Events
August Programs with McIntosh Memorial Library
Youth Program, Wednesday, August 2, 2023, 1:00 pm
Adult Program, Tuesday, August 22, 2023, 6:00 pm
We will be coordinating with the McIntosh Memorial Library in Viroqua throughout the summer to bring a variety of adult and youth programs to the community.
In August, our youth program Mapping our Town will be at 1:00 pm on the 2nd. Meet in Eckhardt Park! Our GIS and Habitat Specialist Ben Johnston will lead the children through a mapping exercise in the park to explore the relationship between mapping and landmarks and their conection to their surroundings. A scavenger hunt will follow.
For our adult program at 6:00 pm on the 22nd Heidi Keuler, Fish Habitat Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, use a stream table to lead hands-on learning about how rivers work and how we in our communities can impact them both positively and negatively. Participants will learn basic stream terminology, how they function in the watershed by interacting with groundwater, and what we can do to protect them and the fish and wildlife that live there.
For more information about these programs visit the McIntosh Memoria Library at mcintoshmemoriallibrary.org or us at valleystewardshipnetwork.org, email us at info@valleystewardshipnetwork.
July Programs with McIntosh Memorial Library
Youth Program, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, 1:00 pm
Adult Program, Thursday, July 20, 2023, 6:00 pm
We will be coordinating with the McIntosh Memorial Library in Viroqua throughout the summer to bring a variety of adult and youth programs to the community.
In July, our youth program Creeping Critters will be at 1:00 pm on the 19th. Our staff member Frank Spilker will lead the children into an investigation of the fascinating insects that inhabit local streams and ponds. He will discuss life cycles and bring critters for children to identify and study.
For our adult program at 6:00 pm on the 20th, we’ll use the EnviroScape Ecological Restoration model to communicate how water interacts with our local landscape with a splash! Participants will make it rain on the model and observe how water moves throughout the watershed. Then, they will construct solutions to problems and make it rain again to see how we can help safeguard our environment.
For more information about these programs visit the McIntosh Memoria Library at mcintoshmemoriallibrary.org or us at valleystewardshipnetwork.org, email us at info@valleystewardshipnetwork.
June Programs with McIntosh Memorial Library
June 2023
Youth Program, Thursday, June 29, 2023, 3:45 pm
Adult Program, Thursday, June 29, 2023, 6:00 pm
We will be coordinating with the McIntosh Memorial Library in Viroqua throughout the summer to bring a variety of adult and youth programs to the community. Our first programs are both on June 29th.
Our youth program will be at 3:45 pm. We’ll use the EnviroScape Ecological Restoration model to communicate how water interacts with our local landscape with a splash! Participants will make it rain on the model and observe how water moves throughout the watershed. Then, they will construct solutions to problems and make it rain again to see how we can help safeguard our environment.
For our adult program at 6:00 pm, we will discuss “My Double Life: Memoirs of a Naturalist” by Frances Hamerstrom. Contact the library to obtain a copy. After a childhood traveling the world with a wealthy family, Frances moves to central Wisconsin in the 1930s and goes on to lead an entire generation of conservationists. She became the only woman ever to receive a graduate degree from famed ecologist Aldo Leopold. Come join the conversation!
For more information about these programs visit the McIntosh Memoria Library at mcintoshmemoriallibrary.org or us at valleystewardshipnetwork.org, email us at info@valleystewardshipnetwork.
Water Action Volunteer (WAV) Training
2 Dates
Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 6:00 pm
Sunday, May 7, 2023 – 11:00 am
Learn more about your local stream and watershed! Contribute to understanding the water quality in local watersheds and the state of WI. Join the Water Action Volunteer (WAV) program!
Water quality has been at the heart of Valley Stewardship Network’s (VSN’s) mission to protect our land and waters through research, education, and community empowerment. Through the assistance of members of the community volunteering their time through the WAV program, we’ve been able to put together many years of stream quality data that give us a baseline for comparison of future water sampling in the area. All this information is coordinated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources throughout Wisconsin.
NEW TRAINING ADDED: Wednesday, May 3rd, at 6:00 pm, at Sidie Hollow, Viroqua. Meet at the parking area at the end of CTH XX.
Our second training session is Sunday, May 7th, at 11:00 am, at 803 Water St., Wilton, WI.
Please contact our WAV Coordinator Ben Johnston at ben@valleystewardshipnetwork.org if you plan on attending. We will provide you with a full set of sampling equipment. Ben’s cell phone number is: 608-435-6114.
Please dress appropriately for being out of doors for the training.
If you would have any questions, please email us at info@valleystewardshipnetwork.org or call 608-637-3615.
Coon Creek Conservation Day
Saturday, May 6, 2023 – 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Make Running Water Walk
Coon Creek Community Watershed Council presents a day of Conservation, Farming, and Fishing at Coon Valley Veterans Memorial Park, Roosevelt Street, Coon Valley, WI. There will be food, entertainment, events, and kids’ activities focused on the Coon Creek watershed and the conservation ideas, practices, and actions taking place in the watershed.
Ben Johnston, Valley Stewardship Network’s new Water Action Volunteer (WAV) Coordinator, will be at the event if you would like to learn more about volunteering to help monitor water quality in area rivers and streams.
EVENTS
- Hog roast and baked potatoes
- Fishers & Farmers rain simulator
- Sand tables
- Kids’ fishing poles
- Coon Creek Watershed History
- Booths
- Spunky Bumpkins – LIVE!
ORGANIZATIONS
- Wisconsin Land and Water
- Savanna Institute
- Greener Pastures and Grassland 2.0 UW-Madison
- B & E’s Trees
- Seed Savers
- Valley Stewardship Network
Find a list of all participating organizations and vendors at cooncreekwatershed.org.
For additional information, please call Valley Stewardship Network at 608-637-3615 or email info@valleystewardshipnetwork.org.
Ridges and Rivers Festival
Book Garden
Saturday, April 29, 2023 – 9:30 am – 10:30 am
For additional information, please call Valley Stewardship Network at 608-637-3615 or email info@valleystewardshipnetwork.org.
The Hill Country Watershed Alliance hosts:
Spring Cover Crop Bingo!
Tour the Countryside and Win Prizes
Saturday and Sunday, April 22 and 23, 2023
Here’s How it Works
The attached map shows where each cover crop field is located in one of our local watersheds. You travel to each map location and write the number of the field location on your map (the field number is indicated on a sign at each field). The bingo sheet description will explain what is in that field and how it was planted.
Once you have your map completed, you can return your map at the following locations or submit it electronically:
Drop-off locations:
- Chaseburg Co-Op, 113 Cactus Dr, Chaseburg
- Vernon County Land & Water Conservation Dept. (LWCD), 220 Airport Road, Viroqua
- Wehling Farms Country Store, S764 Jore Road, Westby
Electronic submission:
Info@valleystewardshipnetwork.
All submissions are due by Friday, April 28th.
For additional information, please call Valley Stewardship Network at 608-637-3615 or email info@valleystewardshipnetwork.org.
Conservation on Tap Presentation Series 2022-2023
First Tuesday of Every Month, November – April, 7:00 p.m.
NOTE: The April 4 presentation will be at Tangled Hickory in Viroqua
November 1, 2022, Jason Freund, “Climate Change, Flooding, and Stream Manipulation In the Driftless Area” – Jason will talk a bit about what we have seen from climate change in the Driftless Area and about flood events, particularly the damage from the August 2018 flood event. He’ll also discuss our native plant communities, the history of human disturbances, and how we can reconnect streams and their floodplains to minimize the effects of flooding. Link to video
December 6, 2022, Peter Allen, “Becoming Keystone: Reintegrate to Regenerate” – Indigenous cultures worldwide have embraced their role as keystone species, creating healthy ecosystems as the basis for their sustenance and livelihoods. In our times, it is critical that we remember how to take responsibility for our role as keystone, reintegrating into Nature to restore biologically diverse, ecologically functional, and agriculturally productive ecosystems. Becoming keystone requires both engaging in specific activities that impact the land and an entire paradigm shift on how we think about and understand ourselves and our relations.
January 31, 2023, RESCHEDULED! Nancy Wedwick and Bob Micheel plan to offer background information on watershed councils, their work in particular and also that in collaboration with their sister watershed councils, within the context of the historical legacy of conservation leadership in the Coon Creek Watershed. Link to video
February 7, 2023, Teri Allendorf, “Community Conservation: From Wisconsin to the World” – Teri Allendorf will describe Community Conservation‘s projects around the world with local communities to protect biodiversity, including endangered species such as yellow-tailed woolly monkeys in Peru, orangutans in Malaysia, chimpanzees in Cameroon, and tigers in Nepal, among many others. Link to video
March 7, 2023, David Bruce and Erik Hagen, “Agroforestry and Perennial Cropping Systems: Catalyzing widespread adoption through Demonstration, Research and Education” – Through research, demonstration, and education, we at the Savanna Institute work to create a community of practice and help farmers and landowners learn about and adopt the practices into their current farming practices. With the USDA’s new Climate Smart program, we have several exciting new projects in the works. And you’ll be especially interested to hear about what we are doing here in Vernon County, as well as at our cluster of demonstration farms in the Spring Green area.
April 4, 2023, Craig Thompson, “From Catbirds to Cuckoos – The Importance of North America’s Driftless Area for Global Bird Conservation” – The Driftless Area harbors the largest expanse of forest between the Ozarks and Canada’s vast boreal biome. The region’s oak woodlands support an important population of migratory birds, many considered conservation priorities. The Driftless also provides critically important stopover habitat for millions of birds during spring and fall migration. This presentation will examine features that contribute to the region’s importance for birds, provide a glimpse into ongoing bird conservation efforts, and highlight actions Driftless residents can take to lend our feathered friends a helping hand.
For additional information, please call Valley Stewardship Network at 608-637-3615 or email info@valleystewardshipnetwork.org.
Annual Meeting – January 17, 2023, 7:00 pm
To be held at The Historic Fortney, 100 N. Main St., Viroqua
This year we are returning to an in-person Annual Meeting but are including a Zoom portion as well so we can include people who may not want to make the trip. As an enticement for those who do choose to join us in-person, we are offering tasty appetizers and drinks. Join us Tuesday, January 17, at 7:00 pm, at The Historic Fortney, 100 N. Main St., Viroqua. We’ll share our successes from 2022 and talk about our plans for 2023!
The doors open for socializing at 6:30 pm. The presentation starts at 7:30 pm.
Please email us at info@valleystewardshipnetwork.org or call 608-637-3615 to register for event and/or ask for Zoom link.
