July 2019
July Conservation Project
On Wednesday July 17, 2019 evening at 6:30 – 8:30 pm we will host a Whitetail Trail maintenance event with the focus of re-establishing a corridor along the west segment. This will consist of lopping and sawing small trees. Loppers, bow saws, and gloves will be provided. Wear long pants, long sleeves, and closed-toe shoes. Bring sunscreen, bug spray, and a water bottle. This event will also be a guided hike focused on the ecology and management of Black Hawk Island State Natural Area. The segment of trail being worked on is highlighted on the map below.

Guest Speakers Announced for the Water Stories Summit
Upham Woods is hosting the Wisconsin Youth Water Stories Summit August 1-3, 2019. This is an opportunity for water enthusiasts to attend a camp tailored to their interests. Campers will paddle, swim, fish and study our section of the Wisconsin River through data collection, observation, and storytelling.

We are excited to announce that wildlife photographer and editor, Dudley Edmondson and environmental engineer, Dr. William Strosnider, will be attending the Water Stories Summit as guest speakers. Each night of camp we will have a campfire, an opportunity for us to share our water stories from the day and for these guest speakers to share their experiences and stories as well.
Dudley Edmondson has been a photographer for almost 3 decades and is passionate about the outdoors and environment. His publications include state specific flora and fauna field guides as well as his landmark book “Black and Brown Faces in America’s Wild Places.” Dudley has considered himself a nature advocate ever since he discovered its ability to heal the mind and body as a young boy.
Dr. William Strosnider is the Director of the Baruch Marine Field Lab for the University of South Carolina. He strives to be a catalyst for guiding society towards a sustainable future through passive water treatment and ecosystem restoration. Strosnider is an environmental engineer.  
Connecting the DOTS Between Our Lessons
Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center is home of the Digital Observation Technology Skills (DOTS) program. DOTS engages campers and students in nature with the goal of asking questions, collecting data, and sharing stories. The DOTS approach starts with an inquiry activity prompting students to ask questions or make meaning of their surroundings. The next step is meaningful technology integration that supports student learning. Finally, students include their data and questions in a scientific story that they can share. The technology includes professional grade field equipment such as a handheld weather station to measure humidity, temperature, and wind speed and thermal imagers, temporarily giving the user heat vision like pit viper.

All of our education based programming has integrated the DOTS approach. During our Scales, Scutes, and Skins class, participants use our thermal imager and thermal tools to collect temperature data on our cold blooded friends. For Animal Signs, participants track their hike and document evidence of animals using our GPS, camera, and wireless microscope. At the end of these classes, students write their scientific story, which can be a short narrative or skit about their field data collection experience. These stories are collected and digitized by our staff using the pictures and data they collected. All of these stories are shared back with the group with additional pictures the students took. Our school groups’ stories are available for viewing here.

This new adjustment to our curriculum was decided using our research on technology integration into environmental education. The Director of Upham Woods, Justin Hougham, has published extensively on the topic and his research continues today. 
Still Time to Register for Summer Camp!
Summer 2019 is almost upon us, and we are beginning to dream about consistent warmer weather. Know a camper between the ages of 8-13 who would love to spend their summer canoeing, swimming, exploring the island, making new friends, and much more? There’s still time to register for our Open Enrollment Summer Camps.

·Session 4: August 4 – 6, 2019 (3 days, 2 nights)
·Session 5: August 7 – 10, 2019 (4 days, 3 nights)

To our 4-H County Partners: Remember that your food service agreements, menu choices, and program coordination forms are due no later than 30 days prior to your arrival. You can find these forms on our website.
BioBlitz Overview
On June 15, 2019, we hosted our 4 th annual BioBlitz. We had 11 volunteers come out and log the biodiversity of Black Hawk Island using iNaturalist. iNaturalist is an app where observations are recorded with location, date, time, and species identification. If we are unable to identify the organism in the field, the community on iNaturalist can identify it for us. There were 193 observations that were made with 83 of them already being identified and declared research grade observations. This data has since been exported and mapped in our system to be used for land management decisions. Below is the scientific story that was written from the event.
Thank You to Our June 2019 Visitors!
Thank you to these groups that spent time at Upham Woods this past month:

  • Wood/Waupaca/Portage/Taylor 4-H Camp
  • Walworth County 4-H Camp
  • 5 County 4-H Camp
  • Washington County 4-H Camp
  • La Crosse ELL Science Adventure Camp
  • Iowa/Lafayette County 4-H Camp
  • Winnebago County 4-H Camp
Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center
N194 County Rd N
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
(608) 254-6461
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