December Conservation on Tap

Tuesday, December 5, 2023, 7:00 pm

The December Conservation on Tap focuses on river systems. “Historic Changes to River Systems in the Driftless Area” is the title of our December Conservation on Tap presentation! Driftless Area streams have experienced a tremendous amount of change due to human activities over the past two centuries. This talk by Dr. Colin Belby will provide an overview of how European-American settlement and associated landcover change in the mid-19^th century disrupted rainfall-runoff processes on the landscape, resulting in more frequent floods and altered stream channels. Despite the positive impacts of the soil conservation movement that had its origins in the Driftless Area in the 1920s, the legacy of past land management practices combined with an increased frequency of high intensity rainfall continues to affect present-day stream processes. The Conservation on Tap presentation takes place Tuesday, December 5, at 7:00 pm, at The Historic Fortney, 100 N. Main St., Viroqua, WI. Conservation on Tap is a FREE presentation series by experts on various aspects of Driftless area ecology and conservation. The goal of the series is to increase knowledge, connection to, and awareness of current conservation efforts and research.

Dr. Colin Belby earned his PhD in Geography from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He has taught courses on geomorphology, river systems, and field mapping in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse (UWL) since 2009, and he currently serves as the Associate Director of the UWL River Studies Center. His research includes quantifying human impacts on river systems in southwestern Wisconsin, including floodplain sedimentation and contamination. He incorporates unmanned aerial systems, GPS, and sonar to quantify landscape change.

Board Member on the Go!

Sponsor a Prairie!

Support our efforts to spread prairies throughout our local watersheds.  Native prairie plants increase water infiltration and reduce sedimentation of our streams. We’re already planning for even more prairie planting in 2023, and you can help.

For more information email us at info@valleystewardshipnetwork.org, or call us at 608-637-3615.

Connect to Protect Your Watershed!

These shirts make ideal gifts!  They were designed by local artists and depict local watersheds.  They are 100% organic cotton!

Now available in Women’s styles as well!

Visit our online shop to take a look at all five of our Valley Stewardship Network Watershed T-shirts!  Available in men’s and women’s styles.

We’re encouraging everyone to get to know their own watershed and all the people, plants and animals that are a part of it.

We have T-shirts for the Kickapoo, Bad Axe, Tainter Creek, Coon Creek, and West Fork of the Kickapoo watersheds.

Don’t know which watershed you’re in?  Try finding yourself on this map, or contact us at info@valleystewardshipnetwork.org.