wisconsin, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Amy Kretlow, Aquatic Invasive Species Monitoring Specialist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Birdscaping Your Shoreline Property
Learn how to increase the variety of birds on your shoreline property by growing native plants offering birds their natural habitat and a yearlong smorgasbord of berries, nuts, seeds and insects. By doing so, you can play a vital role in preserving and enhancing native communities that support not only birds, but also other wildlife including butterflies, bees, and bats. You become a steward of your piece of earth and pay forward its diversity and beauty to future generations.
Presenter: Mariette Nowak, Author & Past Director of Wehr Nature Center, Milwaukee County