Project: Green Lake County
County: Green Lake
Project End Date: 02/28/2018
By Peter Ziegler, Project Director
We had some more crazy February weather last month, but the migratory birds don’t seem to mind and are right on schedule. I have spotted cranes and Common Mergansers as they return and the increased numbers of Canada Geese and Mallards have been experiencing fine dining in the flooded fields of southern Wisconsin.
Though the weather seems mild the past few weeks, we still have 12-20 inches of frost in most areas around the state. Luckily this held up as the 70,000 lb. machine we had working in Green Lake County last week needed the help. The necessary frost was in fine form with no indication of leaving anytime soon. We were able to plug the outlets of three ditches draining a large wetland area which will increase hydroperiods and create some open water habitat where none exists.
This project really went faster than expected as we were able to work with a few neighbors to secure access. Sometimes it is the small things that make the work go more smoothly that we don’t normally think about, but without this cooperation we would have had to track nearly a mile into the project site and at 1 mph on an excavator that can take some time.
I will be moving toward project reviews and continuing surveys over the next month for upcoming projects this year. Keep your eyes open birds are returning and it is always fun to see them in their full breeding plumage.