 Matt Winker of Red Line Dairy, in one of his fields with a rye cover crop, provide a great example of balancing sustainability, stewardship, and economic vialibility for dairy farming in Wisconsin.
This month's addition of conservation success stories features local dairy farmer Matt Winker, and his farm Red Line Dairy, in Belgium, Wisconsin. For Matt, stewardship, sustainability, and economic viability all work together on his 125 cow dairy farm where he and his family grow corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and covers crops on 450 acres. Since 2014, Matt has been practicing no‐till and cover crops to increase his conservation efforts, and in turn has increased his yields, profits and ability to ride the roller coaster of the crop and dairy markets of most recent years. He and his family grow corn, soybeans, alfalfa and more. Matt partnered with NRCS to develop a nutrient management plan and implement soil health practices, like multi-species cover crops and no-till. Read more...
The Degradation of Aesthetics Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) is now officially removed from the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern.
Earlier this year, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) prepared a recommendation to remove this impairment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that they agree the BUI removal goal has been achieved. The EPA’s concurrence recognizes the improving environmental conditions here.
After the Milwaukee Estuary was listed as an Area of Concern (AOC) in 1987, the Remedial Action Plan identified Degradation of Aesthetics as one of 11 environmental problems, or BUIs, in the AOC program.
Degraded aesthetics were included among the impairments due to poor visual quality of the polluted waterways and over development along the estuary. Combined sewer overflows and urban runoff carried debris, trash, oil and grease into waterways. Many stream beds were straightened and lined with concrete, and communities grew without consideration for green spaces, resulting in over development and limited shoreline access and public spaces. These factors had limited recreational use and diminished scenic value of the waters within the AOC boundaries. Learn more...
Sector Team Updates
The Milwaukee River Watershed Clean Farm Families and the Ozaukee County Demonstration Farm Network are hosting a field day to showcase some low disturbance manure application equipment and provide information on cover crops and other innovative practices that build soil health and protect water quality.. In field discussions and demonstrations will include:
- Low-Disturbance Manure Application
- Cover Crop Selection & Timing
- Roller-Crimped Soybeans
- Learning Opportunities with Area Farmers
Location: Ozaukee Cty Farm Demonstration Fields
Hwy 57, across from 1671 Beech Lane, Fredonia, WI
Date & Time: Wednesday Oct. 13th, 10:30-2:30
The U.S. Department of Agriculture encourages people wanting to protect critical wetlands, agricultural lands and grasslands to consider enrolling their property into conservation easements. The Farm Bill provides USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service with technical and financial assistance to help private landowners, tribes, land trusts and other groups protect these valuable lands.
The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program focuses on restoring and protecting wetlands, conserving productive agricultural lands and conserving grasslands. Landowners are compensated for enrolling their land in easements.
Applications for the ACEP are taken on a continuous basis, and they are ranked and considered for funding one time a year. The deadline for the Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) for fiscal year 2022 is December 1, 2021, and the deadline for Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) for fiscal year 2022 is October 31, 2021.
|
Major milestones have been achieved this summer with the completion of the field data collection. For the greater part of the last three years, data have been compiled from our 42 monitoring stations, which consisted of collecting monthly water samples from streams. Learn more...
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold a public comment period and public hearing on a proposed rule pertaining to how the DNR conducts waterbody assessments using biological indicators. The rule describes how the biology of a lake, stream or river—such as its plant, algae, fish or insect communities—is used to assess its overall health. It also establishes biological indicators used to determine whether a water body is responding to elevated phosphorus levels. Finally, it updates water quality criteria for dissolved oxygen and establishes new criteria for oxygen and temperature for lakes with coldwater fish.
This will be the second public comment period and hearing for this rule (Natural Resources Board order WY-23-13). An earlier version of the rule was submitted to the legislature in 2020 but was recalled by DNR to review comments received at the legislative hearing. The revised version of the rule contains germane modifications to address these comments.
The comment period will run from Sept. 7 to Nov. 1, 2021. The hearing will be held via Zoom on Oct. 25 beginning at 10 a.m. Please see the attached notice for more information and a link to join the hearing.
|
SEWRPC has just launched its new home for tracking performance and monitoring data: the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Performance Monitoring Website at sewrpc.org/performance.
The new Regional Performance Monitoring website features data visualizations and interactive maps that allow visitors to explore socioeconomic trends, land use activity, and transportation system performance in the Region. Equity-related measures are also included for several of these topics and performance measures related to water resources in the Region will be added in the future.
The site also features a Regional Performance Dashboard that evaluates progress towards achieving the recommendations of VISION 2050 and the Regional Housing Plan. Visit today!
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that results for the latest wildlife reports are now available. View the full list of reports here.
The wildlife reports are divided into surveys addressing five species groups, including small game, big game, waterfowl, furbearers and nongame. The wildlife surveys are conducted throughout 2020-2021 by DNR staff and dedicated volunteers. The DNR’s wildlife program managers use the survey results to help make decisions on species management.
“Thank you to everyone who took part in these studies, whether through observation reports, survey participation or harvest registration,” said Brian Dhuey, DNR Wildlife Population and Harvest Assessment Specialist. “This continued commitment to wildlife enables the DNR to make data-driven decisions on how to best manage species in our state.”
These reports were made possible through federal funding authorized by the Wildlife Restoration Act commonly known as the Pittman-Robertson Act. More information on the funding is available here.
|
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Storm Water Discharge Permit Coverage At Solid Waste Landfills guidance and response to comments are now available via the following link: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Stormwater/publications.html.
The original guidance was initially developed in May 2016. This guidance update clarifies the process for new landfills and outlines the protocol when construction will begin before a final plan of operation is developed.
Revised Standards: Wisconsin DNR Technical Standard 1060 Storm Drain Inlet Protection For Construction Sites
The Wisconsin DNR Technical Standard 1060 Storm Drain Inlet Protection For Construction Sites was revised to incorporate the use of rigid frame type inlet protection devices and aid in device selection. This practice is intended to minimize sediment from entering storm drainage systems in areas where the contributing drainage area is temporarily disturbed or receives traffic from temporarily disturbed areas nearby. DNR solicited comments through Sept. 17th. The draft standard is available at this link. (https://socwisconsin.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/1060_Inlet-Protection_BroadReview083121.pdf)
After the notice period is complete, all comments will be considered by DNR. Revisions may be made to the document and the final updated technical standard will then be made available to internal and external stakeholders.
The DNR maintains, implements, and develops Storm Water Construction and Post-Construction technical standards to assist with the compliance of Chapter NR 151, Wisconsin Administrative Code. The process established by the Wisconsin Standards Oversight Council is the process the agency uses to develop or revise technical standards pursuant to Subchapter V of NR 151. The DNR is a member of the Wisconsin Standards Oversight Council along with several other federal and state agencies and conservation organizations to ensure that technical standards used for soil and water conservation in Wisconsin are science-based and involve collaboration with other impacted agencies.
|
They’re in every American home, your car, work, some clothes and cosmetics and they’ve been around for a long time, way back to the 1940’s. PFAS are manmade compounds, used for their resistance to heat, water, and oil. Think: nonstick pots and pans, stain resistant fabric and carpet, pizza boxes, fast-food wrappers, water-resistant clothing. Technically, PFAS are per and polyfluoroalkyl substances with more than 3,000 chemical varieties.
“Just like pharmaceuticals and many household chemicals, wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove PFAS. That’s why we’re going to help test and monitor the water we receive from industry and 1.1 million people, so scientists can get a much better handle on the impacts of these emerging contaminants on the human body and the environment.” - Kevin Shafer, MMSD Exec. Director
|
|
