Stewardship Activities and Workshops

SPRING & SUMMER 2014
Stewardship Activities
and Workshops
Get outdoors with family and friends
to learn what’s unique about the Kickapoo
River and surrounding watersheds.
Our hands-on Spring & Summer workshops
give you knowledge and tools
to enjoy and care for your
natural treasures
and support the
health of your
community.
Women Caring for the Land:
Workshop for Women Landowners Wednesday, April 23
8:30 am-3:00 pm
Viroqua
Co-sponsored by Valley Stewardship
Network, Kickapoo Grazing Initiative,
Midwest Organic and Sustainable
Education Services--Rural Women’s
Project, Women Food and Agriculture
Network, SW Badger RC&D, Mississippi Valley Conservancy, Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA
Farm Service Agency, and Driftless
Area Land Conservancy.
Join women landowners and conservation
professionals for a workshop and field tour highlighting
how managed grazing and grass-based agricultural systems can
support soil and water conservation in our area watersheds. This
workshop will be one in a series of Women Caring for the Land (WCL)
workshops in Wisconsin. The WCL program has delivered soil and water conservation information to more than 1,200 women landowners
around the Midwest since 2009, using peer-to-peer “learning circles.”
Instructors: Lisa Kivirist, MOSES; Shelly Brenneman, VSN; Cynthia
Olmstead, KGI.
Registration: FREE. Lunch is provided. Contact Valley Stewardship
Network at [email protected] or call 608-637-3615.
Oak Ecology in the Driftless Landscape
Saturday, April 26
9:00 am - Noon
Bartz Farm, Crawford County; near
Rush Creek Natural Area on the
Mississippi River,
north of Ferryville, WI
Co-sponsored by Valley Stewardship
Network, Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources, Kickapoo Woods
Cooperative, and Lower Kickapoo
Initiative.
See first-hand how an ecologist is balancing rare species and habitat
management with economic return from forest products and agriculture. This workshop will explore oak ecology, regeneration and management on a small farm. Other topics will include: invasive species
management, prairie and savannah restoration, rare species considerations, Managed Forest Lands management and cost sharing. Each
participant will receive 5 free oak trees contributed by Valley Stewardship Network. The hike will be moderately difficult and participants
are encouraged to bring a sack lunch.
Instructors: Armund Bartz, WI DNR; Thomas Wyse, Kickapoo Woods
Cooperative Forester
Registration: $20 per person / $30 per family. Registration is limited.
Contact Maggie Jones (email preferred) at [email protected]
or call 608-872-2297.
Rotational Grazing and Healthy Streams
Saturday, May 17
10:00 am-Noon: Pasture Walk
Noon-1:00 pm: Lunch
1:00-4:00 pm: In-depth
Rotational Grazing and
Stream Quality Workshop
Wauzeka, WI
Co-sponsored by Valley Stewardship
Network, Driftless Folk School, Trout
Unlimited, Kickapoo Grazing Initiative,
UW Extension, and Vernon County
Land and Water Conservation.
Co-sponsored by Valley Stewardship Network, Driftless Folk School,
Kickapoo Valley Reserve and Lower
Kickapoo Initiative.
Afternoon workshop is $45 per person. Contact the Driftless Folk
School at www.driftlessfolkschool.org or call 888-587-6540.
Join two leaders who know and love the bird life of our area.
We will observe the forest bird migration in one of the great areas of
the Driftless. Join us to see raptors, some of the early long distance
migrant warblers and vireos, and many of the short distance migrants
such as song sparrows, catbirds and rufus-sided towhees. We’ll check
out the wetlands to see if the trumpeter swans have returned. Healthy
ecology of our forests will be discussed. Children most welcome. Bring
field guides, binoculars and water. We will be hiking up some hills.
Kickapoo Keepers
Our new Kickapoo Keepers program
features hands-on exploration and
education activities for all ages!
These events offer opportunities
to be active in the outdoors
while improving the health
of ourselves, our communities,
and the wildlife, lands and
waters of our region.
Instructors: Maggie Jones, Valley Stewardship Network and Barbara
Duerksen, Kickapoo Valley Reserve
Registration: $20 per person / $30 per family. Contact the Driftless
Folk School at www.driftlessfolkschool.org or call 888-587-6540.
Become a Water Action Volunteer (WAV) Trainings
WAV Training Session 1
Thursday, May 15 4-8 pm
In-depth WAV
Macroinvertebrate Training
Tuesday, May 20 4-8 pm
WAV Training Session 2
Saturday, June 7 9 am - 2 pm
All sessions located at Nature
Nooks Retreat, Viroqua
Co-sponsored by Valley Stewardship
Network, Wisconsin WAV Program,
UW-Extension, and Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources.
This training will equip you to become a part of VSN’s Water Quality
team. We encourage landowners and community members to learn
more about water quality in our springs, streams and rivers. You’ll
choose the place where you want to sample water each month and
send results for our database of water quality information. You’ll
receive training and equipment for your use. Water testing only takes
about an hour each month – on your own schedule – and your data
becomes a key tool in our work to protect the watershed.
Instructors: Kris Stepenuck, UW; Vicki Ramsay, Paul Hayes, Rice
Spann, and Shelly Brenneman, VSN
Registration: FREE. Contact Valley Stewardship Network at
[email protected] or call 608-637-3615.
Instructors: Dennis Rooney, Rice Spann, Vicki Ramsay, and Shelly
Brenneman, Valley Stewardship Network
Registration:
Morning pasture walk is FREE. Hosted by the Kickapoo Grazing
Initiative with Dennis Rooney and Vance Haugen of UW Extension.
Contact Cynthia Olmstead at [email protected]
Birding the Lower Kickapoo
Saturday, May 10
Lower Kickapoo
Watershed
9:00 am-Noon
Join dairy farmer and VSN Rotational Grazing Specialist Dennis
Rooney along with VSN water quality specialists for an in-depth,
hands-on workshop on the economic and environmental benefits of
grass-based, rotational grazing in the Kickapoo Valley. Workshop will
cover: EQIP cost-sharing projects, stocking rates, fencing, watering,
and seeding needs, grazing plan development, stream crossings and
water quality monitoring. Workshop participants may also attend the
morning pasture walk. Dennis Rooney will be available for follow-up
farm visits to assist with grazing plans (funded by Valley Stewardship
Network and Trout Unlimited).
Kickapoo Keepers: Trout Fishing,
Aquatic Insects, and Water Quality
June 4
4:00-8:00 pm
Nature Nooks
Retreat, Viroqua
Co-sponsored by Valley Stewardship
Network, Trout Unlimited, and
Driftless Folk School.
Join us on the banks of the West Fork of the Kickapoo to try your
hand at some new trout fishing techniques and learn more about the
aquatic insects and water quality that support the trout of the Driftless. Riverside learning stations that feature aquatic insect collection
and identification and hands-on water quality monitoring will be
included. Bring your own fishing equipment, license and trout stamp
and snacks.
Instructors: Duke Welter, Trout Unlimited; Tom Lukens, Rice Spann,
Shelly Brenneman & Vicki Ramsay, Valley Stewardship Network
Registration: $20 per person / $30 per family. Contact the Driftless
Folk School at www.driftlessfolkschool.org or call 888-587-6540.
Kickapoo Keepers: Watershed Ecology Day
Saturday, July 19
10:00 am-2:00 pm
Lower Kickapoo River Wetlands,
Gays Mills Community Center
Co-sponsored by Valley Stewardship
Network and Driftless Folk School.
Spend a day learning about, enjoying and celebrating the Kickapoo
River! This full-day workshop is designed for the whole family. Sponsored by Valley Stewardship Network’s Kickapoo Keepers program,
our community day together will include speakers on Karst geology,
field studies in birds and invasive plant species, as well as children’s
programs in ecology and aquatic insects. Family-friendly lunch will be
served on site (cash basis), or pack your own. End the day with drumming and dancing.
Instructors: Vicki Ramsay and Rice Spann, Valley Stewardship Network and local ecologists, geologists and conservationists.
Registration: $20 per person / $30 per family. Contact the Driftless
Folk School at www.driftlessfolkschool.org or call 888-587-6540.
Kickapoo Keepers Family Fun Day: River Ecology, Kayaking and Swimming on the West Fork
Saturday, August 9
10:00-2:00 pm
Nature Nooks Retreat
Viroqua
Co-sponsored by Valley Stewardship
Network and Driftless Folk School.
Bring the whole family out to spend the day exploring the wonders
of the West Fork of the Kickapoo! Family-friendly, hands-on discovery
and learning stations, plus guided hikes and trips will feature trout,
turtles, birds, aquatic insects, watershed models, water quality science, kayaking and swimming. Bring life jackets and snacks. Lunch
and beverages will be provided on a cash basis (optional), or pack
your own.
Instructors: Tom Lukens, Rice Spann, Shelly Brenneman and Vicki
Ramsay
Registration: $20 per person / $30 per family. Contact the Driftless
Folk School at www.driftlessfolkschool.org or call 888-587-6540.
Register today!
Space is limited and advance registration is required.
All children must be accompanied by an adult. No pets
allowed. Note that registration contact information
varies by workshop. For additional workshop details
visit us at www.kickapoovsn.org.
This workshop series highlights some of VSN’s new and renewed
partnerships with more than a dozen area agencies and organizations.
We know that these collaborative partnerships strengthen all of our
stewardship and education successes and help the Kickapoo Valley and
Driftless area maintain our innovative leadership in soil and water conservation and sustainability.
We champion stewardship
of the land and waters.
These workshops made are possible through the generous support of
Organic Valley, Trout Unlimited, Wallace Foundation, Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources River Protection Program,
Gundersen Health Systems, and the Paul E. Stry Foundation.
Valley Stewardship Network is a nonprofit organization that depends
on donations and member support to provide funding for operations
and program work. Join our network by becoming a member, today!
Valley Stewardship Network, 124 1/2 South Main Street, Viroqua, WI 54665 • 608-637-3615 • www.kickapoovsn.org