The Southeastern Wisconsin Watershed Trust (aka Sweet Water) hosted the most recent Clean Rivers - Clean Lakes Conference in November, at Alverno College in Milwaukee. The conference was well attended and included numerous talks relating to restoring the watersheds and water quality of the Milwaukee Basin. DNR staff hosted a Question and Answer session on the TMDL that included the following presentations specifically addressing the most commonly asked questions we receive:
Work on a draft Water Quality Improvement Plan for the greater Milwaukee River Basin (including the Menomonee, Kinnickinnick, and Harbor/Estuary) continues. The current timeline goal is to have a draft ready during 1st quarter of 2020.
See the Milwaukee Harbor/Estuary AOC update, below.
Milwaukee River Watershed Planning
Cedar, Pigeon, Mole, Ulao, L. Michigan Frontal Lobe Watersheds
The draft nine-key element plan for these watersheds is in final editing/revisions. DNR staff continue to work with local partners to wrap up the final details.
Fredonia-Newburg Nonpoint Source Watershed Restoration
The draft plan was shared with stakeholders Nov. 12th at the final partners meeting at Fredonia Community Village Hall. DNR is working with MMSD to being the nine-key element review process. The final draft reports are available for download via the MMSD website:
The Menomonee and Kinnickinnic (KK) River Watershed Restoration Plans are being updated to meet the nine-key elements. This "renewal" process will update the plans for another ten years and allow the region to receive highest eligibility for federal water quality and restoration grants (e.g. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and Section 319 Nonpoint Grants). The Menomonee Plan will incorporate the Watershed Group permit and DNR staff are working with communities to strategize how they might address TMDL goals and targets within MS4 permits. While work on the WQIP and other planning efforts has taken precedence, as these are wrapped up, we anticipate continued progress and completion of the updated Menomonee and KK River Watershed plans.
The Draft Removal Target Updates for the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern is available for public review and comments until December 23, 2019. See a PDF of this document here.
Removal targets are a key element of the AOC program. They define the end goal that determines when Beneficial Use Impairments can be considered adequately addressed for the AOC program, and thus eligible to be removed. Targets also inform the selection of monitoring approaches to determine status of the impairments and management actions to address them. Once all impairments have met their targets, the AOC can be formally delisted.
The removal targets that are under revision include nine out of the eleven designated impairments for the Milwaukee Estuary AOC:
- Restrictions on Dredging Activities
- Fish Tumors or Other Deformities
- Bird or Animal Deformities or Reproductive Problems
- Restrictions on Fish and Wildlife Consumption
- Degradation of Benthos
- Degradation of Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Populations
- Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat
- Degradation of Fish and Wildlife Populations
- Beach Closings/Recreational Restrictions.
The draft document lists proposed changes to the targets for each impairment and explains the rationale for the proposed changes. Refining the targets will help us implement projects under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan III, which outlines the priorities for GLRI funding for the next five years.
Please send any questions and comments to Brennan Dow, Milwaukee Estuary and Sheboygan Area of Concern Coordinator, at Brennan.Dow@wisconsin.gov or 414-263-8651.
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John and Katie Buser moved from out west to Winnebago County, with the dream of running their own cattle ranch. John and Katie first came to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in 2015 when they heard about the honey bee pollinator program sign-up. Through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), they established forage and biomass planting on 35 acres. John and Katie had recently acquired the land and wanted to include that in their grazing operation. This brought the total land under grazing to 55 acres of their own land and 42 acres of Department of Natural Resources land. NRCS also helped with funding on fencing, a livestock well, livestock pipeline, watering facilities and prescribed grazing. They partnered with the NRCS through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to set up a managed grazing operation. Read more (777 KB pdf)
WI Land+Water and DATCP are offering recorded webinars that provide an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of conservation topics specific to local conservation programs in Wisconsin. More webinars will be offered in the future as they become available. The following webinars are currently available at http://wislandwatermedia.org/webinars/:
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Who is WI Land+Water? (Matt Krueger, WI Land+Water)
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How to Get Involved (Matt Krueger, WI Land+Water)
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Land and Water Resource Management (LWRM) Plans (Lisa Trumble, DATCP)
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Soil and Water Resource Management (SWRM) Grants (Susan Mockert, DATCP)
Contact Penny at Penny@wisconsinlandwater.org for more information.
DATCP is excited to partner with the National Wildlife Federation to offer a free leadership and outreach training for Producer-Led Grant recipients and collaborators.
When: December 12
Where: Ross Bishop Farm, 1736 Mill Rd, Jackson WI 53037
Goals of the training
- Develop new outreach strategies to get more of your target audience to your events
- Learn and implement new messaging strategies that help move your target audience through the process of adopting new practices
- Establish management systems and practices to share responsibilities among more people to avoid leadership burnout
To register for this free training, please email Rachel.Rushmann@wi.gov. It will be capped at 50 total participants.
Interested in using cover crops after corn silage harvest? The NRCS presents a video series about that exact subject. This series of short videos takes you into the field with several Wisconsin agricultural specialists to learn about establishing and using a rye or similar cover crop following corn silage harvest.
Series 1: Establishing and Using Rye
Series 2: Growth Considerations
Series 3: Results
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Washington and Waukesha Counties AEPP Grant Applications
On December 10th, both Washington and Waukesha Counties will be submitting their AEPP (Aquatic Invasive Species Education, Prevention, and Planning) grant applications with the hope of securing funding for the next 3 years. They reached out to lake groups and other organizations to request letters of financial or in-kind (boat usage, assistance when conducting field work, etc) support to supplement our grant applications. These letters greatly increase our chances of being awarded the grants by showing support and dedication from the public to further prevent the spread of AIS. If you are a member of an organization that would like to write a letter in support of the AIS Program, please contact the AIS Coordinator Cassie Taplin.
Waukesha County AIS App
Staff from both Washington and Waukesha Counties worked hard this past summer surveying waterbodies for AIS. In Waukesha County, an online GIS application was developed to display where AIS was detected by staff when conducting early detection surveys. Jim Rose, a Senior Conservation Specialist for Waukesha County, has uploaded our survey data from 2019! Check it out here: Waukesha County AIS App
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Common Aquatic Plants in Streams
Thursday, December 4, Noon-1:00 p.m.
As the author and photographer of the popular field guide, Aquatic Plants of the Upper Midwest, Paul Skawinski literally wrote the book on aquatic plant identification. In this webinar he will use his personal experience and photos to give you practical tips on identifying and understanding the plants commonly found in our streams. Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6058073074757886721
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Recording Available: MS4 Program Updates Webinar
A recording of the MS4 Program Updates Webinar is now available on the Department of Natural Resources’ Municipal storm water presentations and fact sheets web page. Held on October 30, 2019, the webinar provided an overview of the MS4 general permit issued May 2019 and a statewide summary of 2018 MS4 annual reports.
Due to the overwhelming response at last week’s DNR Technical Standard 1009 Rain Garden webinar, we are offering it again on Tuesday, December 3, from 11:30 a.m. to approximately 12:30 p.m.
The Rain Garden standard was published by the Department of Natural Resources in September 2018 and was developed through the Wisconsin Standards Oversight Council (SOC) process. The standard addresses the design, installation, and maintenance of rain gardens in residential and commercial applications. This technical standard may also assist counties in meeting treated impervious surface requirements contained in shoreland zoning per NR 115, Wis. Adm. Code.
The training webinar will be provided by members of the team that developed the standard, including Perry Lindquist from Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use and possibly DNR retiree Roger Bannerman.
This webinar is free and no prior registration is necessary. There is a maximum of 100 participants. One Soil & Water Management Continuing Education Unit (CEU) and one Professional Development Hour (PDH) will be offered for attending the live webinar. Join from your computer, tablet, or smartphone at https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/213746573
Last week’s recording of the webinar is available to watch at:
“Wisconsin Construction Site Erosion Control Field Guide”
The “Wisconsin construction site erosion control field guide” by NASECA has been updated and replaced: https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/stormwater/standards/const_standards.html
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As a resource for counties looking to sign up to receive MDV funding, DNR has has created a tutorial video that demonstrates the necessary steps to do so in BITS (BMP implementation tracking system). It covers the project setup phase in which counties select HUC 8 watersheds to receive funding, and the certification steps to complete an application. The intent is that these steps in BITS will completely replace paper applications for this round of sign-ups, due January 1st 2020. This training video will also be shared via the annual MDV reminder email, scheduled to be sent shortly via Wisconsin Land & Water listserv.
See the “watch video” link located on the County Resources webpage: https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/SurfaceWater/phosphorus/variance/countyResources.html
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Grant Information
The Surface Water Grant Program offers competitive, cost-sharing grants for surface water protection and restoration. Grants are available to support surface water management from start to finish. Whether your organization is interested in education, ecological assessments, planning, implementation or aquatic invasive species, there is probably a grant program that can help you accomplish your goals.
Applications for the following categories of grants are due December 10th:
- Lake Management Planning
- Lake Classification & Ordinance Development
- Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS)
- Education, Prevention & Planning
- Clean Boats Clean Waters
- River Planning
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