Dear Friend,

I hope you had a great holiday season with your loved ones and enjoyed your time off. The past year was a fantastic one for WCLC, and 2018 will be even better!
 
We have some great news to share! A badger was photographed on a WCLC property by UW-Milwaukee students who were developing a land management plan for the property. In addition, we also have a beautiful collection of photographs from our Hartland Marsh Preserve from the Wisconsin Images for Conservation (WIIFC) photo competition.
 
The annual meeting is quickly approaching. Saving the Mighty Oaks of Waukesha County is the focus of this year’s program. Aaron Feggestad, a leading restoration ecologist, will share the importance of protecting and restoring the globally imperiled oak ecosystems by highlighting successful restoration efforts that have included passionate WCLC members Jacki Lewis, Dick Adduci, Pamela Meyer, and Barb and Andy Holtz. Please consider forwarding this eNews to your friends.
 
I hope you have a great year, and I look forward to seeing you at our annual meeting.
 
Sincerely,
Cheryl White
Executive Director
SAVING THE MIGHTY OAKS PRESENTER AARON FEGGESTAD

Aaron oversees ecological restoration projects for Stantec ’s ecosystem-restoration group. He has overseen the restoration of thousands of acres of the globally imperiled oak ecosystems and oak-prairie landscapes throughout the upper Midwest.
 
Aaron cares about and feels a deep connection to oak ecosystems and oak-prairie landscapes. Like many who care deeply about nature, his passion was born as a child with his days spent playing among the majestic oaks near the Rock River in south-central Wisconsin. These early memories continue to sustain Aaron with a sense of place because oaks make him feel at home. At times, he pauses to think about all the events—passersby, sunsets, storms, wildlife—that our old oaks have witnessed. That connection continues to fuel his career as a restoration ecologist and as an advocate for the preservation of oaks and natural spaces. Little did Aaron know that the oak trees that had made a natural theater for him as a young child would face such perilous threats and make his career work so important.
 
Make your reservation today.

  $50.00 per reservation | Open to the public

UW-MILWAUKEE STUDENTS & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
The WCLC and UW-Milwaukee have worked closely to ensure that students are gaining meaningful hands-on experiences. For their senior capstone projects, Chris Hoppe, Nash Firebaugh, Oliver Kemp, and Halley Minser, led by Dr. Neal O’Reilly, created land management plans for one of the WCLC’s properties.
 
To do that, the team needed a full understanding of the wildlife and native plant communities on the WCLC’s property. The team found evidence of badgers on the preserve , so members set up trail cameras and shot some amazing photos. More photos will be shared at our annual meeting!
 
Thanks to the dedication, knowledge, and guidance of Dr. O’Reilly, the students were able to gain an invaluable experience and help the WCLC better care for its land.
HARTLAND MARSH & THE WIIFC
PHOTO COMPETITION
Hartland Marsh is a 180-acre nature preserve protected in partnership by the Waukesha County Land Conservancy, Ice Age Trail Alliance, and the Village of Hartland. The property is known for the Bark River that meanders throughout the protected area and its oak woodland communities.
 
This beautiful preserve provides the residents of Hartland with wonderful nature-based recreational opportunities such as hiking and birding. In the coming year, the partners protecting the land plan to repair and replace 395 feet of boardwalk to allow even more people to enjoy this beautiful property.
 
Hartland Marsh was part of the Wisconsin Images for Conservation Photography Tour , a conservation event created to communicate the great diversity and majesty of wildlife living on the preserved lands of Wisconsin.
 
The primary purpose of the photography tour is to create a visual inventory of the biodiversity of each region selected and to produce quality photographs that convey the value of nature and the importance of habitat conservation.
 
Stay tuned: We will be hosting a tour of the preserve in the spring!
THANK YOU, 25th ANNIVERSARY SPONSORS
WILDLIFE ENTHUSIAST
Carol & Tom Ehrsam
ECOLOGIST
Faye Gehl Conservation Foundation
Shawn Graff & Cheryl White
BENEFACTOR
Good Tree Service Company