Beavers, Where Art Thou? - Crex Meadows Wildlife Area

The newsletter of the Friends of Crex, Inc.
102 E. Crex Ave. Grantsburg, WI 54840
715-463-CREX (2739)
[email protected]
Web site: www.crexmeadows.org
Fall 2013
Beavers, Where Art Thou?
by Hannah White, Summer Intern
Editor note: Each year Crex Meadows employs 2 or 3
summer interns from Wisconsin colleges and Universities to
help with the busy summer schedule of work out in the field,
and to work on special projects. This summer we had
Hannah White from UW-Steven’s Point and Jeff Steen
from UW-River Falls. We invited the interns to write an
article for us to let us in on what they did this summer.
Hannah’s article follows, and Jeff’s can be found on pages 67. Hannah will be returning to Crex Meadows on Sunday,
September 15 to give a presentation on her project at our
annual Membership Meeting. We hope you can join us!
are relentless and determined little buggers who
will stop at nothing to protect their home! I got
to thinking—perhaps while we unplugged
Whiskey for the third or fourth time—just how
many beavers are there in Crex Meadows? My
boss Bob Hanson’s witty response was, “A lot.”
As useful as that information was to me, I still
wanted to nail down a number, even if it wasn’t
exact. And so began my quest to count every
single beaver on the 30-some thousand acres that
is Crex Meadows. Sounds easy enough, right?
Lucky for me, a fellow by the name of Bruce
Kohn (retired wildlife researcher with the
Wisconsin DNR) previously conducted a study
finding an average of 4.5 beavers per colony. So
my plan was to locate all the active beaver lodges I
could and then multiply that
number by 4.5 to get an estimate
of Crex’s beaver population.
Alright, now we’re getting
somewhere!
But before we get ahead of
ourselves, it wasn’t time to start
exploring just yet. I began by
talking with several members of
the Crex crew, guys who have
trapped beaver on the property for
years, and together we compiled a
map of locations where beaver
lodges have been present in the
past. Now with my treasure map
in hand, I set out to find the
During my first few weeks as a summer intern at
Crex, I acquired my fair share of experience
unclogging beaver dams from water-control
structures (much to my sheer
delight I should add). Soon, it
became routine for my fellow
Intern, Jeff, and me to unplug
Whiskey Creek and Middle
North Fork on a weekly basis.
Always good to have something
you can count on! We became
skilled users of the “beaver
claw,” which is basically a
glorified pitchfork used to
remove said dams.
It was while hacking away at
the concoction of mud and sticks
(which possessed a faint yet
charming aroma, reminiscent of
cow poop) packed up in front of Hannah banding geese at Big Butternut
the stoplogs, that I learned my
Lake ~Photo by Jeff Steen
first lesson about beavers—they
Continued on p.7...
President’s Corner
by David Oxendale
Well, this is my last President's
Corner message, and I wanted
to express how much I truly
enjoyed being on the FOC
Board of Directors for the last
six years, and serving this last
year as your president. Serving on the board can
be hard work, but not that hard. The other board
members have been great to work with. I want to
thank John Menge, who is also leaving the board
this term, for all of his hard work serving on the
board as president, and the last couple years as our
treasurer, which is probably the most involved
duty a board member can have. I also want to
thank Annette Mosley for being our secretary the
past couple years, and for agreeing to serve next
year as your Board of Directors president.
So much has happened in the last year: the
Land Acquisition Fund continues to grow and has
assisted in acquiring much-needed land in the
south-eastern part of Crex, as well as securing a
small parcel on Amsterdam Sloughs to ensure
continued access to that wildlife area. We should
all be grateful to John Menge and Jerry McNally
for their hard work and diligence in researching
lands for sale and acting when the time is right.
The Mess Hall project is continuing to evolve,
and we have been successful so far in raising
funds, but there is more needed!
See Steve
Hoffman’s article on the next page for more
information about the status of the Mess Hall
project.
The Big Year Challenge has been fun. My
partner Debbie and I have participated since the
beginning, as have several other members, and
though most of our bird list was acquired in the
spring, we look forward to a great fall to round
out our list and catch up with the leader. We will
be offering this again in future years, so stay
tuned!
And lastly, our new full-time Wildlife
Conservation Educator, Kristi Pupak, has worked
out well! She is lively, fun to work with, and
brings many new ideas to our education program.
I am excited to see what the future brings to the
program now that we have finally realized this
long-term goal of the Friends of Crex and for
Crex Meadows. See elsewhere in this newsletter
for all the fun programs she has planned for us
this fall!
Don’t forget to stop in at the visitor center
when you come to Crex Meadows this fall to greet
the staff and volunteers. We enjoy talking with
you when you visit. And if you can, please come
to one or more of the many programs!
Friends of Crex Board of Directors
President:
Dave Oxendale, St. Croix Falls, WI
Treasurer:
John Menge, Webster, WI
Board Members: Jim Evrard, Grantsburg, WI
Annette Mosley, Grantsburg, WI
Paul Kooiker, Grantsburg, WI
Jean Marie Waddell, Hudson, WI
Mike Prokosch, White Bear Lake, MN
The Friends of Crex, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
corporation organized for the sole charitable purpose of
supporting, assisting, and promoting the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources with wildlife education
and management activities at the Crex Meadows
Wildlife Area and the other wildlife properties
comprising Glacial Lake Grantsburg (GLG) Wildlife
Management Complex in Burnett County, Wisconsin.
Page 2
Why We Do That: New Mess Hall Closer to Reality
by Steve Hoffman, Wildlife Biologist
One goal that has moved to the top of the Crex
project list in the last year is construction of a new
mess hall. This quest began over four years ago
and has been a collaborative effort between the
Friends of Crex, Wisconsin DNR (WDNR), and
Northwest Concentrated Employment Program
(NWCEP). The project is now very close to
becoming a reality! If all goes well, we could see
ground breaking this spring.
Why does Crex need a new mess hall? The
current mess hall, which is located near the crew
office and maintenance buildings, was built in
1964. The facility is grandfathered under 1964
health codes as a seasonal camp kitchen. If any
part of the kitchen were to fail, like the stove
needing to be replaced, the whole kitchen would
need to be redone to meet current health codes, or
it would have to be shut down. Shutting down
the current kitchen would mean NWCEP’s
summer program would be curtailed, as would any
use of the building by FOC. An initial study was
done last year comparing re-modeling costs with
building a new mess hall. In the end it was
determined to be less costly to construct a new
building.
The new building would not only provide a
commercial kitchen and dining area, but it would
double as extra classroom and meeting space for
up to fifty people. Some additional office space
for staff is also planned for the building. This
facility would be open for year round use instead
of just seasonal use. A new mess hall would allow
NWCEP to continue their program of helping at
risk teens build job skills while earning a paycheck
for summer work. It would also allow the Friends
of Crex and WDNR to expand programming and
provide new program options. To some people
building a mess hall may not seem as important as
other projects we are involved with but it is
something that will definitely propel our
programming forward into the future. Much like
the construction of the Crex Education and
Visitor Center we will not truly be able to imagine
all the possibilities this new building will bring
until it is here.
The one final step in the process is to finalize
finances for the building. The total cost for the
building is slightly less than $500,000. The
WDNR has committed $250,000 toward the
project. The Friends of Crex and NWCEP are
expected to contribute $125,000 each. Currently
Friends of Crex has raised $23,000 for the project.
One of our members has generously given a
$14,000 challenge grant to the rest of the
membership. Now is the time for those of you
interested in meeting this challenge to contribute
to the cause! If you are interested in seeing the
mess hall plans or want to check on progress
please let me know. Keep watching for more
information on this project, and please consider
helping us make sure dirt is being turned on this
project next spring!
UPCOMING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
•
•
•
•
Fall Wildlife Festival: October 5, 7am to 1pm. Volunteers are needed to help with the Mess Hall Pancake
Breakfast, greeting visitors, directing traffic, and staffing the kids activity room.
Learn to Pheasant Hunt: October 11, 4:30pm to 8:30 pm and October 12 Dawn to Noon. Mentors are
needed to guide new hunters.
Crex Halloween Haunts: October 26th, 5-8pm. Volunteers are needed to help set up the pumpkin trail earlier in the day and staff the trail during the event, and to assist with children’s activities, crafts and games in
the visitor center.
Volunteer Naturalist Program: Interested in leading public tours, assisting with events, workshops and environmental education programs? Become a Volunteer Naturalist today!
Page 3
New Assistant Educator Hired
We are proud to announce that the WI-DNR has
hired another educator to work with Kristi on the
education program at the Crex Meadows Wildlife
Education and Visitor Center. Sheri Rathje has
been volunteering at Crex for the past few years,
helping out with school groups and other education
programs when we needed extra assistance. We
asked Sheri to give us a brief greeting to introduce
herself to you.
“Hi I’m Sheri , and I am excited to be working at
Crex as the Assistant Wildlife Conservation
Educator. I am a science teacher, and my family
moved to the Grantsburg area in 2010. My
husband John and I have two children, and we love
the outdoors. I am excited to be sharing my love of
the outdoors with others here at Crex Meadows.”
with Mike Lynch
Saturday, October 5th from 7pm to 9:30pm
Join meteorologist, Mike Lynch, and his arsenal of
huge scopes and state-of-the art computer
equipment at Riegel Ridge for an exciting evening of
stargazing at Crex Meadows WA. Begin with a brief
presentation at the Visitor Center, then venture into
the wildlife area. Cost $15 per person, limit of 30
people attending. Call for reservations.
To learn more about Mike Lynch and the stars, visit
www.lynchandthestars.com
For more information and to pre-register, contact Kristi Pupak, Wildlife Conservation
Educator at 715-463-2739 or email [email protected].
Page 4
Are You Getting Email Updates?
by Kim Wheeler, Friends of Crex Coordinator
If you are not getting email updates from Crex
Meadows, you are missing out on exciting events!
We regularly send emails when there are new
programs to announce, when there are rare bird
updates, and also to remind you about upcoming
programs. Sometimes we send messages about
programs at other wildlife areas in the region that
we think might be of interest to our members.
We also send this newsletter via email to members
who have requested to receive it electronically to
save paper and time.
We currently have email addresses for about
half of our FOC members and for many others
who are not members but who have asked for
updates via email.
Each time we send out a mass email, we send it
as a blind copy so that others do not see your
email address on the message. We also do not
share your email address with other groups or sell
it to marketers.
If you would like to have messages from Crex
Meadows sent to your email address, please send
an email to [email protected], or
include the email address on your membership
renewal form.
We hope that you enjoy receiving messages
from Crex Meadows!
Dave Ahlgren’s Legacy Continues at Crex Meadows
by Kim Wheeler, Friends of Crex Coordinator
Dave Ahlgren was well known in Minnesota
as “the Bluebird Guy” and spent countless hours
in his woodshop building over 80,000 bluebird
houses that were distributed throughout the state.
Between his efforts to give bluebirds a home, his
work with the MN-DNR on their Trumpeter
Swan release program, his input on Carrol
Henderson’s book Wild for Birds and many
other contributions he made to non-game wildlife
in his lifetime, Dave already left a wonderful
lasting legacy to wildlife. And now Crex Meadows
has been given an opportunity to further continue
Dave’s legacy through the generosity of his wife
Jan.
When Dave passed away in 2007, he left
behind a woodshop at their home filled with
scraps and pieces of cedar left over from making
bird houses and feeders. Jan had not known what
to do with all the wood until she saw that we were
conducting bluebird house workshops and putting
up bluebird houses along a stretch of the wildlife
area near the headquarters. She contacted us and
agreed to donate all the wood to Crex Meadows
for use in building bird houses and feeders.
Coincidentally, the new woodshop teacher in
Grantsburg had visited us just a week before Jan’s
phone call, and asked if there were projects that he
could have his students do for us. So now, we are
planning to partner with Grantsburg High School
and receive many bluebird and wood duck houses
built by the high school students for use at Crex
Meadows.
Thank you so much to Jan for continuing to
remember Crex Meadows, and a super big thanks
to Sonia Anderson, who so generously offered her
time and energy to visit Jan several times this
summer to bring us the wood a pick-up load at a
time. We appreciate you!!!
Page 5
Beavers vs. Water Control Structures
By Jeff Steen, Summer Intern
Hello! My name is Jeff Steen, and I was an
intern with Crex Meadows this summer. Every
summer interns at Crex create a summer project in
their area of interest. Being new to the area of
wildlife management, I thought it best to help
Crex Meadows with a problem species they are all
too familiar with--beavers. These mammals can be
quite a pest. They dam water control structures,
creating daily work for wildlife employees. The
dams can take anywhere from fifteen minutes to
many hours to clear manually. Many of these plugs
require heavy-duty equipment such as backhoes to
unplug them. My solution was to create a device
that could prevent beavers from building dams.
I started this endeavor by reading all about
what attracts beavers to dam certain structures.
The two items that kept popping up were the
sound of rushing water and the sense of water
flow. I narrowed my focus to the sound aspect
and asked current and past employees at Crex
which structures at Crex are most susceptible to
damming. Of those structures, I decided on Hay
Creek as the location where I would implement
my device. This structure is located off Highway F
about a half mile north of the Crex Meadows
Education Center.
Initially I devised an active system that could
broadcast the reverse sign wave of sound recorded
during real time from multiple locations around
the water control structure. This proved too
complex and expensive to undertake during a
summer internship, so it was back to the drawing
board. The second system was a passive system
that reduced sound with the aid of a wooden
structure designed to dampen the sounds as much
as possible. The system incorporated air chambers
as well as sound insulating materials such as foam
and soil that surrounded the structure. Once the
idea was in place and approved, measurements of
the structure at Hay Creek were taken, and the
device was designed on 3D design software.
When the design phase was complete, wood
was acquired from a local lumberyard. Building
began that weekend and lasted two days in the
shop, with one day of fitting the device to the Hay
Creek water structure. The fitting phase consisted
of mudding the structure into place with the
surrounding soil and sediment. Then the front and
rear plywood panels were set thirteen inches
below the waterline. This allowed for a flow rate
comparable to the flow rate of the existing control
structure. When the front and rear panels were set,
foam and soil were applied to further quiet the
structure.
My goal was to create a device, then test it to
determine its effectiveness in preventing beavers
from damming the control structures. The device
lowered the decibels (db) from 69db to 54db.
That may not seem like much, but it is actually
loudness reduction by more than half because the
Page 6
… Beavers Where Art Thou continued from p.1
decibel scale is logarithmic.
During the first week after the install, the
water control structure stayed unplugged. After
that week, the beavers acclimated to their new
“scarecrow” and damming resumed. I periodically
cleared out their dams by hand. I did find that
their dams with my device in place required much
less work to clear out compared to the vast dam
seen in the first image. Nonetheless, the
experiment showed that sound reduction alone is
not enough to prevent beavers from damming a
control structure.
This project was a great opportunity to build
and design a device to my own specifications. If I
were to work on beaver dam prevention again, I
would either focus on a device that would deter
the beavers through positive and negative
reinforcement, or design an entirely new water
control structure.
lodges for myself!
Truck and kayak were my two exploration
methods of choice. Some lodges I could easily
spot from the road (without even having to crawl
on the roof with binoculars). Take Phantom Lake
or Currey Pond for example. You needn’t leave
the comfort of your vehicle to see these lodges!
They are only a few yards off the road, in plain
sight. Other lodges took a little more effort. I
had to kayak into Lower Hay Creek to discover
that mansion of a beaver lodge—which came as
no surprise considering the Lower Hay Creek
flowage is one of the most chronically dammed.
All I have to say on that matter is: Thank God for
backhoes!
With all said and done, I counted sixteen lodges
and two sites where beavers were in the water but
I couldn’t find a lodge, making for a grand total of
eighteen presumed beaver colonies on Crex. Using Kohn’s conversion factor of 4.5 beavers per
colony, I estimated the summer 2013 beaver
population for Crex Meadows to be eighty-one!
Despite my best efforts to expose these sneaky
critters, however, I am sure there are more lodges
that I missed (not to mention bank burrows).
When I first came to Crex in May, the flowages
were wide open water. But by the time late June
rolled around and I finally got my ducks in a row
to start looking for lodges, the same flowages that
were open water a month prior had since transformed into lilypad-covered cattail forests and
sedge savannas, making my quest to find beaver
lodges all the more challenging.
Complications aside, I saw tons of amazing
wildlife and experienced many a Crex sunset.
Getting ambushed by two otters that swam under
my kayak on Dike 6 was probably the highlight of
my beaver-scouting adventures (so cool!) I think
it’s safe to say there are much worse ways I could
have spent my summer. I plan to return to Crex
later this fall to count beaver lodges from a plane
and possibly find some of the ones I missed!
Page 7
Many Ways to Donate to Crex
by Kim Wheeler, Friends of Crex Coordinator
It is always difficult to think about what will
become of our material goods when we die, or how
to honor our loved ones when they pass away. But
it is something we will all have to do eventually.
One way that you may continue to support Crex
Meadows Wildlife Area even after you are gone is
to leave a bequest in your will, or if that is not
possible, to make sure your family knows that you
want a gift made to the Friends of Crex in your
memory (and ask them to state that in your
obituary).
Many of our members have already been
remembered through memorials. In 2012, we
received over $7000 in memorial donations. Some
of our deceased members (Tom Arnold, Blair
Klein, Richard Hartzell and Kathleen Kingman)
had asked that memorials go directly to the Friends’
Endowment Fund, and others just asked that
donations go to the Friends of Crex (, Gerald
Kimball, Lyman Lang). Memorial donations not
specified to a specific fund are placed into the
general fund, which supports the day-to-day
operations of the Friends of Crex as well as the
education program at Crex Meadows. We have
received several memorial gifts thus far in 2013,
including donations remembering Jim Childs,
Richard Thompson, E.J. Phelps, and Lee Wells
Booth.
Remembering us in your will is a way to be sure
that your legacy will live on through the
programming at Crex Meadows. We received a
$1000 bequest from Keith Malmquist in his will last
year, and this year the Friends of Crex is a
beneficiary of two separate bequests; one for over
$65,000 from the Joy Joslin estate, and another
from the Eunice Kanne estate for somewhere
around $1000.
Another way to memorialize or honor a loved
one is to purchase a brick to be used to pave the
front walk of the visitor center. One family last
year bought a brick to remember a family member
who had passed away, and then decided to
purchase eight more bricks to surround the first
one with the names of all of her loved ones. Brick
purchases benefit the Endowment Fund, and they
help to memorialize a loved one for many decades
at Crex Meadows. Of course, bricks may be
purchased in honor of living loved ones as well, as
was done last year by Ronald Raymond to honor
his newborn grandchild -- the 9th brick he has
purchased to honor his family.
A new option for remembering a loved one at
Crex Meadows is (some) the funding of one of
several Aldo Leopold-style benches that a local
Boy Scout, Zach Manley, from Mora MN, is
building for his Eagle Scout project. Once they
are completed, we will offer these benches to
interested donors in return for a generous
donation to our Endowment Fund. Nine benches
will be available, and the donors will be able to
choose text to put on a metal plate attached to the
bench. The benches will be placed throughout
Crex Meadows and Fish Lake Wildlife Areas,
where they will be seen and appreciated by our
visitors. More information will be made available
soon about this program, including what the
minimum donation amount will be, and where the
benches will be placed. A sample of the bench,
funded and built by the family of David and Paulie
Kratchmer, can be seen at the rest area.
There are so many other ways to donate to
Crex Meadows, including volunteering to help
with Spring Cleanup or the Fall Wildlife Festival,
staffing the front desk, and helping with
programming at Crex. Each year, volunteers
collectively donate thousands of hours of their
time to Crex. We also receive donated items to
use for our displays or for educational purposes,
books for our library, and sometimes even items
to sell in our gift shop. Each of these things that
are so generously given to Crex help to further our
mission to promote wildlife and wildlife
management at Crex Meadows.
More information about how to donate to the
Friends of Crex may be found at our website:
www.crexmeadows.org/donations or by calling us
at 715-463-2739.
Page 8
Page 9
Leopold Education Project
(LEP) Educator Workshop
Saturday, November 2nd, 2013, 9:00 am to 3:30 pm
At the Crex Meadows Wildlife Education and Visitor Center
“Once you learn to read the
land, I have no fear of what
you will do to it, or with it.
And I know many pleasant
things it will do to you.” ~
Aldo Leopold
This workshop is geared for School Teachers, Camp Counselors, Extension
Agents, Environmental Educators and anyone who wants to educate the
next generation about conservation stewardship and land ethics are
encouraged to attend.
Fee: $25
The LEP curriculum, Lessons in Land Ethic, is an innovative, interdisciplinary
conservation ethics curriculum targeted to grades 6-12, adaptable to
grades 4 and 5, but the workshop is open to anyone interested in learning
more about fostering a relationship between our youth and the natural
world. The workshop provides valuable lesson plans and techniques that
can be used to deepen student’s awareness. The curriculum uses classic
environmental literary work, Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, to reach
students with a conservation ethics message that strives to instill an
appreciation for the land community.
Pre-registration and payment
required. Maximum of 15
participants.
** Checks should be made payable
to “Friends of Crex”. Registration
deadline is Friday, October 25th.
For more information and to
register, contact Kristi Pupak,
Wildlife Conservation Educator at
715-463-2739 or
[email protected].
Program includes a copy of A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold,
Lessions in a Land Ethic: Teacher’s Guide and Student Activities; LEP Task
Cards; and curriculum CD. Lunch will be provided.
2013 Photo Contest Results
The results are in for the 2013 Photo Contest. Gary Meyer
of Wyoming, MN took 1st place for Birds with his photo,
Swan Family Out For A Swim, as well as First place in the
Black and White category with Ghost of Phantom Lake.
First Place for Insects was Karner Close-up by Kim
Wheeler, Grantsburg, WI, and First place for the Wildlife
category was Raccoon by Susan Zieke, Spooner, WI.
Debbie Meyer of Wyoming, MN placed first in the Flowers
BEST IN SHOW: North Refuge Sunrise by Al MuelCategory with her Wood Lily photo. First Place for the
ler of Winona, MN
Macro Category was Grasshopper Hitchin' A Ride by Sandy
Brooks, Forest Lake, MN, and First place in the Landscape
category and Best In Show was Al Mueller from Winona, MN for his Borth Refuge Sunrise Photo. For full
results and thumbnail photos of the 1st through 3rd place winners, see our website
www.crexmeadows.org.
Page 10
Consider Giving the Gift of Crex
As a member of Friends of Crex, you understand the value of all the benefits of membership:
·10% discount in the Bog Shoe Gift Shop
·Free access to wildlife viewing and photography blinds
·The Friends of Crex newsletter 3 times each year
·Invitations to special events
·Free or discounted admission to many of the education programs
·The knowledge that you are supporting wildlife management and education programs at Crex
Now you can share these benefits with your friends and relatives! Simply fill out the form below to purchase
a gift membership and we will customize a letter to the recipient stating that you purchased a membership
for them and provide more information about Crex Meadows. This would make an excellent gift for
birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and more! AND you can choose whether we send you the annual
renewal or send it to the new member.
If the recipient is already a current member of the Friends of Crex, we will extend their membership for the
length of time you choose, and will still send a letter to them on your behalf.
Friends of Crex Membership & Renewal Form
MEMBER INFORMATION
New Member ______________ Renewal ________________ Gift Membership ________________
Name(s)_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
City___________________________________________________________________ State____________ ZIP____________________
Telephone___________________________________
Email ___________________________________________________________
(We email rare bird alerts, updates on upcoming events, etc. to those who provide their email addresses. We do not share mail lists with other organizations)
________ PLEASE SEND ME THE NEWSLETTER AND OTHER NOTICES BY EMAIL
MEMBERSHIP LEVEL
1 Year
2 Year
5 Year
(please
Individual:
$15.00
$25.00
$60.00
*FOR PATRON & NEW LIFE MEMBERS
circle)
Family:
$22.00
$35.00
$80.00
*Patron:
$55.00
$100.00
$225.00
Please send me the following Thank You gift:
___ Roadside Wildflowers of Glacial Lakes
Grantsburg
*Life: One time charge of $350 or $120/year
for 3 years
$120
DONATION TO ENDOWMENT FUND:
$______________________
DONATION TO LAND ACQUISITION FUND:
$______________________
___ The Crex Meadows video series on DVD
Double or triple your
donation at no extra cost!
Memberships and donations are
100% tax-deductible and may
qualify for your employer’s
TOTAL DUE (Membership Dues + Donations): $_____________________
matching gifts program. Check with
your HR department at work for
IF THIS IS A GIFT MEMBERSHIP, PLEASE INCLUDE THE PURCHASER’S INFORMATION BELOW:
more information about their
matching gifts program.
Name(s)______________________________________________________________________________
DONATION TO MESS HALL FUND:
$______________________
Address ______________________________________________________________________________
City__________________________________________ State____________ ZIP____________________
Telephone___________________________________
___ send me the renewal
Email __________________________________
___ send the new member the renewal
Page 11
RETURN TO:
Friends of Crex
102 East Crex Avenue
Grantsburg, WI 54840
Thank you! Donations and Memberships April 1—September 4, 2013
$100-$499
Corn, Stewart and Ferrari, Ellen
Gilliland, Foster & Gail
$500-$999
Anonymous
In Memory of Richard D
Thompson
Flanigan, Wanda
Peterson, Gail & Judith
Thompson, Robert & Carolyn
$1000-$4999
Malmquist, Max
Petraske, Harold & Gretchen
$5000+
Pusch, Joachim & Evelyn
Mess Hall
$10- $99
Anderson, Lois
Dorff, Jerry and Chesnik, Marilyn
Freese, Eldon & Joanne
Grantsburg High School Staff
Hammer, Russ & Deb
Hoffman, Steve & Mary
Ostovich, Karen & Steve
$100-$499
Kooiker, Paul & Marilyn in memory of
Lyman Lang
Malmquist, Max
Melquist, Eddie
Springett, Jim & Marge
$5000+
Anderson, Don & Lucy
$5000+
Joy Joslin estate
Other Items
Evrard, Shirley for gift shop items
Mosley, Annette for gift shop
items
Mosley, Courtney for gift shop
items
Fagerberg, John for taxidermy
New Members
Anderson, Elizabeth
Benson, Ted
Bloom, Tom
Burtman, Terry & Elaine
Chase, Paul
Christianson, Barbara
Cumming, Brian
Daken, Elaine
DeHaan, Adam
Grimes, Nancy
Hess, Joy & Robert
Holm, Katelin
Johnson, Peter & Juduth
Kieffer, Nicolas
Kregness, David
Kub, Gayle
Levin, Bridget & Ross
Murton, Gail & Connell, Doug
Ostovich, Karen & Steve
Sundberg, Debra
Vinak, Joe
New and Renewing Patron
Members
Olson Genaw, Jill
Reese, Mike
Vogtschaller, Ann & Jeff
New Life Members
Lewis, Judy & Steve
Samuelson, Sharon & John
General Fund/Other Donations
$10- $99
Gilbertson, Eric & Donna in memory of
Lyman Lang
Grantsburg Historical Society
102 East Crex Ave.
In Memory of Jim Childs
Alsaker, Kay
Amidon, Stanley & Donna
Barber, Joanne & James
Booker, Nancy
Brown, Doug & Bowman, Rose
Brown, Gus & Nancy
Childs, Kay D
Davis, Richard & Elaine
Devic, Donna & William
Dockendorf, William & Laurie
$100-$499
Corbett, Jeff
www.crexmeadows.org
$1000-$4999
Malmquist, Max
Petraske, Harold & Gretchen
Land Acquisition Fund
$10- $99
Berger, Chris for Bobby and
Stephanie Griffiths
Buckmaster, Beth, for Edward
Buckmaster
Buckmaster, Deborah for John
Dorsey
Evenson, David & Shirley Anne
Harmon Jr, Robert
Irish, Bob & Millie
Knabe, Jerome & Carol
Kratchmer, David & Paulie from
their kids
Olsen, Lorain
Olsen, Scott & Judy
Pelton, Wendy
Stoll, Paul
Ward, Gil & Dorothy
Grantsburg, WI 54840
$100-$499
Fox, Jim & Stephanie
Grantsburg Associates in memory
of Edmund J Phelps, Jr.
Grantsburg Associates in memory
of Lee Wells Booth
Moorehead, Julie & Duaine
Mulvihik in honor of David &
Paulie Kratchmer
Olson, Brett & Jacqueline in honor
of David & Paulie Kratchmer
Salmon, Amanda & Shawn in
honor of David & Paulie
Kratchmer
Semotink, Alison
WI Sharp-tailed Grouse Society
Frisch, Billie Jean
Hanson, Aarin & Amy
Huberty, Alan & Margaret
Miller, Maurice
Oslund, Leonard & Susan
Phelps, Bob & Rosemary
Planer, Rebecca
Romo, Larry & Sharon
Rossi, Douglas & Joyce
Rossi, Scott & Cheryl
Sahjenker, Fern
Schmidt, Linda
Slater, Roger & Kay
Sween, William
Thompson, Gary & Denise
Thompson, Jill
Worwa, Dennis & Mary
Young, Dee
Zaspel, Edward & JoAnn
Printed on recycled paper
Endowment Fund
$10- $99
Angell, David & Joan
Wild Ones St Croix Oak Savannah
in appreciation of Alan Roelfs
Twenty-ninth Annual Friends of Crex Membership Meeting
Sunday, September 15, 2013, 1 pm.
Crex Meadows Wildlife Education and Visitor Center
Please join us for our 29th Annual Membership Meeting. This is your chance to get all the latest
news about Crex Meadows, the Education Center, and the Friends of Crex.
The meeting includes updates of all the happenings with the Friends of Crex and the Education
Center. It also includes an election for our Board of Directors and, of course, door prizes. The
social hour, following the meeting, provides a good opportunity to catch up with old friends and
visit with other members of our organization. Afterward, join us for treats and coffee in the
classroom.
One of our summer interns, Hannah White, will be presenting a program about her summer
project, which was to determine the actual number of beavers present on Crex Meadows Wildlife
Area. She will also give us insight as to what being an intern at Crex Meadows is really like.
Come learn more than you thought you knew about beavers at Crex Meadows.
We have two positions to fill on our Board of Directors. Please fill out the ballot below.
Individual Members get 1 vote, Family, Patron and Life Members get two votes. We are asking
Alan Roelfs to return to the board as our treasurer, a position he held for six years when he served
on the board in the past. Alan is a retired plant pathologist who has continued to volunteer at
Crex for the past several years as our gardener and at the front desk, as well as anything else that
needs to be done. We are also asking Dick Sandve, a FOC member from Minneapolis, MN to join
the board for the first time. Dick is also retired, and is an avid birder and wonderful front desk
volunteer, who also leads birding tours at Crex Meadows.
Renewal Notice:
We want to remind you that memberships expire on October 1 (check the label on your newsletter
to see if your membership expires this year). If you wish to renew your membership, you may do
so at the meeting or mail in your renewal from page 11 of the newsletter. Thanks!
Ballot – Friends of Crex Board of Directors
Vote for two:
_______ Alan Roelfs
_____________________ other (write in name)
_______ Dick Sandve
Please bring your ballot to the meeting or send to: Friends of Crex, 102 East Crex Ave.,
Grantsburg, WI 54840, posted before September 11 to ensure that we receive it in time.
The Friends of Crex invites you to the 4th annual
Land Acquisition Fund Benefit Dinner
Saturday, October 12, 2013, 6:00—9:00 PM
At the Crex Meadows Wildlife Education and Visitor Center
Join us for the cocktail hour at 6pm, followed by dinner at 7pm. Dinner will include
homemade bread, salad, beef brisket, potatoes and vegetables, and pie.
Our speaker for the evening is Paul D. Nelson, author
of 'The Greatest Single Industry?' Crex: Created Out of
Nothing, the feature article in the Winter 2006
Ramsey County History magazine. Paul grew up in a
small town in northeastern Ohio. Paul is a graduate of
the University of MN law school, and has worked as a
lawyer, a teacher, and a college administrator. He
began writing local history in 1992, with a story about
World War I. Since then he has written about Indian
burial mounds, a vanished city park, a vanished city neighborhood, a smallpox epidemic,
ornamental stone, public sculpture, juvenile crime in the 19th century, Minnesota's first black
lawyer, and, of course, the Crex Carpet Company.
Tickets for this dinner are $50 per person. There is a limit of 70 seats.
The registration deadline is October 5, unless we fill up early.
Please detach the form below and return to:
Friends of Crex, 102 E Crex Ave, Grantsburg, WI 54840
Name(s) _______________________________________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________________________________
City ______________________________________ State ___________ ZIP ________________
Phone ______________________ Email ____________________________________________
___ I/We will attend. # People ______ Enclosed is $ ____________ ($50/person)
___ I/We would like to make an additional donation of $ ___________ to the Land Acquisition Fund.
-or___ I/We cannot attend, but I would like to donate $ ______________ to the Land Acquisition Fund.
Please make checks out to Friends of Crex. To pay by credit card, please call us at 715-463-CREX .
ABOUT THE FRIENDS OF CREX LAND ACQUISITION FUND
Crex Meadows: not all public land
When Crex Meadows was established in 1946, a Project Boundary was drawn around property that
would create the most effective and productive wildlife area. At the present time the DNR owns
28,259 acres of the 31, 094 acres that lie within the project boundary. The DNR has made a
continuous effort to purchase remaining private land as it becomes available, but for a variety of
reasons it is becoming more difficult for the DNR to purchase property.
Land Acquisition Fund:
The Friends of Crex has established a fund to help the DNR purchase key properties within and near
the boundaries of the Glacial Lakes Grantsburg Wildlife Areas (Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, Amsterdam
Sloughs and Danbury). To date, we have raised over $130,000 for Land Acquisition use. We need
much more than this in order to achieve all of our Land Acquisition goals.
How it works
A variety of methods are used to help the state obtain critical lands. The funds may be used as
collateral to obtain Stewardship grants and grants from other organizations to purchase lands that
would be donated to the WI-DNR. The funds may also be used outright to purchase land, with the
understanding that the WI-DNR will eventually purchase these lands from us.
You can “Own” Crex Meadows
The original land at Crex Meadows cost the State of
Wisconsin $30 per acre. Each donor who gives $30 or
more will receive an honorary deed to current Crex
Meadows property (at the current average rate of
$1500/acre, $30 would “buy” 870 square feet) which will
include coordinates to your property. Each summer, we
also host a Landowner’s Picnic at the rest area for all of
our “land owners”.
Any donation of $30 or more (NOT including your dinner reservation), qualifies for a land deed.
Please specify on your donation how you want your name displayed on the Land Deed.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for your donation
and for your ongoing and generous support of all the
efforts of the Friends of Crex.
Crex Meadows Wildlife Area
102 East Crex Avenue Grantsburg,WI 54840
Calendar
Calenda
dar o
of Events
Fall 2013
For more information, contact:
Kristi Pupak, Wildlife Conservation Educator
715 -463-2739 or [email protected]
www.crexmeadows.org/
Big Year Birding Challenge January - December
Identify birds by sight or sound on Crex Meadows WA, Fish Lake WA, Amsterdam Sloughs WA or Danbury
WA. Further details of the Big Year Birding Challenge please e-mail: [email protected]
4-H Outdoor Skills Club
2013 – 2014 September – May
6 pm – 7:30 pm
Join Crex Meadows WA and Burnett County Cooperative Extension Service for the 2013 – 2014 4 – H
Outdoor Skills Club! Each meeting will focus on natural sciences and study topics such as outdoor
education, forestry and aquatic science. Meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of each month at
Crex Meadows WA. Crex Meadows WA welcomes youth ages 9 – 18 who are interested in conservation
projects, FREE of charge. Parents encouraged. Sign up at the next meeting!
Crex Photo Club
September 14, October 12, November 9
10 am - 12 pm
Learn more about digital photography with the Crex Photo Club. Share images taken at Crex Meadows WA
and the surrounding area with fellow photographers to learn new techniques.
WDNR Hunter Safety Education
September 9 – 14
6 pm – 9 pm
Class is a requirement to purchase any hunting license in Wisconsin for anyone born on or after Jan. 1,
1973. Please call Chris Spaight, WDNR Conservation Warden, at 715-463-2900 to sign up. Class is limited to
35 students.
Wild Rice Processing & Demonstration
Saturday, September 14
10 am - 1 pm
Join the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission to discuss the ecology, harvesting, and finishing of
wild rice. If interested in finishing your own rice, reservations for a half hour time slot are required. If you
are just interested in learning more about wild rice, come whenever between 10 and 1 pm. FREE
demonstrations.
Friends of Crex Annual Membership
Sunday, September 15
1 pm
The Annual Membership Meeting will include a review of the Friends of Crex finances and activities in the
past year, as well as a presentation about being an Intern at Crex Meadows by 2013 Summer Intern
Hannah White.
Wolf Trapper Education
Saturday, September 21
9 am - 4 pm
The department has developed voluntary training workshops for those with a permit and plans to attempt
to trap a wolf. Fee: $15 For more information and to pre-register, please contact John Irwin, Wolf Trapper
Education Coordinator, at 715-341-7596.
Grantoberfest
Saturday, September 21
10 am – 4 pm
WDNR Staff and FOC volunteers will be showcasing an interactive display at Grantoberfest held at the
Grantsburg Fairgrounds. Come visit our booth to make your own track stamp book.
Mushroom Identification Talk & Tour
Saturday, September 28
10 am - 12 pm
Meet at the Crex Meadows Wildlife Education Center to explore the mysterious world of fungi with
volunteer expert John Menge.
Sunset with the Sandhills Tours
October 4, October 11, October 19
5 pm - Sunset
Meet at the Center then car-pool through the wildlife area to watch the Sandhill Cranes fly in from their
day-time feeding grounds to their nightly roasting grounds. Led by expert birder volunteers. $5/person.
Pre-registration required. The first 10 people may reserve space in the van.
Fall Wildlife Fest
Saturday, October 5
7 am – 1 pm
st
Get outside and go WILD at the 31 Annual Fall Wildlife Fest. The event will feature a pancake breakfast,
tours, hikes, animal exhibits, guest speakers, hands on demonstrations, raffles, silent auctions, and
children’s activities. Admission: Free
Star Party
Saturday, October 5
7 pm – 10:30 pm
Join Mike Lynch and his arsenal of huge scopes and state-of-the art computer equipment for an exciting
evening of stargazing. We will begin with a brief presentation at the Center, then venture into the wildlife
area to Riegel Ridge. Cost $15 per person, limit of 30 people attending. Call for reservations.
Learn to Pheasant Hunt
October 11 - 12
4:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Dawn – 12 pm
Participants must have graduated a hunter’s safety course. Course will entail a classroom session, trap
shoot and live pheasant hunt with a mentor. Ammunition, lunch, and dinner is included. Cost $10. Space
limited. Pre-registration required. Open to any individual with no pheasant hunting experience. Parents or
legal guardians are encouraged to participate.
Land Acquisition Benefit Dinner
Saturday, October 12
6 pm – 9
Join us for the cocktail hour at 6 pm, followed by dinner at 7 pm and a presentation about the Crex Carpet
Company by Paul Nelson at 8 pm. The Friends of Crex has established the Land Acquisition Fund to help the
DNR purchase key properties within the boundaries of the Glacial Lakes Grantsburg Wildlife Areas. Tickets
for this dinner are $50 per person. Limit: 70 seats. Registration deadline: October 5th, or when full.
Thousand Dollar Club
Friday, October 18
5 pm – 9 pm
Donors of $1,000 or more, in a calendar year, to the Friends of Crex are invited to a three hour event,
which includes wine, hors d'ouveres, a private tour of the wildlife area and a gourmet dinner. This is an
invitation only event.
Pumpkin Carving
Wednesday, October 23
6 pm
Get in the spooky spirit with a hands-on carving night for kids and families. In preparation for Crex
Halloween Haunts event, we plan to carve 100 pumpkins! Can’t make it? Pick up a load of pumpkins and
bring them back as jack- o-lanterns!
Crex Halloween Haunts
Saturday, October 26
5 pm – 8 pm
A Fun Filled Family Evening! Hike the glowing trail behind the visitor center lit up by Jack-O’Lanterns.
Learn about creepy-crawly animals found at Crex Meadows, fall crafts, and seasonal treats. Wear your
costumes! Fun for all ages!
Leopold Education Project (LEP) Workshop
Saturday, November 2
9 am – 3:30 pm
This workshop is geared for School Teachers, Camp Counselors, Extension Agents, Environmental
Educators and anyone who wants to educate the next generation about conservation steward-ship and
land ethics are encouraged to attend this workshop. Workshops participants will receive: A copy of A Sand
County Almanac by Aldo Leopold; Lessons in a Land Ethic: Teacher’s Guide and Student Activities; LEP Task
Cards; and curriculum CD. Lunch provided. Fee: $25.00 Pre-registration & payment required. Checks
should be made payable to “Friends of Crex.” Registration deadline is Friday, October 25th,
2013.Maximum of 15 participants.