Fund established for the
long-term protection of the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway
MADISON – The protection and
conservation of wildlife and habitat in the Lower Wisconsin
State Riverway has received some long-term support thanks to an
anonymous $25,000 gift that the Natural Resources Foundation of
Wisconsin has used to establish a Lower Wisconsin State Riverway
Fund.
The foundation will manage the
fund as an endowment, with interest earned from the fund’s
growth going toward the Department of Natural Resources for
wildlife conservation and habitat protection along the Riverway.
“The donor hopes this fund will
have a lasting impact on the protection of the river and that
others will want to contribute toward the fund, thereby
expanding its effectiveness,” says Camille Zanoni, Program
Director for the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin. “The
donor stated with the donation ‘I hope this fund will grow and
in the future there will be a reliable source of annual revenue
to do work along the river,’” she said.
“It takes the first person to
love a property so much that they make this kind of donation.
said Steve Colden, DNR property supervisor for the Riverway. “It
can really do a lot for us especially in these budget times.”
The Lower Wisconsin State
Riverway was officially dedicated in 1989 when the Wisconsin
Legislature, recognizing the area as an exceptional water
resource, passed a law that protected 92 miles of free flowing
waterway extending from Prairie du Sac to the confluence of the
Mississippi River near Prairie du Chien.
The Riverway boundary
encompasses 79,275 acres of which approximately 40,000 acres are
currently owned and managed by the Department of Natural
Resources. The Riverway represents the longest stretch of
undammed river in the Midwest.
“The Lower Wisconsin is unique
in its historical significance, high quality aquatic and
wildlife resources, beautiful scenery and abundant recreational
opportunities” Colden said. “The Riverway serves as critical
refuge for a variety of unique wildlife and plant species, along
with high quality fisheries.”
Bill Ishmael, DNR wildlife
biologist for Riverway, notes the lower Wisconsin supports a
rich diversity of aquatic life, fish and insects. The river and
its backwaters support 95 native fish species, 20 percent of
which are state endangered or threatened. The Riverway also
hosts a variety of threatened or endangered amphibians, reptiles
and birds. The natural water cycles of this Riverway create
critical wildlife habitat including more than 12,000 acres of
wetlands and ponds, which are home to an abundance of plant
species and waterfowl.*
“There’s a lot of work that
needs to be done along the Riverway to protect these unique
natural resources,” Ishmael said. “It’s especially gratifying
that people are willing to step forward and make this kind of
contribution. I’m really excited about this funding source as
there is huge potential for habitat restoration all along the
Riverway. This fund is going to help out a lot.”
Ishmael points out that there
are 18 State Natural Areas within the Riverway, including gems
like Ferry Bluff, the Avoca Prairie and the Blue River Sand
Barrens. These natural areas include unique or rare remnants of
Wisconsin’s native vegetation communities. In addition, the
Riverway is home to a number of endangered or threatened plant
and animal species. Ornate box turtles, red-shouldered hawks and
osprey are a few of the species that depend on the habitats
found in the Riverway. Bald eagles, although no longer
endangered or threatened in Wisconsin, continue to increase in
number and build new nests each year in the Wisconsin River
valley.
However, Ishmael notes, the
Riverway also faces a variety of threats to its aquatic,
recreational and aesthetic values such as rising mercury levels
in its fish, non-point and point pollution sources and
development.
The Natural Resources
Foundation will apply all donations to the Lower Wisconsin State
Riverway Fund to the conservation and protection of the
Riverway’s unique natural resources. Anyone interested in
donating to the fund can contact the Natural Resources
Foundation at (866) 264-4096 or at
conservation@nrfwis.org.
The Natural Resources
Foundation of Wisconsin is a non-profit, tax exempt statewide
organization founded in 1986 that works with public and private
partners to promote the knowledge, enjoyment and stewardship of
Wisconsin’s natural resources.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: on the
Lower Wisconsin Riverway Fund contact Camille Zanoni - (608)
266.1430; on the management of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway
contact Steve Colden at - (608) 935-1914 or Bill Ishmael at -
(608) 588-2591
Land purchased for new
Forestry Education and Awareness Center
MADISON -- A major step forward
in development of a Forestry Education and Awareness Center was
completed last week when Gov. Jim Doyle approved a $249,000
Stewardship Fund purchase of 67 acres of land in the City of
Wauwautosa where the center eventually will be built.
Situated in the most densely
populated area of the state, the center will have indoor and
outdoor exhibits and programming. The mission of the center will
be to inform the public about Wisconsin’s nationally recognized
forestry programs and the benefits of sustainable forestry.
“This is a great day for
Wisconsin forestry,” said Paul DeLong, DNR Division of Forestry
Administrator. “We’ve been working with MMSD, City of Wauwautosa,
Milwaukee County and the educational and forestry communities to
assess the need for the center and ensure its compatibility with
the surrounding community. We’ll continue to work with these
partners to finalize plans for program development, fundraising
and exhibit, building and landscape design.”
Year 2004 marked 100 years of
professional forest management in Wisconsin. A key theme of the
centennial celebration was 100 years of sustainable forest
management. Sustainability will be the keystone of educational
programs at the center.
“Sustainability means meeting
the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs,” said DeLong, “it
provides for multiple uses of the forest by balancing both
present and future needs.
“The center will offer urban
forestry experiences and activities for school children,
preschoolers and families. It will also link with Wisconsin’s
K-12 forestry curriculum, LEAF (Learning, Experiences and
Activities in Forestry) which incorporates science, history,
math and social studies.
The 67 acre parcel of land
includes approximately 50 acres of mature hardwood forest
containing mature red and white oaks and Wisconsin’s state tree,
the sugar maple.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Wendy McCown (608) 266-7510
State park camping fees to
increase August 16
MADISON – Campers at Wisconsin
State Parks and Forests will pay slightly higher camping fees
beginning August 16, under fee increases that were approved as
part of the recently approved state budget.
The budget increased the cost
of state park campsites by $2 per night per site. As a result
State Park and Class A
State Forest campsites will cost $12 per night for residents
and $14 per night for non-residents. Class B State Forest sites
will cost $9 per night for residents and $11 per night for
non-residents. Class B sites are those in forest campgrounds
that do not provide additional amenities such as flush toilets
and showers. Discounted rates are available when camping during
the week at some locations.
This is the first across-the
board increase in camping fees for Wisconsin parks and forests
since 1995, though fees to camp during the peak season at eight
of the state’s most popular parks were increased by $3 per night
in 2004.
“Camping in state parks and
forests continues to be a very good value and even with the
increase, our rates are comparable to or lower than many other
states,” notes Bill Morrissey, director of the Wisconsin State
Parks program.
“We never like having to raise
fees for people to enjoy our parks and forests, but the cost of
maintaining our facilities at the quality standards visitors
expect from Wisconsin State Parks and Forests continues to
increase, especially in the areas of increased fuel costs, and
in keeping up drinking water, waste water and electrical
facilities. These increased costs necessitated a fee increase.”
Wisconsin State Parks and Forests
offer more than 5,200 campsites at about 50 different state
park, forest, recreational area, and state trail properties.
Approximately 70 percent of the people who camp at state parks
and forests are Wisconsin residents.
The fee increases will not
apply to people who have already made reservations through the
automated park reservation system for to camp at state
campsites after August 16. The campsite reservation fee will
also increase 50 cents beginning Nov. 30 2005, bringing that fee
to $10.
The budget also included an
increase in the state park admission fee of $5 that will go into
effect in January 2006. The new admission sticker will cost $25
for residents and $35 for nonresident. There is also a resident
senior admission sticker for $10.
[EDITOR'S NOTE:The
budget bill had contained an increase in the senior admission
sticker to $12.50. Governor Doyle vetoed that increase, which
had been cited in an earlier version of this news release.]
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dave Benish – - (608) 267-9534
Workshops set on changes to
lake and stream development project permit system
GREEN BAY -- Contractors,
engineers, and local government staff are invited to attend
workshops scheduled across the state in August and September to
help learn about significant changes to Wisconsin's
environmental permitting and review system for projects along
lakes and rivers.
"The new rules and permit
structure are a substantial change from Wisconsin's old permit
process," says Kristy Rogers, the Department of Natural
Resources habitat expert for northeastern Wisconsin, and one of
the coordinators of the workshops, which are sponsored by DNR,
University of Wisconsin-Extension and the Wisconsin Association
of Lakes. "Wisconsin has so many lakes and streams that
virtually every consultant, contractor and public works
department needs to know this information. Wisconsin people want
to do right by their lake or stream and this workshop shows them
how."
2003 Wisconsin Act 118, which
lawmakers passed and Gov. Jim Doyle signed in 2004, aimed at
streamlining the permit process without weakening environmental
protections for navigable lakes and rivers. Permanent DNR
administrative rules to carry out most of the rule changes went
into effect May 1, 2005.
Where most waterfront projects
were previously required to get a site specific permit with
comprehensive DNR review, about half of projects may now qualify
for 30-day general permits or exemptions from permitting, Rogers
says.
Participants in the day-long
workshop will hear directly from DNR staff about what projects
and activities don’t need a permit; those projects and
activities that can be completed under a simple general permit;
and the criteria under which projects will still be required to
receive an individual, site-specific permit and comprehensive
DNR review.
Participants will also learn
about those designated waterways where extra protection is
required, and specific rules for grading, shoreline protection,
bridges, culverts, ponds, and other regulated activities, Rogers
says.
The workshops cost $75 and
include a meal and a binder of materials. People can download a
registration form from the DNR Web site People may register
online at <http://www.peopleware.net/2723>,
or fax registration to (608) 262-5088. For registration
questions call (608) 263-1672.
The workshops are set for the
following communities. Maps and directions are sent with
confirmation.
- August 24, Waukesha,
Country Springs Hotel.
- August 25, Green Bay,
Radisson Airport.
- September 7, Madison,
Radisson West.
- September 13, Eau Claire,
Plaza Hotel & Suites.
- September 27, Cable,
Telemark Resort.
- September 29, Wausau,
Plaza Hotel & Suites.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kristi Rogers - (920) 662-5117
Trapper Education Course
offered at Sandhill
BABCOCK, Wis. – People who are
interested in taking up furbearer trapping in Wisconsin can sign
up for a trapper education course being offered Sept. 17-18 at
the Department of Natural Resources Sandhill Outdoor Skills
Center.
Wisconsin law requires
first-time trappers to attend a trapper education course. The
course is open to anyone 12 years old and older interested in
acquiring safe and humane trapping skills. Persons successfully
completing the course will receive trapper education graduation
cards and free trapping privileges for the year. The course is
being co-sponsored by by the DNR and the Wisconsin Trappers
Association. The course will run from 9 a.m. Saturday to 2 p.m.
Sunday.
Students are asked to provide
their own sleeping bag, a bag lunch on Saturday, and appropriate
clothing for working outdoors. A registration fee of $45 is
required, which includes the Wisconsin Trappers Association
education manual, three meals, refreshments, and tent camping.
Registration is limited to 25
people on a first-come, first-served basis. Register by mailing
in $45 registration fee per person by Sept. 7. Checks should be
made out to DNR-Skills Center. Include the name of each
participant, and the address and daytime phone number of one
person in each party. Send your registration fee to: Sandhill
Outdoor Skills Center, PO Box 156, Babcock, WI 54413. Inquiries
on the status of registrations may be sent via e-mail to: <Richard.Thiel@dnr.state.wi.us>.
More information on the
Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center can be found on the DNR Web
site.
The Sandhill Outdoor Skills
Center is located 20 miles west of Wisconsin Rapids on County
Highway X, 1 mile north of Highway 80 near Babcock, Wisconsin on
the 9,000 acre Department of Natural Resources Sandhill Wildlife
Area.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sandhill Skills Center at: (715) 884-6333 or (715) 884-2437
2005 Wisconsin Deer Hunting
Regulation correction
MADISON – The
2005 Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations pamphlet contained
some incorrect information pertaining to the archery deer
hunting season in Metro deer management units and the Chronic
Wasting Disease deer management units.
Metro Units
The archery season in Metro
Deer Management Units 1M, 59M, 60M, 64M, and 77M is incorrectly
listed. In units 59M, 60M, 64M and 77M the correct either sex
season dates for these units are: Sept. 17 through Oct. 26, Oct.
31 through Nov. 17, Nov. 19 through Dec. 7, and Dec. 12 through
Jan. 31, 2006. In these units, only antlerless deer may be
harvested from Oct. 27 through Oct. 30 and Dec. 8 through 11. In
unit 1M the correct either sex archery season dates are: Sept.
17 through Oct. 26, Oct. 31 through Nov. 17, and Nov. 19 through
Jan. 31. In unit 1M, only antlerless deer may be harvested from
Oct. 27 through Oct. 30.
CWD Units
The CWD table (pages 60-64 of
the regulations pamphlet) indicates that there is a one day
break in the archery deer season on the Friday before
Thanksgiving, which is Nov. 18. However, there is no break in
the archery deer season in the CWD Zones. The season is open for
archery deer hunting on Friday Nov. 18 in both the CWD Herd
Reduction and the Eradication Zones. The season is Earn-A-Buck
in both CWD Zones on this date and hunting hours for Zone A are
from 6:19 a.m. to 4:49 p.m. See page 69 of the 2005 Wisconsin
Deer Hunting Regulations to calculate the exact hunting hours
for the are you intend to hunt.
The archery deer season in the
rest of the state (outside of the CWD zones) is closed on
Friday, Nov. 18 . The non-CWD zone archery deer seasons are
correct in the tables (pages. 26-50 of the pamphlet).
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michelle M. Carlisle - (608) 266-7359
