| Not only are mosquitos pesky parasites that leave itchy bites, they can spread a number of dieases such as West Nile Virus (WNV), Zika, and Encephalitis.
Why did we have so many late season mosquitoes this year? Many of us know mosquito larvae mature and hatch from still water, and we expect them in early summer. Join Lorre Kolb, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, as she interviews PJ Liesch, Extension entomologist, Insect Diagnostic Lab. You’ll learn about the “Floodwater Mosquito“, our pesky late season neighbor that’s kept us itching and scratching so late in the season;
Interview: The end of mosquito season?
West Nile virus (WNV) is an arbovirus that is transmitted by a bite of an infected mosquito. West Nile virus (WNV), which has been widespread in Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East and western Asia, first appeared in the New York City area of the United States in 1999. The first human cases of WNV in Wisconsin appeared in 2002. Few mosquitoes actually carry the virus.
An estimated 80% of people infected by WNV never experience symptoms. Most of the remaining 20% will experience relatively mild illness, with symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pains, a skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, and photophobia. Less than one percent (approximately one of every 150 people) infected with WNV become seriously ill. Severe symptoms include a sudden onset of a high fever, neck stiffness, extreme muscle weakness, tremors, convulsions, or disorientation.
In nature, mosquitoes become infected with WNV by feeding on infected birds and can transmit the virus to other animals, birds, and humans. The Wisconsin Division of Public Health monitors dead birds for WNV as an early warning system to indicate that the virus may be present in an area. For more information…
MS4 General Permit Questionaire
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources encourages you to participate in our Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit program questionnaire. The department will use the collected information to draft the next general permit in accordance with applicable state and federal MS4 permit standards. Participation in the questionnaire is voluntary. The department invites permittees, regional storm water groups, consultants, and others interested in the MS4 general permit to participate in the questionnaire. It will close on October 5, 2018.
Access the questionnaire here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WIDNR_MS4Permit
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Ozaukee County Land & Water Management Department have entered an agreement to launch a new demonstration farm network in Ozaukee county. This is the third demonstration farm network in Wisconsin that NRCS has collaborated with conservation partners to establish. The partnership will support a network of farms that will demonstrate the best conservation practices to reduce phosphorus entering Lake Michigan.
This partnership will address the effectiveness of current conservation systems used to reduce nonpoint source pollution. The network will demonstrate to farmers and the general public that the right combination of traditional conservation practices and other new, innovative technologies functioning on the landscape can produce viable and sustainable economic and environmental benefits. For more information…
Farming is one of the most dangerous industries according to the Centers for Disease Control Cheryl Skjolaas provides tips for staying safe on the farm.
Madison, Wis. – September 27, 2018 – Farmers and forest landowners will want to plan ahead and sign up early for USDA conservation funding. Angela Biggs, USDA−Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist in Wisconsin, announced farmers and forest landowners interested in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) need to apply by November 16, 2018, for funding in 2019. Applications are being taken at all USDA Service Centers in Wisconsin.
EQIP is the primary program available to farmers for farm and woodland conservation work, offering payments for over 110 basic conservation practices. Last year, Wisconsin received over $35 million in funds for EQIP practices.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is releasing a set of standard indicators and associated laboratory procedures to assess soil health. These measures – recommended through a multi-organizational collaboration among soil health experts in the federal, university, public and private sectors – are being developed to improve conservation planning and implementation across the United States.
Review and comment on the draft Technical Note in the Federal Register by December 13, 2018. Learn more about the basic principles of soil health on the NRCS website. |
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Dr. Tamlin Pavelski, University of North Carolina, the WI DNR, and citizen scientists around the world are conducting research for NASA using satellites to read lake levels. By monitoring lake levels using satellites, the Pavelski’s team hopes to look at fluctuating water levels and water storage capacity on a large scale. find out more about their project “Citizen Scientists and Satellites” here.
Ken and Lori Hebbe on Lake Five in Colgate, WI have been monitoring the lake levels using a water gauge at the end of their dock for the past three years. Their citizen monitoring will determine a baseline to the fluctuating water levels and act as a reference point for future studies. Lake Five is one of the 24 monitored lakes in Wisconsin.
Beyond Wisconsin, the three-year project will include over 200 lakes in Minnesota, Washington, New England, Bangladesh, France, India, and Pakistan. |
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The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) Newsletter is available online and features an article on their Chloride Study.
The SEWRPC regional chloride impact study will evaluate the introduction of chloride in the environment and the environmental impacts of such introduction within the Region. The study will provide a comprehensive inventory of the historical and present sources of chloride loads to surface and groundwater resources; an assessment of the impacts of these loads on the environment, and in particular on the surface water and groundwater resources of the Region; development of a state-of-the-art component addressing current research and emerging technologies and policies related to mitigating the environmental effects of chloride from multiple sources; identification of alternative means of achieving desired levels of management of sources of chloride; and the formulation of general recommendations for abatement of the undesirable environmental impacts of the use of chloride..
Saturday, September 29th marks opening weekend for duck and many other waterfowl hunting.
Maintaining healthy wetlands and waters support strong waterfowl populations, but are threatened by the presence of aquatic invasive species.
AIS can destroy native vegetation and other ecological conditions that birds need to survive. Some AIS can transmit bacteria and parasites that kill waterfowl.
If you are planning to hunt this season, please take these precautions to preserve Wisconsin’s waterfowl populations and hunting traditions for generations to come.
- Inspect your boat, trailer, and hunting equipment. This includes your boots, blinds, push poles, and even your pup!
- Remove all plants, animals, and mud from your equipment
- Drain all water from decoys, boat, motor, live well, and other hunting equipment
- Never move plants or live fish away from a waterbody
- A special consideration for hunters is to avoid using non-native plants, like phragmites, for your duck blind. This can lead to the accidental spread of the species.
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Urban Nonpoint Source & Storm Water (UNPS&SW) Management Program Planning Grant Application Instructions
Final guidance relating to storm water is now available on the Proposed DNR Program Guidance web page. The Department received no comments on the proposed guidance during the 21-day public notice period.
This guidance document replaces the previous version of the Urban Nonpoint Source & Storm Water (UNPS&SW) Program Planning Grant Application Instructions. The updates were made to address feedback from grantees and their consultants, to clarify common questions and scoring criteria, and to make the application and instructions more user-friendly.
These application instructions together with the revised UNPS-Planning application form 8700-299a will posted on the DNR’s Urban Nonpoint Source and Storm Water Management Grant Program web page on January 15, 2019.
Draft guidance concerning storm water is now available for review and comment on the Proposed DNR Program Guidance web page. “Non-Channel Erosion Mat – Technical Standard 1052” and “Channel Erosion Mat – Technical Standard 1053” are open for comment until October 9, 2018.
The proposed changes to “Non-Channel Erosion Mat – Technical Standard 1052” and “Channel Erosion Mat – Technical Standard 1053” include minor updating of formatting, references, and terminology.
The Department is soliciting comments from the public on this draft guidance. Once the 21 day notice period is complete, all comments will be considered by the Department. After considering all public comments, revisions may be made to the guidance document and final guidance will be made available to internal and external stakeholders. Comments related to this draft guidance document should be sent to: DNRTechnicalStandards@Wisconsin.gov.
A recording of the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Program Updates Webinar is now available on the Department of Natural Resources’ Municipal Storm Water Permits web page. Held on September 12, 2018, the webinar provided a statewide summary of 2017 MS4 annual reports and proposed MS4 general permit revisions relating to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Remand and eReporting Rules.
Proposed Storm Water Guidance: Modeling Post-Construction Storm Water Management Treatment
Draft guidance concerning storm water is now available for review and comment on the Proposed DNR Program Guidance web page. “Modeling Post-Construction Storm Water Management Treatment” guidance is open for comment until October 3, 2018.
The proposed “Modeling Post-Construction Storm Water Management Treatment” guidance has been updated. As models and technical standards get updated so does the need for associated modeling guidance, which was last updated in May 2015. The updates include making the guidance consistent with the recent updated technical standards (e.g. vegetated swale and permeable pavement), expanding the guidance to clarify how to model certain conditions using WinSLAMM, and treatment credit using WinSLAMM for a storm water pond with an outlet on its bottom (i.e., dry pond).
The Department is soliciting comments from the public on this draft guidance. Once the 21-day notice period is complete, all comments will be considered by the Department. After considering all public comments, revisions may be made to the guidance documents and final guidance will be made available to internal and external stakeholders. Comments related to this draft guidance document should be sent to: DNRGUIDANCEDOCUMENTS@Wisconsin.gov. Please indicate in the subject line which guidance the comments pertain to.
MS4 General Permit Listening Session
Please join us on October 2nd, 2018 at 9:00 am for an opportunity to provide early input on the proposed Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) general permit revisions relating to the EPA Remand and eReporting Rules. Central Office and Southeast Region storm water staff will host the meeting. The meeting will be held in Room 151 at the DNR Waukesha Service Center at 151 NW Barstow Street, Waukesha, WI 53188. Similar opportunities for feedback are being considered by other Department regions.
The primary issues we plan on discussing will be covered in an a MS4 permit program webinar on September 12, 2018. Attendees are encouraged to attend the webinar as preparation for the meeting. Additionally, we are soliciting input for the next General Permit, so please bring your ideas on what is working well, what isn’t, and any ideas for improvement.
Please RSVP to Jacob.Zimmerman@wisconsin.gov no later than September 27, 2018. RSVPs are required as space is limited. We are asking that no more than one representative attend from each permitted MS4 in the Southeast Region. Please indicate in the RSVP which communities you will be representing.
Stormwater retention ponds have received much press of late regarding their potential as breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Concerned parties are raising questions about whether the benefits of these ponds are worth the potential risks associated with mosquitoes that rely on water for hatching grounds. The answer usually depends on the type of pond and how well it is managed. The following resources provide additional information on stormwater management and mosquitoes;
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The WWOA Board of Directors cordially invites you to the 52nd Annual WWOA Conference, October 16 through October 19, 2018. We are at a new venue this year, the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, WI. The Conference Program is full of exciting information on what will prove to be a great conference. Tuesday starts the fun with an array of activities.
- Golf Outing and Sporting Clays Events along with the Bicycle Ride
- Two Pre-Conference Workshops taught by the WDNR
- Meet and Greet with cook-out and refreshments
- Conference Program
2018 Annual Conference Hotel Reservations are now OPEN
October 16 – October 19, 2018, Grand Geneva Resort. For more information on Room Rates,
Click Here
7036 Grand Geneva Way, Lake Geneva, WI 53147 |
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