\;eopold Wetla11d ·

e· ~ ·c\ anagement Dist~ Annual Narrative Fiscal Year 1999

AGJL ~ 3/z!JjtJO Refuge Supe~ Date ~~ f)2"1\6\ Geographic Assistant Date e· . Regional Director J(!;£ rn .1jj/ -- 3b~)o Programmatic Assistant Regional Director, Akw Date TABLE OF CONTENTS

DISTRICT MAP INTRODUCTION HIGHLIGHTS CLIMATE DATA

Monitoring and Studies 1a. Surveys and Censuses 1 1b. Studies and Investigations 3

Habitat Restoration 2a. Wetland Restoration On-Refuge 4 2b. Upland Restoration On-Refuge 4 2c. Wetland Restoration Off-Refuge 7 2d. Upland Restoration Off-Refuge 11 2e. Deep Water/Riverine Restoration 12

Habitat Management 3a. Water Level Management 14 3b. Moist Soil Management 14 e 3c. Graze/Mow/Hay 14 3d. Farming 15 3e. Forest Management 16 3f. Fire Management 16 3g. Pest Plant Control 18

Fish and Wildlife Management 4a. Bird Banding 19 4b. Disease Monitoring and Treatment 19 4c. Reintroduction 19 4d. Nest Structures 19 4e. Pest, Predator & Exotic Control 20

Coordination Activities 5a. Interagency Coordination 21 5b. Tribal Coordination 23 5c. Private Lands Activities (excluding restoration) 23

Resource Protection 6a. Law Enforcement 24 6b. Permits & Economic Use Management 24 6c. Contaminant Investigation 26 6d. Contaminant Cleanup 26 6e. Water Rights Management 26 6f. Cultural Resource Management 26 6g. Land Acquisition Support 27

Public Education & Recreation 7a. Provide Visitor Services 28 7b. Outreach 28

Planning and Administration 8a. Comprehensive Conservation Planning 33 8b. General Administration 33 Leopold Wetland Management District d•.

s

Iowa

30 0 30 60 Lafayette Green Rock

--Counties Approved for WPA Acquisition Partners for Fish and Wildlife Counties 33 County Wildlife Management District ·e Leopold Wetland Management District by County

Coynty WPA acres # of WPAs CE acres # ofCEs

Adams 344 1 0 0 Brown 0 0 0 0 Calumet 0 o. 0 0 Columbia 2926 10 28 1 Dane 1430 8 106 4 Dodge 455 2 45 1 Door 0 0 117 2 Florence 0 0 144 1 Fond duLac 752 3 89 2 Forest 0 0 106 1 Green 0 0 134 3 Green Lake 0 0 0 0 Jefferson 250 3 65 1 Kenosha 0 0 0 0 Kewaunee 0 0 139 2 Lang lade 0 0 0 0 Manitowoc 120 1 75 1 Marinette 0 0 162 2 Marquette 182 1 0 0 Menominee 0 0 0 0 Oconto 137 1 227 4 Outagamie 35 1 110 3 Ozaukee 536 5 0 0 Racine 0 0 0 0 Rock 297 4 30 1 Shawano 109 1 954 11 Sheboygan 300 1 90 3 Walworth 0 0 35 1 Washington 0 0 0 0 Waukesha 0 0 152 1 Waupaca 0 0 216 2 Waushara 232 1 0 0 Winnebago 2126 2 0 0 TOTALS 10231 45 3025 47

WPA = Waterfowl Production Area CE =Conservation Easement . INTRODUCTION

History

Leopold Wetland Management District (WMD) covers 33 counties in eastern Wisconsin. This includes 20 counties approved for Waterfowl Production Area (WPA) acquisition, a 10-county Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) private lands district, and a 33-county Wildlife Management District, involving management and enforcement of U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) Conservation Easements (CEs).

The WMD has its roots in a 1974 interagency agreement based on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Director Lynn Greenwalt's authorization for federal purchase of land and waters in Wisconsin. These lands would be managed by mutual agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wisconsin Department ofNatural Resources (DNR) under a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Management ofthe WPAs was accomplished according to the MOU signed in 1974 and several addenda after that. In general the DNR personnel were responsible for on the ground management activities and the USFWS personnel were responsible for administration. Federal management authority was under the guidelines of the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act with the day-to-day activities spelled out in the Wisconsin Wetland Management Guidelines.

As WP A acreage increased, so did the time and commitment of management personnel. A DNR "Workload Analysis" in the late 1980's documented a staff shortage for management activities on the WPAs. The DNR Director ofthe Bureau of Wildlife Management and the USFWS Regional Director began meetings in early 1990 to discuss transferring management of the WP As to the Service. The date selected for the transfer was September 30, 1995.

The transition date was later moved forward when the Service received funding for District Managers and summer temporaries to work with the DNR in the summer and fall of 1992. The final transition and establishment of the St. Croix and the Leopold Wetland Management Districts took place July 1, 1993.

The advent of the Service's Partners for Fish and Wildlife and FSA Conservation Easement (CE) responsibilities in the late 1980's further defined the WMD's role. Private land upland and wetland restoration projects, and protection and management of wetlands, floodplains, and other important habitats on inventory properties added greatly to the workload and habitat diversity of the district. Geology

A majority of the WMD is quite similar to the glaciated prairie region of western Minnesota. This similarity is recognized with the inclusion of these glaciated prairie areas in Category 2, Prairie and Pothole Parklands, the Service's revised ''Waterfowl Habitat Acquisition Plan". The counties that lie within the Leopold WMD boundaries owe much of their ecology to the glacial history of Wisconsin. Glaciers most recently flowed into Wisconsin about 25,000 years ago and reached their greatest extent, covering approximately two thirds of the state, some 14,000 to 16,000 years ago. The retreat of the ice front was interrupted a number oftimes by re-advances, the last one touched northwestern Wisconsin about 10,000 years ago. The advancing ice was channeled into the lowlands now occupied by Lakes Superior and Michigan, Green Bay, and the Fox River, and was impeded by the uplands of the Bayfield, Keweenaw and Door Peninsulas. The ice thus split into six major lobes as it flowed southward across the state. The Green Bay Lobe, which has few obstructions in its path, penetrated as far south as present-day Janesville in Rock County.

,30 ,GOml •50 itOOkm

Dice DIce Free

- Lakes Recessional Moraines

- Ground Moraine D Unpitted Outwash - Pitted Outwash Lake Deposits Maximum Extent of Ice in Wisconsin From Steven Dutch, Natural and Applied Sciences University of Wisconsin-Green Bay The glaciers left their lasting impression on the landscape of Wisconsin. In some areas streamlined, elongate hills called drumlins were formed. Impressive clusters of drumlins are found in the Campbellsport Drumlins Unit of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve, which is near the aptly named Kettle Moraine WPA in Sheboygan County. Occasionally the flow stopped, the ice stagnated, and blocks of ice detached from the glacier and were buried in the debris. Many of Wisconsin's lakes and potholes, or kettles as they are called, lie in the depressions formed by the melting of the buried ice. The moraines vary greatly across the state. Those in the southwest are usually dry, narrow ridges sitting atop older hills at the edge of the unglaciated Driftless Area. Across the northern counties, the moraines form a broad band of hills dotted with lakes, marshes, and bogs. The rugged, scenic Kettle Moraine in the eastern part ofthe state is actually a series of moraines formed between the Lake Michigan and Green Bay Lobes. Some moraines stand no more than 30 feet above the surrounding terrain, but others in the Kettle Moraine may rise to heights of250 to 300 feet. The melt water flowing offthe glaciers spread fine layers of sand in broad plains, such as in Langlade, Rock, and Portage Counties, that today are fertile cash crop farming areas. In other areas the melt water pooled, forming large lakes where silt and clay collected. The flat bed of glacial Lake Wisconsin, is an example of one of these lakes, and is a marked contrast to the unglaciated hills of the Driftless Area that bound its west side. In the Fox River Valley, Lake Winnebago and Horicon Marsh are small remnants of another pro glacial lake, Lake Oshkosh. As streams slowly wash away kames, eskers, and moraines, and as the marshes, bogs, and lakes fill with sediment and organic debris, this young landscape will become like the older glacial landscape, which lies between the driftless area and the terminal moraines of the most recent glaciation. In this area erosion has had the time to inodify the landscape and, as a result, glacial landforms are subdued of unrecognizable. Lakes and bogs are much less common in this older landscape. Most have either been drained by the gradual lengthening of streams, or filled with sediment that has accumulated over thousands of years. The result is a gently rolling landscape or nearly flat plains broken by occasional remnant hills or ridges that form the prairie-savanna region of the state. e Vegetation Curtis, in his 1959 book "Vegetation of Wisconsin", describes the nature and distribution of vegetation types in Wisconsin and also that of the lands that fall within the Leopold WMD boundaries. The southern forests covered the southern half and western third of the state. Dominant species were primarily oak on the drier sites; sugar maple, basswood, slippery elm, red oak and ironwood on the mesic sites; and silver maple aild American elm dominating the lowland sites. In pre-settlement times these forests covered approximately 5.2 million acres with another 7.3 million acres of what is considered oak savanna also falling into this category. In this region the closed woodlands and oak savanna's provided no distinct boundaries but blended together. Scattered throughout the southern forest type were areas of true tall grass prairie. These prairies covered just over 2 million acres and were most dominant in the southwest corner of the state becoming smaller and more scattered as one moved northeast. As one moved north and northeast out of the prairies and oak savanna's they would travel into the forests that dominated the northern half of Wisconsin. These forests supported jack, red, and white pine with red maple and red oak on the dry sites. The more mesic stands of the northern forests were dominated primarily by sugar maple but hemlock and/or beech may have been co­ dominant also. Finally, the northern lowland (swamp) forests of Wisconsin are split into the tamarack-black spruce bog forests, the white cedar-balsam fir conifer swamps, and the black ash-yellow birch-hemlock hardwood swamps.

Today

Of the approximately 9.5 million acres of oak savanna and prairie that Wisconsin hosted just 150 short years ago, only one half of one percent (less than 10,000 acres) ofthe prairies and less than one tenth of one percent (less than 1,000 acres) of the savannas remain. Farming, urban sprawl, fire suppression, and other development continue to threaten the few acres of prairie and savanna that remain. A quote that appears in Curtis's book provides a view of what we have lost in the last 150 years. This quote is through the eyes of a Lieutenant D. Ruggles (1835) in writing about the prairies around Fort Winnebago in Columbia County

"In some instances, the prairies are found stretching for miles around, without a tree or shrub, so level as scarcely to present a single undulation; in others, those called the "rolling prairies", appears in undulation upon undulation, as far as the eye can reach presenting a view of peculiar sublimity, especially to the beholder for the first time. It seems when in verdure, a real troubled ocean, wave upon wave, rolls before you, ever varying, ever swelling; even the breezes play around to heighten the illusion; so that here at near two thousand miles from the ocean, we have a fac-simile of sublimity, which no miniature imitation can approach".

This is an interesting quote since the prairie Lt. Ruggles was speaking of was known as the Arlington Prairie. This prairie covered portions of Dane and Columbia counties and included the property that is now called Schoenberg Marsh WP A. It is fitting then, that this WP A is also the unit where the District has re-established local Wisconsin genotype native grasses and forbs for harvest and further seeding.

The northern forests, much like the southern forests and prairies, have been altered in recent years through logging, farming, fire prevention, and urbanization. Because of this, few stands of "virgin" timber exist outside of those protected by conservation organizations, some Forest Service and State Forest areas, lands within the DNR State Natural Areas program, or through CEs.

Each of these communities is represented within the boundaries ofthe Leopold WMD. From the prairies and oak savannas of Green, Rock, Dane and Columbia counties to the tamarack-cedar swamps of Forest and Florence counties and all variations in between. Each community providing unique opportunities and challenges for restoration, protection and mainten~ce which helps the District do its part to further the Service mission of conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

HIGHLIGHTS

~ Seventy-six eastern prairie fringed orchids were located on searches of Uihlein WP A. (la.)

~ The District restored 4 basins for 17.1 acres on WP A and CEs in FY 99. (2a.)

~ District staff seeded over 250 acres of native grasses and forbs on 4 different WP As. Sixty-five of those acres were seeded to local ecotype, seed production beds. These seed beds will be used by the District, in the future, to provide seed of a local variety for further plantings on other WP As (2b.)

~ The PFW program restored 104 wetland basins for 230.1 acres. (2c.)

~ The PFW program seeded 276.2 acres ofuplands on 22 private land sites within the tO­ county project area. (2d.)

~ The District conducted prescribed bums on over 800 acres. (3f.)

~ With the acquisition of over 785 acres of fee title tracts, the District now stands at over 10,000 acres ofWPAs. (6g.) CLIMATE DATA

Climatological Review ~ 1999

Temperatures (in Fahrenheit)

1999 A\ crngc i'\ormal* Highest Lowest 1\ luuth High l.ow lligh Low Recorded R~cordoo January 24.2 9.8 26.0 13.3 42.6, 1/1 7 -18.9, 1/5 February 38.7 24.1 30.2 15.8 61 .2, 2/12 12.2, 2/13 March 45.4 25.6 39.2 24.9 71.8, 3/31 3.9, 3/7 April 60.2 40.1 53.5 35.6 74.1, 4/1 30.0, 4/12 May 71.1 51.8 64.8 44.7 85 .6, 5/30 37.0, 5/14 June 79.5 58.4 75.0 54.7 89.6, 6/26 43 .0, 6/17 July 84.7 65 .1 79.8 61.1 95.9, 7/3 1 52.5, 7/11 August 77.5 58.1 74.0 50.2 86.0, 8/29 50.0, 8/9&20 September 74.2 49.4 71.2 52.5 88. 7, 9/3 34.0, 8/21 October 62.2 39.5 59.9 41.9 74.1, 10/1 0 23.0, 10/24 November 55.3 33 .9 44.7 29.9 74.4, 11/1 0 17.6, 11/30 December 33 .8 20.1 32.0 18.2 53 .2, 12/3 -5 .6, 12/21

Rainfall (in inches) Actual Normal Season total 23 .96" 18.01" Greatest in 24 hours 4.22" on July 21

Snowfall (in inches) Actual Normal Seasonal total, 1998-99 37.05" 47.6" Greatest in 24 hours 14" on January 3

* Data from the National Weather Service Bureau, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1 Monitoring and Studies

1a. Surveys and Censuses

For the third straight year the District coordinated eastern prairie fringed orchid (EPFO) survey activities on the Uihlein WP A with the Partner for Plants volunteers (a subgroup of the Garden Club of America) and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP). An exciting 76 new orchids were discovered as compared with 10 new plants the previous year. Spring bums conducted in 1998 and 1999 and the monitoring of water levels on Uihlein are credited with this years orchid growth. Studies have shown that spring burning stimulates mycorrhizal productivity, which is needed for seedling establishment. Burning also decreases competition between orchid plants and reed canary grass. To date, 94 individual orchid plants have been discovered, however, in 1999 only 90 plants were recorded. Eastern prairie fringed orchids occasionally go into a dormant stage, not emerging above the ground during the growing season, possibly explaining the missing four orchids. Due to possible deer depredation, wire enclosures were placed over all of the plants to preclude deer from eating them. Hawkmoth studies (pollinator of the EPFO) may be conducted in FY 2000 to further evaluate the health and survival of the orchid.

Bio. Tech. Wendy Woyczik (left) and the "Orchid Gals" inspecting one of the orchids prior to caging to prevent deer browse damage. RR 7/99

1 An additional40 acres ofUihlein WPA, adjacent to the orchid site, was surveyed for elevation at the 0.5-foot contour. This survey was conducted to the west of the original survey completed in 1998. By expanding this topographic survey, it will help focus further orchid searches at water levels already supporting orchid growth. The entire 80-acre topographic map will ascertain where the orchids grow under different water regimes and help to maximize water level management for the orchid.

Five study plots were established near the orchid site at the Uihlein WP A to evaluate and determine effective methods in controlling reed canary grass. (See 4e. Pest, Predator and Exotic Control).

As part of the ongoing effort to evaluate and meet the District's prescribed fire program objectives, spring and fall photos were taken of 11 Rx80 prescribed fire monitoring plots on seven WPAs . These photos will be used to show vegetative changes throughout the years, due to the use of prescribed fire as a management tool.

Photo point on Trenton WPA in Dodge County the summer of 1998. The post for the 30 meter Rx80 transact is located just below and to the right of the large oak in the center of the picture. MS 8/98

2 The same photo point as on the previous page the summer after burning. The same large oak is visible in the center of the picture. WW 9/99

Sixty-three breeding bird point count transects were setup on 25 WPAs throughout the District. These transects will be used to gather information on grassland bird species and the type of vegetation they are utilizing.

1b. Studies and Investigations

Importance of Wet Meadows for Grassland Birds in the Upper Midwest

Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center- La Crosse, WI U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Research Division Eileen M. Kirsch, Ph.D. - Wildlife Biologist

This is the first year of a four year study to provide information on effects of habitat management, diversity of vegetation within grasslands, grassland size, and landscape features of the surrounding area on bird abundance and diversity in wet meadows. The study is being conducted on several WP As within the western portion of the District as well as other areas ofWisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa.

3 2 Habitat Restoration

2a. Wetland Restoration On-Refuge

A backlog ofwetland restorations on some ofthe more recently acquired WPAs still exists, but restorations continue as funding and staff time allow.

• Two basins covering 2.1 acres were completed on Cedar Grove WP A in Ozaukee County. The restorations consisted oftile-breaks with small dikes and /or scrapes. Two dikes on other pools were repaired an<;! riprapped to prevent further erosion problems from muskrat runs.

• One basin was restored on the Kettle Moraine WPA in Sheboygan County. Heavy sedimentation was removed from the 0.5 acre basin.

• One basin covering approximately 14.5 acres was finally restored on the Goldammer CE in Waukesha County with assistance from the Wisconsin Private Lands Office (WiPLO) staff. This project had been on hold since 1995 due to the lengthy process of obtaining county permits to comply with the local zoning restrictions.

2b. Upland Restoration On-Refuge

District staff completed seeding native grasses and forbs on over 250 acres. The units were no-till seeded directly into sod, standing com stubble, or soybean stubble. Table #1 on the following page, gives a breakdown of the FY 99 seeding.

4 One of the two Tye no-till drills used by Leopold WMD for seeding native grasses and forbs. WW 9/99

Table #L FY 99 Seeding on District Lands

Count,. \\'P :-\ :\LT('S Fidel Prep.

Dane Harvey's Marsh 13 .0 Sprayed RoundUp & 2,4-D Dodge Trenton 14.3 Mowed

Fond duLac Oakfield 100.0 Disk& Pack (Pea Tract) Fond duLac Oakfield 65.0 Sprayed RoundUp (Benson Tract) &2,4-D Columbia Schoenberg 30.0 None (Wentz Tract) Columbia Schoenberg 25 .0 Bum & Spray w/ (Presque Isle-James) RoundUp & 2,4-D Columbia Schoenberg 10.0 Bum & Spray w/ (Laun Tract) RoundUp & 2,4-D TOTALS 257.3

In an effort to plant local genotypes for later harvest, Wisconsin native genotype seed was planted on 65 acres of Schoenberg WP A in Columbia County for production seedbeds. Most ofthe native grasses and forbs planted were collected approximately 10 miles from the WPA at the Goose Pond Sanctuary. The remaining seed was purchased as WI genotype seed. The following page contains a partial list of the species seeded on this site.

5 Species planted on Schoenberg WPA in Columbia County

Scientific 1\:ame Common l'\amc Andropogon gerardi Big bluestem Panicum virgatum Switci}Rrass Schizachyrium scoparium Little bluestem Sorghastrum nutans Indian _grass Sporobolus heterolepis Prairie dropseed Stipa spartea Needl~rass Aristida pururascens Arrowfeather threeawn Koeleria cristata Junegrass Calamagrostis canadensis Blue Joint grass Elymus canadensis Wilc!!Y_e Amorpha canescens Lead plant Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly weed Aster azureus s~ blue aster Aster ericoides Heath aster Aster nova-ang/iae New England aster Astragalus canadensis Canadian milk vetch Baptisia leucantha White false indigo Crisium discolor Old Field thistle Dalea candidum White prairie clover Dalea purpurea Purple prairie clover Desmodium canadense Canada Tick trefoil Dodecatheon meadia Shooting star Eryngium yuccifolium Rattlesnake master Euphorbia coro/lata Flowering ~urge Helianthus laetiflorus Showy sunflower He/iopsis helianthoides False sunflowerjox-e_ye} Kuhnia eupatorioides False boneset Lespedeza capitata Round-headed bush-clover Uatris aspera Rough blazing star Lobelia siphilitica Great blue lobelia Monarda fistulosa Wild bergamot Monarda punctata Horse mint Potenti/la arguta Prairie cinquefoil Pycnanthemum tenuifolium Narrow lvd mountain mint Ratibida pinnata Yellow coneflower Rosa spp. Prairie rose Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed susan Silphium integrifolium Rosinweed Silphium laciniatum Compass plant Silphium perfoliatum Cup plant Silphium terebinthinaceum Prairie dock Solidago rigida Stiff goldenrod Solidago speciosa Showy goldenrod Thalictrum dasycarpum Purple meadow Rue Tradescantia ohiensis Common spiderwort Verbena stricta Hoary vervain Veronicastrum virginicum Culver's root Zizia aurea Golden Alexanders Asclepias vertici/lata Whorfed Milkweed

6 2c. Wetland Restoration Off-Refuge

The Service's PFW program continues to be very active in the District's ten-county area of responsibility. By working closely with other federal, state, and local agencies, as well as private conservation groups, we are able to provide both technical and financial assistance to several hundred landowners annually.

One hundred and four wetland basins covering 230.1 acres were restored on private lands through the PFW program. See Table #2 on the following page for a county by county total of restorations.

PFW project completed in Fond duLac County. A dike with a half-round water control structure was installed on this property to impound 15 acres. RB 7/99

7 Table #2. Leopold WMD Private Lands Wetland Restorations Accomplishments 1988-1999

Wetlands Restored

Dodge

Fond duLac

Green Lake - Marquette

Ozaukee

Sheboygan -- Washington - Waushara

Winnebago I 4 - TOTALS 91 94 96 I 167 I 172 I 148 I 120 I 149 I 104 168.9) (145.2) (122.6) (175 .9) (321.3) (161.8) (185 .7) (320.6) (230.1)

* Now Reported in Fiscal Year

8 e e e e District staff continued to focus in two priority areas funded by the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA):

* Southeast Coastal Wetland Grant-Phase II The Wisconsin DNR received Phase II ofthe Southeast Coastal NAWCA grant. The two-year grant, ending in 2001, is for acquisition and restoration in the western coastal watershed of Lake Michigan. As a partner in the project, the Service received $100,000 for habitat restoration and acquisition. Funding for restoration efforts are being shared by the District, Green Bay Ecological Services (ES) and WiPLO.

Six acres of wetland restorations were completed in FY99, completing the Service's portion of SE Coastal Phase I. Restoration projects for Phase II will be initiated during FY2000.

* Wisconsin Glacial Habitat Restoration Area-Phase III The Wisconsin DNR obtained a two-year NAWCA grant for Phase III of work in the Glacial Habitat Restoration Area (GHRA). The GHRA encompasses an area of approximately 530,000 acres in parts of four counties including Columbia, Dodge, Fond duLac, and Winnebago, all of which are in the District (see map on page 10). As a partner of GHRA III, the Service received $200,000 for habitat restoration and acquisition. Restoration projects for Phase GHRA III will be initiated during FY2000.

9 NAWCA Grant Areas within the Leopold WMD

Douglas Bayfield

Vilas Wash bum Sawyer Oneida

Price Rusk Barron Uncoln

Taylor St. Croix Chippewa

Dunn Marathon

Clark Portage

Iowa Dane Grant LeopoldWMD Lafayette Green Rock

Partners for Fish and Wildlife Counties D Glacial Habitat Restoration Area D SE Wisconsin Coastal Habitat Initiative I I Lake Winnebago

10 2d. Upland Restoration Off-Refuge

The interest in native prairie restorations continued to increase in FY 99 with 276.2 acres of native grasses and forbs being seeded on private land sites within the District's ten-county work area. The majority of sites were seeded down to a native grass and forb mixture while some wetland buffer areas were seeded to a brome, timothy, and red clover mix. See Table #3 for a county by county breakdown of grassland seedings on private lands.

Table #3. Leopold WMD Private Lands Grassland Restoration Accomplishments 1994-1999

Sites Restored

Columbia 0 8 5 2 3

Dodge 4 3 8 9 3

Fond duLac

Green Lake 1 1 0

Marquette 0 0 0 2

Ozaukee 1 0 1 2 2

Sheboygan 2 0 0 0 0

Washington 1 1 0 3 0

Waushara 7 4 1 5 3

Winnebago 2 1 2 5

TOTALS 26 21 21 26 22

ll The District's PFW program received funding from the Service's Endangered Species Incentive Program through a collaborative effort on a grant with Green Bay ES, Necedah NWR, and WiPLO. The grant monies will be used to restore habitat and promote establishment of Karner blue butterflies (KBB) and the Eastern massasauga rattlesnake in the central portion ofthe state. The District received $11,600 ofthe $232,000 grant to establish KBB grassland habitat in parts of Marquette, Green Lake, and Waushara Counties, all within the District's PFW area. During FY 99, 33 acres ofKBB gras~land habitat was established. The map on the following page illustrates current and potential KBB habitat.

2e. Deepwater/Riverine Restoration

Approximately 655 linear feet of streambank was stabilized on Parsons Creek in Fond duLac County through a cooperative effort with the Fond duLac River Priority Watershed and a private landowner.

12 Kamer Blue Butterfly High Potential Habitat and Documented Range In Wisconsin

N A

A/ Documented Kamer Range - j ...... , , {) D Kamer Habitat Probabilty - High ,-T--'"-- ..r-/- - -:--::

./

Sea e 1:3000000 The Wisconsin Kamer Blue Butterfly Habitat Conservation Planning Team has determined and approved the range and habitat probability of the Kamer in the state of Wisconsin. This information has been developed to aid in the planning of the statewide Kamer HCP. 11 /12/96

*Map reproduced from Karner Blue Butterfly Partners in Protection handout 13 3 Habitat Management

3a. Water Level Management

Several WP As throughout the District have stop-log type water control structures on the larger pools. Uihlein WP A in Winnebago County also has an electric, stationary pumping facility. All elevations were held at full pool during 1999 unless otherwise noted.

The Northeast Pool on Uihlein WPA was drawn down during the winter/spring of 1999 to facilitate a prescribed bum on the site of the known population of eastern prairie fringed orchids (See Section 1a). After burning, the pool was refilled by pumping and maintained at the elevation of 14.80, which is 0.5 feet lower than full pool so as not to impact the orchid site.

In May, Pool #15 on Six-Mile WPA was lowered 0.5' from full pool after a neighboring landowner complained about standing water in a comer of his field that is adjacent to the WP A. Although the annual precipitation was approximately 10" above normal by this time of the year, our neighbor felt this had no bearing on the water standing only in the tractor wheel tracks on the lowest end of his field. The pool was lowered with the understanding that once his crop was in, the elevation would be restored to full pool, which is approximately 1.0' lower than the edge of his field. No further complaints were received.

3b. Moist Soil Management

No activity this year.

3c. Graze/Mow/Hay

Over 230 acres on WP As were mowed once during the year to reduce competition between seeded natives and undesirable cool-season grasses. Table #4 on the following page gives a breakdown of the mowing complete~ on the District seedings.

14 Table #4. FY 99 Mowing on District Lands

& Laun Tracts Dane Harvey's Marsh 13 .0

Dodge Trenton 14.3

Fond duLac Oakfield 165.0 (Pea & Benson Tracts) TOTALS 232.3

3d. Farming

Three hundred eight acres were farmed on Service-owned or managed lands in FY 99. Eighty-nine acres were farmed in preparation for seeding native grasses and forbs. The remaining 219 acres were farmed under land use reservations stipulated in the purchase agreements. See Table #5 for a county by county breakdown of the farming activities.

Thirty acres of the Pea tract on the Oakfield WP A in Fond duLac County were farmed under an agreement whereby the cooperator conducted seedbed preparation on the whole 130-acre crop field. The other 100 acres were then seeded by force account to a native grass/forb mixture. The cooperator is also interested in a possible exchange of this 30-acre field for an equal value portion of one of his fields, which is adjacent to the WP A. This exchange could possibly enhance future wetland restoration on the WP A.

While conducting a pre-seeding field check on the Swan Pond WP A in Dane County, staff discovered that the 12-acre field had been planted to com with 2"- 4" of growth already. ROS Myerchin contacted the cooperator who later acknowledged that his hired help had seeded and applied herbicide to the field in error. When the cooperator refused to work the field so staff could continue the planned seeding, further investigation was conducted with assistance from Special Agent Jackson from Madison. This seeding was postponed one year due to the possible carry-over effect on our planned seeding from the herbicides applied to the com. The cooperator agreed to pay the average crop rental rate per acre to the Service and then conduct the seedbed preparation in the spring of2000.

15 Table #5. FY 99 Fanning on Service Owned or Managed Lands

Count' \\.P:\ .\crl·::-. Purposl' E'pirl's

Columbia Schoenberg WP A 22.0 Seedbed Prep. 12/31/99

Dane Swan Pond 12.0 Seedbed prep. 9/1/99

Fond duLac Oakfield (Pea) 30.0 Seedbed Prep. 12/31/99

Fond duLac Lamartine 61.0 Use Res. 12/31/99

Fond duLac Breakneck North 83 .0 Use Res. 12/31/99

Fond duLac Breakneck South 75 .0 Use Res. 12/31/00

Waukesha Goldammer CE 25.0 Seedbed Prep. 12/31/99

3e. Forest Management

No activity this year.

3f. Fire Management

The District completed 14 prescribed bums for a total of 811 .7 acres, our most productive burn season to date. There was one wildfire suppression action on Manthey WP A in Columbia County. This fire was believed to have been started by a train. Wisconsin DNR and Rio Fire Department responded and held the fire to 1.3 acres. Table #6 on the following page presents a breakdown of the prescribed burns completed in FY 99.

Prescnbed fire on Uihlein WPA RB 4/99

16 Table #6. FY 99 Prescribed Burns

c ()liJll , . \\'[' :\ Tra~.· t l ; nit r\crcs

Columbia Becker Schrock lOA 18.0

Columbia Doylestown Ashley 13t, 132 23 .5 Columbia Doylestown Ashley 133 5.0 Columbia Schoenberg James/Presque 14c, llb, 14b 30.0 Isle Columbia Schoenberg Laun lOA 9.7

Columbia Severson Severson 7, 8 32.0

Dane Shoveler Sink Manhart!Hines Entire 175.0

Dodge Pieper Pieper Entire 73 .0

Dodge Trenton Aalsma 1Oa, 1Od , 13b 80.0

Dodge Trenton RhodeNande 10f 80.0 Zande Jefferson Red Cedar Lake York Entire 48.0

Ozaukee Cedar Grove Hetzel East Unit 30.0

Ozaukee Cedar Grove Hetzel West Unit 47.5

Winnebago Uihlein Derber North Unit 160.0

See section la. Surveys and Censuses for details on Rx80 prescribed fire monitoring plots and photos.

17 3g. Pest Plant Control

Local cooperatives were contracted to spray 126 acres on three different WPAs (Northrup King and Shoveler Sink WP As in Dane County and Cedar Grove WPA in Ozaukee County) for control of Canada thistle. Non-chemical control efforts involved mowing approximately 190 acres of Canada thistle, bull thistle, and wild parsnip on Harvey's Marsh, Gadwall Swamp, Shoveler Sink and Swan Pond WPAs in Dane County; Johnstown WPA in Rock County; Eckstein and Uihlein WP As in Winnebago County; Kettle Moraine WP A in Sheboygan County; and Six-mile WPA in Ozaukee County.

E-Z-Ject lances were used to inject capsules of Garlon 3A into the trunks of undesirable trees (i.e. boxelder) up to four inches in diameter on Trenton WP A in Dodge County; Red Cedar Lake WPA in Jefferson County; Shoveler Sink and Harvey's Marsh WPAs in Dane County; and Schoenberg WP A in Columbia County.

/

18 4 Fish and Wildlife Management

4a. Bird Banding

Leopold staff assisted Horicon NWR in their fall mallard banding operations. Four hundred mallards were banded this year.

4b. Disease Monitoring and Treatment

No activity this year

4c. Reintroduction

No activity this year

4d. Nest Structures

The District maintains 29 Delta-type mallard nesting tunnels on 9 WP As. The tunnels were installed in 1996. Results of use checks found 4 of the 29 nesting tunnels used (14% use rate) with 18 eggs laid. Three of the four successfully hatched producing 17 young for a hatching success rate of94%. Twenty-five plastic nesting tunnels donated by Wisconsin Waterfowl Association were installed in 1996 on wetland restorations completed through the PFW program. These structures have been checked and maintained yearly and have shown no use as of yet. Results from the 1999 breeding season are not yet available.

Several private parties and organizations maintain waterfowl nesting tunnels, wood duck boxes, and bluebird houses on various WP As through Letters of Authorization and/or volunteer agreements.

19 4e. Pest, Predator & Exotic Control

Approximately 5,000 purple loosestrife beetles (Galerucel/a ¥!12:..) were released on Johnstown WP A in Rock County in July to control approximately five acres of purple loosestrife invasion. Beetles were collected from the Horicon Refuge rearing tents. A photo point was setup to monitor the progress of the beetles in controlling this isolated patch of loosestrife.

Purple loosestrife beetle release site on Johnstown WPA WW 7/99

Five study plots (20' x 100') were established near the eastern prairie fringed orchid site on the UJhlein WP A in Winnebago County. These study plots will be used to evaluate and determine effective methods in controlling reed canary grass (RCG). Each study plot involved a different treatment as follows:

Plot #1. Application ofPOAST herbicide Plot #2. September/October mowing and raking of cut RCG Plot #3. Mid June and September/October mowing and raking of cut RCG Plot #4. Spring and fall bum Plot #5. Control*

*The study site is located within a prescnbed bum unit, therefore, the entire study area has been burned for the past two years.

Photo points, stern counts, and height measurements done on a quadrat sampling system of each plot will be used to determine the effectiveness of each treatment.

20 5 Coordination Activities

Sa. Interagency Coordination

District staff worked in close coordination with other federal agencies, Wisconsin DNR, local agencies, and private conseryation organizations on Farm bill issues, as well as, a variety of Service and private land wetland, grassland, and streambank restoration projects.

ROS Myerchin and local NRCS staff reviewed over 30 potential Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) easement applications covering approximately 5,000 acres.

ROS Myerchin continues to work on Farmbill related issues with local NRCS staff.

• One minimal effect determination was conducted in Columbia County covering 0.1 acres. Minimal effect was granted with conditions.

• Two minimal effect determinations were conducted in Fond duLac County, one covering 0.8 acres was denied. The second determination, on 0.2 acres was granted with conditions.

• One minimal effect determination on 0.4 acres in Waushara County was reviewed and denied.

• One mitigation proposal for a 0.5 acre basin was reviewed in Dodge County. The project was approved with conditions.

• Two mitigation proposals on basins of 0.6 and 3 acres were reviewed in Sheboygan County. Both were approved with conditions.

• One converted wetland was reviewed in Winnebago County covering 0. 7 acres. The landowner has refused to cooperate with NRCS staff and is presently ineligible for USDA program benefits.

ROS Myerchin and Biologist Byers continued to work with the Fond duLac County Farm Progress Days 2000 conservation committee to organize and plan the conservation theme tent and demonstration area. Farm Progress Days is an agricultural show held annually in Wisconsin. The District's PFW program contributed funding for a shallow scrape constructed in the conservation demonstration area. 21 Service staff in Wisconsin were requested to be on a "team" with NRCS and FSA staff to review and provide comments on properties eligible for the FSA's Debt For Nature program, formerly their ":Qebt Restructure" program. This program allows landowners with mortgages through FSA to decrease their debt by placing all or portions of their property under "contract" not to be cropped and restored to wetland or grassland cover. The contracts can run for 10, 30, or 50 years with the amount of debt reduction increasing with the length of the · contract. District staff has reviewed six properties for contracts covering approximately 600 acres.

Sean Sallmann, a biologist hired by Wisconsin Waterfowl Association to work with the USDA's WRP was stationed in the District's office. Biologist Sallmann's responsibility was to restore wetlands on private lands under the 10-year agreement and assist NRC'S personnel on permanent and 30-year easements. His accomplishments are as follows:

• 10-Year Cost-share Agreement 16 basins restored covering 95.7 acres on 11 properties in 5 counties.

• 30-Year Easement 2 projects signed, totaling 105.4 acres.

• Permanent Easement 2 Projects restored, covering 193 acres. 3 Projects waiting restoration, totaling 414.3 acres. 7 Projects totaling 253.8 acres waiting for funding.

Biologist Byers worked with the Dodge County local work group composed of staff members from Wisconsin DNR, NRCS, Dodge County Land Conservation Department (LCD), and UW-Extension to obtain funding for water quality improvement in the Irish and Gill Creek watersheds of the Upper Rock River. Proposed funding for this project would come from the USDA's Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQIP).

The Dodge County local work group continued its multi-agency newsletter intended to provide landowners and operators with biological information and information regarding various government conservation programs. Biologist Byers submitted articles for the newsletter, which is distributed to {500 individuals, five times a year.

District staff continued participation in the Sheboygan, Milwaukee, and Rock River Basin, Land and Water Partner teams. Team members include township and city officials, private industry, private conservation organizations, Conservation Congress members, Wisconsin DNR, USFWS, NRCS, LCD, and FSA personnel. By identifying critical resource issues and implementing solutions, team members work together to establish ecosystem management within the geographical management units of the Wisconsin DNR.

22 5b. Tribal Coordination

No activity this year

5c. Private Lands Activities (excluding restoration)

Interest in wetland and/or prairie restoration on private lands remains high in the District. Staff received approximately 10 calls per week from landowners interested in restoration projects. Several resulted in site visits, while others were provided technical assistance over the phone. Approximately 80 packets containing information on wetland and grassland restoration through the PFW program were sent to landowners upon request.

The District's PFW program sponsored Craig Schulz, a co-op student from Fox Valley Technical College during the spring of 1999. Craig was responsible for monitoring completed wetland restoration projects and assisting PFW with various aspects of habitat restoration.

The District's PFW program also hired a summer intern through a cooperative partnership with Wings Over Wisconsin, a local conservation group. Amanda Schrank, a student from U.W. River Falls, assisted the District with grassland and wetland restorations, vegetation surveys, and eastern prairie fringed orchid surveys.

Intern Amanda Schrank cutting hawk.moth holes in the wire enclosures for the eastern prairie fringed orchid WW 5/99

23 6 Resource Protection

6a. Law Enforcement

The District has two collateral duty officers, Steve Lenz and Sheldon Myerchin. Both officers attended annual refresher training in Des Moines, Iowa; semi-annual re­ qualifications in LaCrosse, Wisconsin; and submitted the special 6c retirement package for approval by year's end.

See the following table for violations occurring on the District.

Table #7. FY 99 Violations

\ 1nlat ion i\ umbt'r l.ocat inn :\ct ion

Possess lead shot on WP A* 2 Lund WPA $125.00NOV No federal duck stamp 1 Uihlien WPA $150.00NOV

No federal duck stamp 3 UihlienWPA Warning

* Since 1998, non-toxic shot shells must be used and in possession while hunting ALL species, except wild turkey.

6b. Permits & Economic Use Management

The following table summarizes the Letters Of Authorization (L.O.A.) and Special Use Permits (S.U.P.) issued in effect throughout FY 99.

24 Table #8. FY 99 Pennits

Permit Ar~a Name or :\ction :\lltml·d F:xpiration T\pe Organi.zm ion ()ate L.O.A Shoveler Sink Cub Scout Den Install, maintain and monitor 12/31/00 WPA #11 bluebird houses L.O.A Ualo WPA Volunteer Maintain and monitor bluebird Indefinite houses L.O.A Trenton WPA Volunteer Install, maintain, and monitor 12/31/00 wood duck nesting boxes L.O.A Severson WP A Volunteer Install, maintain, and monitor Indefmite wood duck nesting boxes L.O.A RoweWPA Volunteer Install, maintain, and monitor Indefinite wood duck nesting boxes and mallard nesting tunnels L.O.A Diederich Green Bay Duck Install, maintain, and monitor Indefinite Conservation Hunters wood duck nesting boxes and Easement Association mallard nesting tunnels L.O.A Lund, Island Waterfowl USA Install, maintain and monitor 12/31/00 Lake, Gadwall wood duck nesting boxes Swamp, Grass LakeWPAs L.O.A Swan Pond Midwest Archeological Survey 6/15/99 WPA Archeological Consulting L.O.A Pietroske WP A Northern Avian Use Survey Indefinite Ecological Services L.O.A Trenton & Ellie Henken 4- Collect vegetation for 10/31/99 PieperWPAs HIFFA herbarium project L.O.A Uihlein WPA Ron and Corey Access WP A by vehicle and 9/18/99 Warhurst use handicap accessible waterfowl hunting blind. S.U.P. Kettle Moraine Northern Kettle Use east line ofWP A as 3/30/99 WPA Moraine snowmobile trail. Snowmobile Association S.U.P. Severson & Lakehead Pipeline 15 ' work zone outside of 12/31/98 Vangen WPAs Co. Inc. existing RO.W. for pipeline I construction.

25 6c. Contaminant Investigation

Contaminant Investigation from aleaking underground storage tank on Strauss WP A in Shawano County is almost completed with a total cost of $44, 180 for remedial action and investigation. The last phase (FY 99 = $ 13, 760) required an additional monitoring well to be installed and continued water sampling. The DNR will authorize closure once a deed restriction identifying the 'spill' is recorded. The property, formerly in FmHA inventory, . was transferred in fee title to the Service nine years ago. At that time, FmHA was supposed to have taken care of the UST problem.

6d. Contaminant Cleanup

No activity this year.

6e. Water Rights Management

No activity this year.

6f. Cultural Resource Management

A Phase 2 Archaeological Survey on Swan Pond WP A in Dane County continued this year to determine the extent ofthe historic component that was discovered in 1998. Lynn Rusch of the Midwest Archaeological Consulting was awarded the contract after discovering a foundation of an old homestead during the prehistoric survey. No significant historic items worthy ofNational Register status were found; therefore a small parking lot has been approved, if construction does not occur in proximity to the 'foundation'.

26 6g. Land Acquisition Support

The District has acquisition authority in 20 counties throughout eastern Wisconsin. Table #9 summarizes acquisition efforts in FY 99.

Table #9. FY 99 Fee Title Acquisition

County T•·arl .-\rn•s Cost Closing O:lt<'

Fond duLac Roehl, J. 20.0 17.4K 10/23/98

Columbia Vole~ G. 166.9 375.0K* 12/10/98

Columbia Bulgrin, R. 327.0 460.0K* 12/15/98

Columbia Craig, C. 37.8 28.0K* 01/12/99

Fond duLac Hofman, G. 106.7 137.5K 05/20/99

Columbia Kreichik, S. 48 .0 62.5K* 06/02/99

Columbia Marking, C. 80.3 79.0K* 08/23/99

TOTALS 786.7 1159.4K

* These tracts were encumbered by a 30-year Wetland Reserve Program easement; therefore USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service shared in 75% of the total cost of the tract. Additionally, Ducks' Unlimited has funded a $50K MARSH grant towards the restoration of these WRP tracts combined with 75% restoration cost by NRCS. In summary, the Service will administer and manage an 850-acre (186-acre closing date was in FY 2000) WPA with basically only 25% of total acquisition cost and restoration of the properties.

27 7 Public Education & Recreation

7a. Provide Visitor Services

With $1,500.00 offunding obtained in 1998 through a Challenge Cost-share grant in partnership with the Wisconsin DNR, a large parking lot was completed on Uihlein WP A in Winnebago County in time for the fall hunting season. The lot, which· should hold up to 80 vehicles, will alleviate safety concerns due to the high number of hunter vehicles parked along the county road adjacent to the WP A during the hunting season.

All established parking lots were mowed/maintained in preparation for the fall hunting season.

Brochure boxes were placed on Schoenberg and Rowe WPAs in Columbia County and Northrup King, Swan Pond and Harvey's Marsh WPAs in Dane County.

7b. Outreach

The District's colorful brochure continues to be distributed at several locations.

The District hosted its annual coordination meeting with the Wisconsin DNR, NRCS and other agency staff to promote the PFW program.

The NRCS used wetland restoration projects through the District's PFW program as an educational tool for engineering staff from NRCS, Wisconsin DNR, and LCD.

District personnel staffed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement/Partners for Fish and Wildlife booth at the Experimental Aircraft Association Convention and Fly-in held in Oshkosh WI. Over 132,300 people visited the Federal Pavilion where the booth was located, 67,557 visited the Service's Italian-made Partenavia Observer plane and 2,223 attended Service sponsored forums.

28 District personnel helped staff the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service booth at the 1999 Ducks Unlimited Great Outdoors Festival in Oshkosh, WI. Interpretive and educational material included a nomad display on prairie restoration, a demonstration on cleaning seed using a fanning mill, display of a seed stripper for mechanical harvesting of native grass seed, and ducks on a stick for species identification.

Private Lands Biologist Byers, Bio. Tech. Woyczik, and "Fred" the fire guy staffing the FWS booth at the Ducks Unlimited Great Outdoors Festival. CH 8/99

ROS Myerchin and Bio. Tech. Lutes represented the District at the dedication of the Madison Audubon Chapter's Erstad Prairie tract in Columbia County as part of the International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) celebration on May 8th. The property is adjacent to the Schoenberg WP A and was purchased with NAWCA grant funds. As part of the IMBD celebration, staff lead a birding hike on the WPA which concluded with a lunch and refreshments at the dedication site. Wisconsin DNR's Secretary George Meyer participated in the hike and was impressed with the District's habitat management efforts.

29 ROS Myerchin provided comments at the dedication of the Wilcox WP A as a Ducks Unlimited, Greenwing Legacy Marsh on June 19. The 232-acre WPA was purchased with assistance from Ducks Unlimited, the Wisconsin DNR, and the former owners, Alan and Jane Wilcox.

(left to right) ROS Myercbin, DNR Manager Mike Foy, Jane and Alan Wilcox, and local DU representatives at the Wilcox WPA. Greenwing Legacy Marsh dedication.

Biologist Byers assisted the Horicon NWR with the teacher education day. Teachers from throughout the state were presented with information on private and public grant opportunities available for schoolyard habitat work, in addition to, the technical and financial assistance offered through the District's PFW program.

30 Biologist Byers in cooperation with Ted Eischeid, a Theisen Jr. High School Teacher in Fond duLac, developed a schoolyard nature study area. The District's PFW program contributed technical advice and cost-share assistance for a shallow scrape constructed on the school property. Technical assistance was also provided for a schoolyard prairie restoration.

Shallow pond constructed in the nature study area of Theisen Jr. High School grounds. The PFW program provided technical and financial assistance. TE99

31 Biologist Byers worked with Wings Over Wisconsin (WOW) on one of their locally­ owned properties to restore wetland habitat. An agricultural ditch was plugged to restore a small floodplain basin and the historical flow of a nearby creek. The remainder of the property was seeded to native grasses. The WOW property, purchased through Wisconsin DNR stewardship grant, serves as an educational area for the public.

Construction of ditch plug/scrapes on the Wings Over Wisconsin property. AM 10/99

The following table describes other outreach activities.

Table #1 0 Other Outreach Activities Conducted by Leopold WMD Staff in FY 99

Contact # of Presentations Public Hearings 9 Sportsman Club Meetings 4 Private Conservation Groups 5 Community Service Organizations 3 Refuge Activities 5

32 8 Planning & Administration

8a. Comprehensive Conservation Planning

No activity this year

8b. General Administration

3. 2. 1. 4. 5. 6.

Leopold Wetland Management District Staff

33 Leopold Wetland Management District Staff

1. Steve Lenz Project Leader GS-12 EOD 11112/95 PFT

2. Sheldon Myerchin ROS GS-11 EOD 04/20/92 PFT

3. James Lutes Biological Technician GS-06 EOD 04/28/93 PFT

4. Rhonda Byers Private Lands Biologist GS-09 EOD 03/02/97 PFT

5. Sean Sallmann Biological Technician GS-05 EOD 08/15/99 PFT

6. Wendy Woyczik Biological Technician GS-05 EOD 05/09/99 TFT

The District experienced a staffing shuffle due to the advent of a Preliminary Project Proposal, the transferring of a biological technician, and the selection of a Wisconsin Waterfowl Association employee for a biological technician position.

Beginning in January, Steve Lenz was detailed to the Division of Realty to help facilitate the proposed Aldo Leopold National Wildlife Refuge feasibility study. This detail required coordinating and conducting congressional and media contacts, facilitating public meetings, and assisting in the preparation of an environmental assessment. During Lenz's detail, ROS Myerchin continued his duties as well as the project leader responsibilities.

In July, BioTech Kevin Ertl transferred to Benton Lake NWR, Montana. Due to his transfer the District advertised for a·Maintenance Worker position which remained unfilled by year's end.

For the last couple of years, Sean Sallmann was employed by the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association to implement the NRCS's Wetland Reserve Program from Leopold's WMD office. The District was able to combine two seasonal positions to equal one permanent, private lands and fire position for which Sean was selected.

34 Eastern Wisconsin Waterfowl Production Areas County WPA Name Acres Township Nearest Town; Route, Direction (miles)

Adams New Chester 344 New Chester Brooks; CTH G North {1.5) Columbia Becker 279 Marcellon Pardeeville; STH 22 North (1.5) Rowe {Ward) 336 Lowville Wy_ocena; STH 22 South {4} Schoenenber Marsh 605 Leeds W ocena~ STH 22 South 3.5 ;_Hall Rd. East l1·~ -Ludwi 35 Otsego Rio; Rio Rd. Old Z West l_75) Manthey 422 Otsego Rio; Rio Rd. {Old Z) West (2); Erdman Rd. South (1 Do lestown 52 Otsego Doy_lestown; Grant St. West (.5) Vangen 81 Otsego Rio; STH 16 East (5.5); Otsego Rd. South (1 ); Breen Rd. West {.5) Severson 250 Otsego Rio; STH 16 East (5.5); Otsego Rd. South (2); Moore Rd. West (.5) Anderson 20 Leeds Poynette; U.S. 51 South (8.5); CTH KEast (2.52 Dane Shoveler's Sink 175 Cross Plains Madison; CTH S {Mineral Point RdJ West l~ Northru Kin 84 Fitch bur Madison; CTH D Fish Hatche Rd. South _{4} Swan Pond 242 Fitchburg Madison; CTH D (Fish Hatchery Rd.) South (5); CTH M Oregon East{1} Gadwall Swamp 117 Dunn Stou hton; U.S. 51 North (2.5); Lake Kegonsa Rd. South (1) Island Lake 80 Rutland Stoughton; STH 138 West 2 ; Lake Kegonsa Rd. North (.5) Sime 81 Rutland Stoughton; STH 138 West 1 ; Starr School Rd. South (.75) Grass Lake 54 Dunkirk Stoughton; STH 138 South (1.5); Sam Miles Rd. West (.75); Bass Lake Rd. North (.5} to access Harv~'s Marsh 620 Rutland Brooklyn; STH 92 East (1 ); STH 14 East l_5) Dodge Trenton 374 Trenton Wau un; U.S. 151 South (3.5); Oakwood Rd . West - Pieper 81 Burnett Waueun; STH 26 South {5.5} Fond duLac Oakfield 165 Oakfield Oakfield; CTH D South (1 }; CTH D West C1.4 · CTH AS West~.'V Jefferson Red Cedar Lake 176 Oakland Cambridge; U.S. 12 East (1.5)[ Parcel A]; US 12 East (2.5); [two parcels] CTH A South {.5} [Parcel B] Johnson 40 Oakland Cambridge; U.S. 12 East (2.5); CTH A South (2); CTH C West (1.5}; Asje Rd. North to access lane~ foot travel .5 to WPA Rockdale 33 Oakland Cambridge; U.S. 12 East (2.5); CTH A South (2); CTH C West 2.5 Manitowoc Pietroske 120 Two Rivers Mishicot; CTH V East (4.5); Ravine Dr. South (.25) [Parcel A] [two Qarcels] CTH V East 4.5; Ravine Dr. South (1.75) [Parcel BJ __ Marquette Duffy's Marsh 142 Montello Montello; STH 22 South 2 Oconto Chaffe_y 137 Oconto Falls Oconto; STH 22 West 5 ; Daly Creek Rd. North (1 .5) Outagamie Hernandez 35 Bovina Shiocton; STH 187 North (3.25) Ozaukee Six Mile 298 Belgium Belgium; CTH KW North (.5); Silver Beach Rd. West {_1_)_ Cedar Grove 130 Cedar Grove Belgium; CTH LL North (2.5} Lucas (Saukville) 40 Saukville Saukville; CTH W North (2) ; STH 57 North (.4); Willow Rd. East (.75} to access lane; foot travel (.25) to WPA Ulao 44 Grafton Grafton; STH 60/Q (Uiao Rd.) East (1.25); CTH C North (1.5) Blue Win No Huntin 55 Grafton Grafton· STH 60/Q _{_Uiao Rd. East _{1.25 · CTH C North .5 Rock Lund 122 Union Evansville; U.S. 14 North (4); West Holt Rd. East (1 ); North Union Rd. North (.5);County Line Rd. East (.4) to access lane Shee~skin Marsh 20 Fulton Edgerton; STH 59 West (.5} Johnstown 130 Johnstown Johnstown Center; CTH A North (1.5); North Scharine Rd. North (3.5} Shawano Strauss 109 Wescott Shawano~ STH 47/55 North 1 Sheboygan Kettle Morraine 300 Mitchell Cascade; STH 28 West 2.5; CTH W West (3.5 Waushara Wilcox (No Hunting) 232 Dakota Wautoma; STH 22 South (1 ); Cottonville Rd. East (1 ); 19th Rd. South l_25J Winnebago Eckstein 200 Rushford Omro; STH 21 West 4 Uihlein 1926 Rushford Waukau; CTH M South (1.5); More Nepeuskum parking off STH 91 Utica

Please report any errors you find in this listing. A good map or gazateeris recommended to locate these Waterfowl Production Areas. Look for this WPA sign to determine the boundaries. OPEN TO PUBLIC HUNTING U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ASH AND W\LDLIFE SEFMCE

For more information on For further information on Wisconsin fishing, Waterfowl Production Areas contact: hunting regulations and licenses contact: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Turn In Poachers! District Manager office nearest you, or call the D NR Information Call t~e DNR Hotline Leopold Wetland Management District Center at (608) 266-2621. to report violations. W 4279 Headquarters Road (Strictly Confidential) Mayville, WI 53050 Phone: (920) 387-0336 Fax: (920) 387-2973 1-800-847-9367 3::E~!= I»AQ(I) ':l! N "'C • ---en-· ~ Q :!! CD'::z:::C.:=- . : :E QO :E _g- ~ :E U'l c I» -· fii:::s.c.=:W~:~~=C:: 0~3:CD' en I» en :a= CD Q ~ < I»c.3g CD -· =CD -c -·en ~. -n

(AlJJ /\) 6Z!i£· LtJG-008-l 1D~1s~a 11UJ?il9DVUVW te aO!IU3S Ae1a1:1 s,u!SUOOS!M 46noJ4l OWM P1odoa1 qoeaJ Aew p1~V]19M_ s1enp!"!PU! 6U!Jeaq JO pJellfJeao £L6Z-L8£ (OZ6) :xe:J 9££0-LB£ (OZ6) :auoqd O!i0£!i IM '311!AAew P1odoa1 peo1:1 sJalJenbpeaH 6LZ1'M lO!JlS!O tuawa6euew pue1taM p1odoa1 a:J!ruas 9J!IPUM ~ lJS!~ ·s·n

. --- ~-2_ - · _, -· ,-.. - . - " . . - .. . . . "-- - leopold The Leopold Wetland Management Things to Waterfowl Production Areas are Wetland District is rwme

The Leopold Wetland Management Help • No motorized equipment such as District manages over H,OOO acres of Protect snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, Waterfowl Production Areas Wildlife! and boat motors (including (WPAs). WPAs are purchased with electric types). funds from the sales of Federal Duck • No camping, fires, and overnight tamps and ;:ll'e owned hy the use. Federal government. The lands are • No horseback riding. managed as part of the National • No target shooting (including Wildlife Refuge System. which is "clay birds"). administered by the t; .S. Fish and • No commercial enterprises. Wildlife Service. • Dogs must be on a leash less than feet fi·om April15 until July 31 Wetlands on WPAs are restored and to reduce disturbance to nesting maintained for the benefit of birds. migratory bir·ds ancl other wildlife. • Nontoxic shot is required for Uplands are restored to grasslands, ALL hunting; except for wild generally planted with native prairie turkey hunting on Watetj'ou•l grasses and forbs to provide nesting Productio11 Atcas. habitat or planted to crops through • Blinds and tree stands must be farming agreements for wildlife food removed daily. Damage to tree::: plots. (i.e. cutting shooting lanes, and use of screw-in tree steps and Partners PadiiCI'-'-~ .(ot· Pi.sh & Wildlife. is stands) is prohibited. for Fish a stewardship program for th • Do not litter, destroy or remove & Wildlife restoration and protection of wetlands any vegetation, natural objects or Program and other wildlife habitat...;; on privately other public property. owned lands. Leopold Wetland Management District can offer you Take only pictures, technical and financial assistance. leave only footprint:;!