Dear Friend,
Springtime is an exciting time of year. Our preserves are bursting with new life, birds are migrating back, and our stewardship and restoration efforts are beginning. While you wait for warmer weather to arrive, check out the beautiful prairie trillium and other spring ephemerals at WCLC-owned natural areas.
In this newsletter, you’ll learn about how we’re working with Carroll University students, about our partnership with Waukesha County Parks and our joint wetland-monitoring training sessions, and about an exciting new opportunity for private landowners to get restoration funding from the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association.
Our annual meeting is coming up on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. Be sure to make your reservations soon—last year, we sold out and had to turn people away. While you’re at it, sign up for WCLC’s spring preserve tours and check out our volunteer workday schedule.
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Stay warm,

Cheryl White
Executive Director
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Carroll University students brave the cold for the love of science
Identifying winter trees—without their leaves
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On February 14, led by their professor Dr. Todd Levine, Dr. Dan Carter of SEWRPC, and WCLC’s conservation manager Meghan Wersel, twenty Carroll University students set off for a morning of winter-tree identification at Hartland Marsh.
After receiving instruction from Dan, the students put their new skills into action, collecting data about the trees in Hartland Marsh’s oak savanna. These young professionals learned hands-on conservation skills, and the valuable data they collected will be integrated into our land-management plans and shared with our conservation partners.
To learn more about our restoration efforts at Hartland Marsh, check out our
Adopt-a-Preserve program
.
While you're waiting for spring to arrive, try identifying some trees in your neighborhood.
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Our 2019 annual meeting is around the corner
RSVP soon—tickets are going fast
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You’re invited to our 2019 annual meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, March 13 at 5:00 p.m. at the Delafield Hotel. Make your reservations soon; the deadline,
Monday, March 4
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is fast approaching. We’ll honor the legacy of Ellen Gennrich and Susan Marguet, who are stepping down from the WCLC board. Geoffrey Bishop, world-renowned and local environmental educator, will give a brief talk about the importance of connecting young people with nature.
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Ellen accepting funds to purchase Martin's Woods, our very first property, in 1993
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Ellen at WCLC's 2018 annual meeting
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Wetland-restoration funding available for private landowners
Partnerships bring benefits to our neighbors
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Do you own a degraded wetland, wet spot, or area that sometimes ponds water? Eighty-five percent of restorable wetlands in Wisconsin are privately owned, and these might qualify for restoration funding from the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association (WWA), a non-profit organization dedicated to wetland restoration. The WWA has restored thousands of acres in Wisconsin and has worked closely with numerous land trusts, including WCLC, over its 35-year history. WWA will assess the potential of the wetland, complete all technical and permitting processes necessary to restore it, and provide funding toward the groundwork.
If you think you have a qualifying wetland, contact Peter Ziegler, Project Director, at 262-470-4301 or
wwawetlands@gmail.com
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Citizen-science makes a splash in Waukesha County
Integrating smart science into wetland-monitoring training
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Julia Robson
Conservation Biologist, Waukesha County Parks
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"Tank" the tiger salamander
Retzer Nature Center
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One of the best scientists in the region, Julia Robson—Waukesha County Parks’ (WCP) conservation biologist and WCLC land-management committee member—and her team at Retzer Nature Center held the first wetland-monitoring training sessions of 2019 in February. One-hundred-and-sixteen people attended to learn how to monitor wetland species across ours and WCP’s preserves. This is one example of how we’re collaborating with our partners in conservation and environmental education to maximize our impact and efficiency, reduce redundant efforts, and engage citizens in nature, making it fun for everyone.
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Spring and summer preserve tours and workdays
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Sign up to take tours of our preserves this summer and spring and join our ranks of wonderful volunteers!
All workdays go from 10 to 1:00.
Visit our Facebook page for instructions on how to get to our properties.
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Broken Hill (Pewaukee):
Saturday, June 1
Saturday, June 15
Thursday, June 20
Thursday, June 27
Tuesday, July 9
Saturday, July 13
Hartland Marsh (Hartland):
Saturday, May 18 (tour date)
Thursday, June 6
Tuesday, June 18
Saturday, June 29
Tuesday, July 2
Thursday, July 11
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Meyer Preserve (Between Eagle and Mukwonago):
Saturday, June 8 (tour date)
Tuesday, June 25
Martin’s Woods (near Big Bend):
Saturday, May 11 (tour date)
Tuesday, June 4
Thursday, June 13
Saturday, June 22 (tour date)
Saturday, July 6
Tuesday, July 16
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Thank you to our "Oaktober" fest and annual meeting sponsors
Making a difference in our community
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Shawn Graff & Cheryl White
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Scrima, Kabitzke & Co., S.C.
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We encourage you to support businesses that support land, water, and wildlife conservation in our community. Click on the logos, above, to visit their websites.
By becoming an "Oaktober" Fest sponsor, you, too, can demonstrate to your customers that you believe in
the “power of green and gold”
—
that what’s good for the environment is good for business. Click the button, below, to learn more about our tremendous sponsorship packages.
We hope that you and your family will join us at “Oaktober” Fest 2019, which will be held on
Saturday, October 5, 2019
at Stone Fences Farm in Dousman, Wisconsin. We will gather in the company of some of Wisconsin’s remarkable trees, including Tizza and Glen Meyers’ 311-year old champion burr oak, to celebrate our beloved oak ecosystems.
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Get Involved with WCLC Today
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Volunteer:
In addition to workday volunteers, we need skilled professionals to help us. If you have knowledge in human resources, training, marketing, or sales—or if you are a CPA or IT professional—WCLC needs your help! Email Cheryl White at
wclc@wi.rr.com
if you want to join
Wisconsin's 2018 Land Trust of the Year.
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Become a monthly donor on Facebook:
When you give to WCLC via our Facebook page, we don't incur credit card fees,
so your entire donation reaches us. Consider becoming a $5.00, $10.00, $15.00, or more monthly donor and make a difference throughout the year
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Use Amazon Smile to give while you shop:
Consider connecting your Amazon account to AmazonSmile. At no additional cost to you, Amazon will donate a percentage of your eligible purchases to the organization of your choice. Sign in to your account at
smile.amazon.com
,
click “
change charity,” and search for "Waukesha County Land Conservancy."
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#HaveFunOutside
Save the Date
Annual Meeting
|Wed., Mar. 13, 2019
"Oaktober" Fest
| Sat., Oct. 5, 2019
Workdays | Spring Schedule Announced
Click the icon on the left to visit our website for more information about upcoming events!
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