Helping Beavers Help Us

Helping Beavers Help Us

My decision to purchase my property back in 2003 was strongly influenced by its location on the West Fork of the Kickapoo River, the presence of beavers, and the diversity they support. When I first made my way through dense brush to the edge of the beaver pond, now...
Plan Now to Plant Natives this Spring

Plan Now to Plant Natives this Spring

Planning now to plant natives this spring sheds an anticipatory pleasant light on these last fitful days of winter and encourages daydreaming about the explosion of life that is about to happen. I am getting `order now’ reminders and assurances of inventory from many...
Planning Native Plantings for Biodiversity

Planning Native Plantings for Biodiversity

Now is the time to formalize plans which address those “maybe next year” or “wouldn’t it be nice if” ideas so many of us have heard ourselves mumble as we walked around our properties in past years. With the help of planning and goal-setting, maybe this spring we will...
Plant Native … and Viroqua’s Rusk Avenue Plantings

Plant Native … and Viroqua’s Rusk Avenue Plantings

I’d like to acknowledge the diversity in the city of Viroqua’s recent tree plantings in the Rusk Avenue project. My friend from Valley Stewardship Network (VSN), Dave Krier, and his wife Mary walk around town a lot more than I do, as I live out on the West Fork. He...
Late Fall is Oak Hunting Time!

Late Fall is Oak Hunting Time!

Late fall is the time to go out and locate, flag, and make plans to protect young oak trees. Unlike the surrounding vegetation, most young oaks still have their leaves late into the fall and winter. And, though some oaks may have turned brown and fewer yet are bare,...