 Opportunities in a Changing World: During this symposium, we will learn about state-level action plans on climate change and PFAS, the power of the arts in improving water relations, as well as how state agencies and university researchers are tackling new questions at the intersections of water and COVID-19.
May 7: 9am-noon
The 2021 Annual Water@UW-Madison Symposium will take place virtually May 7th 9:00am-12:00pm. This year our theme is Opportunities in a Changing World. Join us to learn about state-level action plans on climate change and PFAS, as well as and how state agencies and university researchers are tackling new questions at the intersections of water and COVID-19. As we confront the major issues of our time, this exceptional lineup of presenters will share about their work conducting research, enacting policy, and asking key questions. We welcome anyone interested in these topics in Wisconsin and beyond. Register today!
Program Overview
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Opening Remarks:
- Jennifer Hauxwell, Water@UW-Madison Chair
- Rebecca Blank, Chancellor UW-Madison
- Tony Evers, Governor of Wisconsin
- Mandela Barnes, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
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Setting the Stage: Statewide Perspectives
- Steve Ackerman, Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education
- Preston Cole, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
- Secretary Mandela Barnes, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI)
- Spotlight on Arts & Culture
- Statewide Coordination on PFAS
- ...and MORE!
- Register TODAY
 Clean Lakes Alliance: Healthy Lakes, Healthy Communities
On Wednesday, May 26th, WKOW will air a half-hour special titled, "The State of Our Lakes." This 30-minute program will look at important issues like climate change, watershed practices, and future policies that aim to make Greater Madison's lakes better for years to come. Be sure to tune in at 6:30 p.m., and watch social media for information on how to livestream this program anywhere.
Sector Team Updates
Apply by May 21, 2021
Farmers and forest landowners will want to plan ahead and sign up early for USDA’s second round of 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 May 21, 2021, for funding in 2021. Applications are being taken at all USDA Service Centers in Wisconsin.
EQIP is the primary program available to farmers and landowners for farm and woodland conservation work, offering payments for over 120 basic conservation practices. Last year, Wisconsin received over $33 million in funds for EQIP practices.
“The new Farm Bill allow NRCS to support conservation that ensures cost-effective financial assistance for improved soil health, water and air quality and other natural resources benefits,” said Biggs. “By getting EQIP applications in early, NRCS staff will have time to visit individual farms and assist in planning conservation practice needs.” Learn more...
Experimentation Leads to Further Envelope Pushing
Karl and Courtney Sime farm with Karl’s parents, Bruce and
Kim, on about 600 acres in the Lower Yahara Watershed, just
outside Stoughton, Wisconsin. They have permanent pasture,
cash grain and hay in rotation. Currently the farm supports a
50‐head cow‐calf operation on pasture and seasonal cover
crop grazing, as well as 250 steers in the old dairy facility. Karl
and Bruce also do custom planting, haying and baling for the
neighbors.Karl and Courtney Sime partnered with NRCS through EQIP and CSP to fix compaction issues on their farm and grow their soil's health. They also planted multi-species cover crops to find what works best on their land. Read more...
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Rock River Coalition (RRC) is recruiting volunteers to assess the health of streams in Dane County and throughout the Rock River basin. Volunteer stream monitors devote a few hours each month (from April to October) to collect information vital to understanding stream health. Stream monitors provide valuable information to assist in identifying healthy stream segments and flagging segments that potentially have water quality concerns. This information will help target local efforts where they are most needed.The training workshops are free, but pre-registration is required as space is limited. Due to COVID restrictions the training will be limited to ten participants per date this year, and all training will occur outdoors.
Available training times and dates:
Fifty years ago, Wisconsin researchers were wrapping up a statewide study exploring the economic potential of lake-based tourism to revitalize sagging rural economies. One slice of the research investigated the human institutions needed to ramp up and sustain lake care, as more lake-based tourism meant new environmental strains. Researchers warned that the current model of relying on citizen volunteers and fundraising for lake management could quickly become unsustainable and proposed a new form of local government called lake districts. In the legislative session following the study’s publication, Wisconsin passed a new lake management law that included enabling statutes for lake stakeholders to create inland lake protection and rehabilitation districts. Read on...
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You may have noticed Clean Boats, Clean Waters volunteers checking boats at a local boat landing, or maybe you are a volunteer or are interested in learning more. Clean Boats, Clean Waters includes teams of volunteers, as well as paid staff from the DNR, Sea Grant and other organizations. Boat inspectors help perform boat and trailer checks, hand out informational brochures and educate boaters on how to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.
The DNR maintains a statewide database, which contains tallies of information tracked at landings. The UW-Extension (UWEX) Lakes conducts trainings for new boat inspectors and coordinates the volunteer efforts. Be sure to visit the UWEX Clean Boats, Clean Waters website [exit DNR] for the handbook, forms, publications, schedule of workshops and general information about Clean Boats, Clean Waters.
The Society for Freshwater Science is hosting their first ever virtual meeting! In freshwater science, many of us study transformations that happen in nature, such as nutrient cycles, animal life histories, river channel geomorphology, and more. With all of the challenges in 2020, SFS as a society is clearly facing a time of dramatic transformations. The SFS 2021 Meeting Program Committee embraces and welcomes changes in our scientific society as we transform in ways that make our scientific society more inclusive, equitable, and better able to respond to the many freshwater challenges facing the world.
Event website: https://sfsannualmeeting.org/index.cfm
Email: sfsmembership@usu.edu
Phone: (435) 797-0526
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Waukesha County’s Land Resources Division has published online presentations from their Spring Stormwater Workshop on April 20-21, 2021. The virtual workshop was hosted by WI Land + Water.
The workshop featured the following 14 presentations:
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Regulatory Update, New and Revised Design Standards (Pete Wood, DNR)
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Milwaukee River TMDL Update (Jake Zimmerman, DNR)
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Water Quality Trading for MS4s (Kevin Kirsch, DNR)
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Volume Reduction Studies with Trees and Green Infrastructure (Bill Selbig, USGS)
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Green BMP Maintenance and Design (Sarah Lerner and Maddie Dumas, City of Madison)
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Oconomowoc MS4 Adaptive Management and Streambank Stabilization (Darrell Smith, Earthcare Natural Landscapes, Ocon WPP)
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Plan Reviews, Enforcement Challenges, and Maintenance Agreement Recording (Panel Discussion: Mark Mickelson, SEH; Theresa Caven, Cith of Brookfield; Dave Buechl, City of Waukesha)
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CAFOs, Surface Water & Groundwater (Tom Mortensen, Adams County Landowner)
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Ecological Restoration in UW Arboretum (Jon Lindert, Strand Associates)
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Marquette Interchange Green Infrastructure (Anna Sunderland, Strand Associates)
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Kinnikinnic River Concrete Channel Removal (John McCarthy, GRAEF)
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Sustainable Teaching Forest Hydrology Design (John McCarthy, GRAEF)
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Green Infrastructure O&M Guide/Standards (Carrie Bristoll-Groll, Stormwater Solutions Engineering)
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Sump Discharge to Rain Garden and Calculator (Kara Koch, Stormwater Solutions Engineering)
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COVID-19 Update
Thank you for your patience during the COVID-19 public health emergency. As state agencies continue operations, please understand that most of our staff are continuing to telework and may have limited access to files and delayed online connectivity.
Field work, including compliance inspections, is still taking place but at a limited basis. In most cases, staff will schedule pre-inspection calls with facilities to gather some of the information that would previously have been collected while on-site. These advance calls will also be used to discuss safety protocols for on-site visits that may be needed to complete all aspects of a compliance assessment.
Staff will keep their voicemails and out-of-office messages up to date and will respond as they are able.
For the most up-to-date information, please visit our COVID-19 information webpage. For program-specific information, please search keyword "COVID19."
An update to administrative code, chapter NR 149, has been completed. This update was published on March 1, 2021. The effective date is June 29, 2021.
On March 19, 2021, Brandy Baker-Muhich provided a Webinar on how this new update to NR 149 affects "Base 4" registered labs.
Future NR 149 Update Training Sessions
- May 20th, 2021 9:00-9:30 "Base 4 Registered Labs" WWOA Lake Michigan District Presentation
- TBD, 2021 "Certified WWTF Labs" Presentation
- TBD, 2021 "Certified Commercial Labs" Presentation
- October 5th, 2021 1:00-4:00 "Registered and Certified Labs" 2021 WWOA Annual Conference Pre-conference workshop.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is seeking proposals through June 21 for On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials (On-Farm Trials). On-Farm Trials, part of the agency’s Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) program, feature collaboration between NRCS and partners to implement on-the-ground conservation activities and then evaluate their impact. Incentive payments are provided to producers to offset the risk of implementing innovative approaches.
NRCS will invest up to $25 million on On-Farm Trials in 2021. This total includes up to $10 million for the Soil Health Demonstration Trials (SHD) priority. The Soil Health Demonstration Trial (SHD) component of On-Farm Trials focuses exclusively on implementation of conservation practices and systems that improve soil health.
NRCS is seeking proposals that address at least one of the following four On-Farm Trial priorities:
- Climate-smart agricultural solutions
- Soil health demonstration trial
- Irrigation water management
- Management technologies and strategies
NRCS will accept proposals from the following eligible entities:
- Private entities whose primary business is related to agriculture
- Non-government organizations with experience working with agricultural producers
- Non-federal government agencies
Learn more and apply HERE...
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