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Conservation Congress 2024 Results

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Thanks to all of you who participated in the DNR's Spring Conservation Congress Hearing and Expressions of Opinion (the DNR and Conservation Congress doesn't like to call the voting voting). With the help of conservation organizations such as Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance and folks like you, we might have made some progress on some important issues. 

Photo by Arlene Koziol

First, the good news

The report on the search for rare plants is well written and illustrated. And hopeful. The facts that dozens of volunteers are willing to be trained and then spend hours or days searching for these rare plants and that they find many show that the conservation ethic is alive and well in Wisconsin and that Nature always has some pleasant surprises.

Photo by John Winder FCC

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Abundance and Exhaustion

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The tree has just started blooming with a most pleasant and lovely surprise. This abundance has produced temporary exhaustion. I've been running back and forth from the tree to the computer in the basement bunker, trying to identify these beautiful butterflies.

Photo by Pat Hasburgh

How do I handle a bird nest in an inconvenient spot?

How do I handle a bird nest in an inconvenient spot?

Remember: “If you find a nest, leaving it alone is best!” And required—it is against the law to remove or destroy a nest if there are eggs in it or if young birds depend upon it for survival, under the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Photo via Pixabay

Avian Influenza in Wisconsin

Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 virus (HPAI) is active in southern Wisconsin. HPAI is a deadly viral disease that infects the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts of birds. It has most significantly affected domestic poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks) and farms may suffer rapid spread and high mortality rates. Wild birds can be infected and carry the virus too. Read this post to learn more about HPAI and what you can do to limit risk and spread.

Photo via Pixabay