Project: Statewide Wildlife Areas
County: Multiple
By Mike Alaimo, Lead AWA Volunteer
Seems like a tough thing… passing up the opportunity to hunt waterfowl, but that is what I did this year. Maybe it was the warmer weather, the thought of swatting bugs, being able to soak a line in the morning sun, or just a busy holiday weekend. Regardless, this was the flip of the switch, and maybe this is what I was blocking out in my mind. Summer is over. The kids are heading back to school and birds are flocking up. Orioles that have vanished through the summer heat are once again gorging on my jelly feeder. AWA activities will keep on progressing, but at a much slower pace. Snow and ice will mark our transition back to the marshes and wood lots for our biggest projects of the year.
Updates:
The WI DNR has requested assistance in reviewing an online site for posting AWA hours for volunteers. This is a major step forward, as reporting is now done via paper and email. Contract dates are varied throughout the calendar year and annual reports in January are hard to tally. As part of the new system, hours can be reported at any time. It will allow the WI DNR to track all AWA sites through the calendar year. We should be honored to be one of the first to trial the website. I will have more to report coming soon…after I get my first test drive.
2018 Chainsaw training at George W. Mead wildlife area
Chain Saw Training: After cancelling the training in August, the event is rescheduled for December 7, 2019. The day will involve classroom instruction in the morning and a work project for the afternoon. Additional volunteers will be needed in the afternoon as well that are already chain saw certified or willing to help move brush and branches. All work will be done in the Lake Mills Wildlife Area, with classroom instruction at the Sandy Beach Road DNR station. Please contact me at malaimo73@gmail.com for more information.
Boot Cleaning Stations: Ahead of the Early Teal and Goose Seasons, four stations were installed in the Lake Mills and Rome Pond WA areas. Stations were added to Rome Pond, Prince’s Point, Bean Lake and a canoe access for Mud Lake and Lower Rock. Please remember to clean your gear this fall and use these stations when available. This weekend was a reminder about hitchhikers, which are not just the plants and vegetation. Invasive species like zebra mussels hitch a ride on these plants as well.
