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Open house meeting to discuss Cross Plains Ice Age Trail complex

MADISON - The public is invited to attend open house meetings to review and comment on the types of experiences and management they would like to see at the Ice Age National Scenic Trail and Ice Age National Scientific Reserve located in the Town of Cross Plains in western Dane County.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the National Park Service are beginning to plan for the future of Ice Age Trail lands they own in the Cross Plains area and will cooperate in developing a joint general management plan for them.

“Federal and state Ice Age Trail lands tell an important story about continental glaciation and how episodes in geological history molded the landscape,” says Dana White-Quam, DNR South Central Region park and recreation specialist.

The public open house meetings will be held August 27 and 28. The National Park Service and DNR will be collecting data on the kinds of experiences the public is looking for that are consistent with preserving Ice Age features. The meetings will be from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Town of Middleton Town Hall on Tuesday, August 27 and on Wednesday, August 28 at the Town of Cross Plains Community Center.

In addition to discussing the planning process, presentations on the Geology of the Ice Age Complex will be offered at 6 p.m. both nights. More information on the general management planning process and the meetings is available on the National Park Service Web site [exit DNR] or by contact Tom Gilbert (NPS) at 608-441-5610 or Dana White-Quam (DNR) at 608-275-3302.

Background on the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve and National Scenic Trail

In 1964, a federal law established the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve in order to “assure protection, preservation, and interpretation of the nationally significant values of Wisconsin continental glaciation, including moraines, eskers, kames, kettleholes, drumlins, swamps, lakes, and other reminders of the Ice Age” (quote from Public Law 88-655).

Lands in the town of Cross Plains were selected as one of nine areas that best illustrate continental glaciation in Wisconsin. The nine units of the Reserve are managed by the DNR with financial and technical assistance from the NPS. In 1999, Wisconsin expanded the boundary of the Cross Plains Reserve Unit to its present boundaries. It is designated as Cross Plains State Park, but has not yet been developed for public use.

In 1980, federal legislation added the Ice Age National Scenic Trail to the National Trails System. The trail extends approximately 1,000 miles through Wisconsin, tracing the terminal moraines and other landscape features formed by the advancing and melting continental ice sheets. The trail also links together six of the nine reserve units. The NPS administers the trail and works closely with the DNR and the Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation on its development, marking, and maintenance.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Dana White-Quam (DNR) at 608-275-3302 or Tom Gilbert (NPS) at 608-441-5610

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Online video shows $15.9 million renovation to Wild Rose Fish Hatchery

WILD ROSE - Anglers and local residents on Aug. 18 joined Gov. Jim Doyle and Department of Natural Resources Secretary Matt Frank in celebrating the grand opening of new trout and salmon facilities at century-old Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery. Video clips from the event and anglers' reaction to the renovated hatchery, along with more information about the three-phase project to bring this workhorse of the state's fish stocking program into the 21st century is available on the DNR Web site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Staggs (608) 267-0796; Al Kaas (608) 267-7865; Steve Fajfer (920) 622-3527

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Federal Duck Stamps now available from ALIS license vendors

MADISON – Waterfowl hunters can now purchase their Federal Duck Stamp from any one of more than 1,300 Wisconsin hunting and fishing license sales locations beginning with 2008 hunting season. Wisconsin is one of nine states selected by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to pilot a new method of purchasing a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, commonly known as a Federal Duck Stamp.

Hunters who purchase their Federal Duck Stamp at a Wisconsin hunting and fishing licensing sales location will receive a document verifying their stamp purchase that will be valid for 45 days. This proof of purchase will fulfill the requirement for waterfowl hunters to possess the stamp and allows free entrance into any National Wildlife Refuge. The actual stamp will be mailed to the purchaser within 45 days.

“This new service will make it possible for hunters to purchase all the necessary licenses, permits and stamps needed for waterfowl hunting in one stop,” said Kevin Huggins, section chief of the DNR licensing section.

The cost of the Federal Duck Stamp is $17.50, which includes a $2.50 service charge. Federal Duck Stamps will only be available over the counter at license sales locations, initially. Stamps will become available on Wisconsin’s Internet and telephone sales site in the near future.

Every waterfowl hunter over the age of 16 is required to buy a Federal Duck Stamp in order to hunt waterfowl, in addition to any state license, permit or stamp requirements. Many non-hunters also purchase stamps for collecting purposes and to support waterfowl habitat and waterfowl conservation efforts. Funds from duck stamp revenue assists with the development and maintenance of wetland habitats that benefit waterfowl and many other species of wetland wildlife.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Huggins, 608-267-9533

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New DNR customer number system means convenience

Part of ongoing online transformation of registration, record-keeping

MADISON – Future students and volunteer instructors of Department of Natural Resources recreational safety classes will benefit from a new customer identification system designed to create an all-purpose individual account covering classes, licenses and registrations.

DNR Warden Tim Lawhern, administrator of the agency’s Hunter Safety Education program, called the merger of the education program with the agency’s database of license purchases and recreational vehicle registrations a logical business move with real customer benefits.

“For the outdoors sports enthusiast, this new system is all about convenience and saving time,” Lawhern said. “Once the hunter or angler has his or her DNR Customer Identification Number, that same number – or account – can be used for all their courses, license purchases and registering their recreational vehicle.”

Work is under way to make this system accessible to all customers on the Internet, Lawhern added. “That means you can learn about a class, register for that class, buy your deer license or register your boat from the comforts of your home on your computer,” he said. The system will also allow printing of student recreational safety records at home. “There will be no need to go to a DNR Service Center to get a duplicate card. We hope to have these services phased in by the end of the year.”

First-time students of recreational safety classes will be required to get a DNR Customer Identification Number, which creates the individual’s account.

“As part of the new system, students will provide their customer ID numbers to the course instructor before the class is completed,” he said. “The instructor will use the customer ID numbers on the course roster when submitting the graduate list to the DNR for processing.

“This system ultimately will lead to students receiving upcoming class notices electronically, and the ability to duplicate personal recreational safety records at home without a stop at a DNR Service Center,” Lawhern said.

To get a DNR customer ID number, call 1-888-936-7463 between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. or visit a DNR Service Center.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Lawhern – (608) 266-1317

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Groups awarded environmental education grants

Project Learning Tree awards go to Franksville, Milwaukee, Oshkosh groups

MADISON – Raymond School in Franksville, Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, and Wee Wisdom Child Care Center of Oshkosh have been awarded GreenWorks! Grants by Project Learning Tree, the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation.

“These grants help get kids outdoors and involved in learning about the environment and improving their local community,” said Janet Hutchens, Project Learning Tree Coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources. “PLT teaches kids ‘how to think, not what to think’ about environmental issues and helps them learn the skills they need to make sound choices about the environment.”

Raymond School will use its grant in Growing Green, a summer school program to create an outdoor classroom involving about 100 students. Students will plan and build areas that allow them to study insects, birds and other wildlife, as well as investigate how species interact with each other.

Neighborhood House of Milwaukee will create Green Teams: Invasive Species Control Patrol, in which middle-school students and teachers learn about woodland habitats and the effects of invasive species on them. The students will then develop plans to control these invasives.

Wee Wisdom Child Care Center in Oshkosh will create a sanctuary for hummingbirds and butterflies. Students will also be involved in writing a brochure to explain why the wildlife comes to the garden. It will also be set up as an area for the community to enjoy.

Since 1992, project Learning Tree has distributed more than $500,000 to funds 750 grant projects in communities across the country. Proposals for the Fall 2008 grants are due by October 31, 2008. Groups seeking PLT grants first must be trained In Project Learning Tree at the state level, and then can apply for national grant funding. Grants of up to $5,000 are available.

For more information about GreenWorks! and a complete list of Project Learning Tree’s GreenWorks! Grant awards, visit [Project Learning Tree [exit DNR]. For more information on becoming trained in Project Learning Tree contact: Janet Hutchens, (608) 261-8453 or by e-mail at janet.hutchens@wisconsin.gov or visit the Wisconsin DNR Project Learning Tree Web site.

Project Learning Tree training enables teachers to teach about the environment with confidence with an award-winning preK-12 education program that has been 30 years in the making, teacher tested, and meets Wisconsin Model Academic Standards as well as service-learning strategies. The one-day professional development training also meets many teacher standards and is easy to infuse into an existing curriculum. Training can be part of in-service programming and is affordable at $15 per person.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Hutchens, (608) 261-8453

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Grants available to investigate contaminated properties

MADISON – Wisconsin communities with properties that have known or suspected environmental contamination have until Nov. 3 to apply for state grants to assist them in starting activities to return the properties to productive use.

Brownfield Site Assessment Grants (SAG) are available from the Department of Natural Resources to help municipalities jump start investigation activities at brownfields, which are abandoned, idle or underused industrial or commercial properties where redevelopment is hindered by real or perceived contamination.

Applications and instructions for the grants will be available on the Brownfield Site Assessment Grants page of the DNR Web site August 20.

Applications for both large and small grants are due November 3, 2008. Small grants range from $2,000 up to $30,000 and large grants range from $30,000 up to $100,000.

Brownfield properties are located in every type of community across Wisconsin. During the last round of grants, nearly half of the awards were to rural communities or counties.

Any local government (city, village, town, county, redevelopment authority, community development authority or housing authority) or tribe is eligible to complete an application for a grant. While SAGs do not fund cleanups, the grants do fund the following activities:

• Environmental site assessments.
• Site investigations.
• Demolition.
• Asbestos removal associated with demolition.
• Removal of tanks and drums.

Since 2000, the DNR has awarded $13.3 million in 398 grants to 187 communities around the state for work on 1,400 acres of land. The state legislature first authorized $1.45 million for the SAG program in 1999 after the Brownfields Study Group, a state-wide advisory task force, recommended the program in their 1998 final report.

More information about Site Assessment Grants, including handy tips on whether a property is eligible for a grant, is available on DNR Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) Program Web page.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Savagian, (608) 261-6422

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Transmission line project may result in incidental take of rare turtle

American Transmission Company’s Cranberry-Conover-Plains line in Vilas, Forest and Florence counties

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Wisconsin’s endangered species law (s. 29.604, Wis. Stats.) requires the Department of Natural Resources to notify the public when it proposes to authorize the incidental taking of a state endangered or threatened species.]

MADISON - The construction of an electrical transmission line between Eagle River and Spread Eagle through Vilas, Forest and Florence counties may result in the "incidental taking" of a turtle listed as a threatened species in Wisconsin under an authorization the Department of Natural Resources is proposing for the project.

American Transmission Company LLC and ATC Management Inc. are constructing approximately 49 miles of 115-138 kilovolt transmission line in Wisconsin, of which approximately 16 miles is new transmission line and 33 miles is replacement of existing line. Construction activities, including the placement of mats and the installation of transmission line poles, may be initiated in habitat occupied by the wood turtle (Clemmys insculpta) during its active period and may pose a potential risk of the incidental take of wood turtles. Incidental take refers to the unintentional loss of individual endangered or threatened animals or plants that does not put the overall population of the species at risk.

The project was approved by the Public Service Commission in November 2006, but due in part to additional time needed for environmental analysis for the segment that passes through the Chequamegon – Nicolet National Forest and timing restrictions for the protection of trout habitat, the construction sequence and timing of the project has been changed.

DNR staff determined that the wood turtle is likely present due to the presence of suitable habitat and that the proposed project may result in the incidental taking of some turtles at six discrete locations along the 49-mile project route. However, the department has concluded that the proposed project will minimize the impacts to the turtle by adhering to conservation measures; is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence and recovery of the state population of these turtles or the whole plant-animal community of which they are a part; and has benefit to the public health, safety or welfare that justifies the action.

The conservation measures to minimize the adverse effect on the threatened species will be incorporated into the proposed Incidental Take Authorization. Copies of the conservation measures, background information on the wood turtle, and the jeopardy assessment are available upon request from Rori Paloski, Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources, 101 South Webster, Madison, WI 53707, (608) 264-6040. Public comments will be taken through September 8, 2008 and should be sent to Ms. Paloski at the above address.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Rori Paloski, DNR Bureau of Endangered Resources – 608-264-6040

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Beginner waterfowl hunting class offered

BABCOCK – People interested in learning the basics of hunting waterfowl can attend an upcoming Beginner Waterfowl Hunting Clinic at the Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center

The Beginner Waterfowl Hunting Clinic in being held in cooperation with local chapters of Ducks Unlimited and will cover duck identification, hunter ethics, shotgun shooting, and demonstrations on decoying, calling, use of retrieving dogs, boating safety tips and more.

The clinic will be held Saturday, Sept. 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Bring clothing suitable for the out-of-doors.

Registration is limited to the first 30 people, ages 12 and up, who mail in their $15 registration fee by Sept. 12. Participants may stay overnight in the center dorm either prior to or following the event for a donation of $15 per person per night.

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@wisconsin.gov.

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