What's New?
Endangered Resources News & Events
New Birding and Nature Trail Guide!
The Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail is your invitation to observe the fascinating and diverse world of wildlife that exists in every corner of Wisconsin. This fifth in a series of five guides – the Southern Savanna Birding and Nature Trail – covers thirteen Wisconsin counties in the southcentral portion of the state. Published in 2008, it includes 78 waypoints from the 30,000-acre Horicon National Wildlife Refuge in the east to Yellowstone State Park in the west. The first four guides in the series – the Lake Superior Northwoods edition released in 2004, the Mississippi/Chippewa Rivers edition from 2005, the Lake Michigan edition from 2006, and the Central Sands edition from 2007 – are all still available in limited numbers. View the Guide! [PDF 9.2MB]
Bring Back The Cranes!
Watch whooping cranes following ultralight airplanes and interacting with costumed biologists! This video provides information about the whooping cranes' decline, previous and current reintroduction efforts, and how whooping cranes learn to migrate from Wisconsin to the southern U.S. by following ultralight aircraft. View the Video [VIDEO Length 18:31].
To order a copy of this DVD, please print, complete, and mail the order form [PDF 12KB]. Educators may obtain a free copy by calling (608) 267-9351.
5th Annual Citizen-based Monitoring Conference
The 2008 Citizen-Based Monitoring Conference will be held on October 24-25 in Onalaska, WI. The agenda will benefit both the continuing citizen monitor as well as those looking to get started. As always, the conference will provide an opportunity where you can network with citizen monitoring colleagues, celebrate outstanding citizen efforts and learn about monitoring projects around the state. Visit the conference website (exit DNR) for more information and online registration.
2008 Endangered Resources Trumpeter Swan Round Up
Olivia Hernandez from the Milwaukee area and Severina Hall from the Babcock area, both age 8, sit alongside DNR Wildlife Management LTE Tom Hermann of La Crosse. The object of their attention is a Trumpeter Swan cygnet that was caught as part of the annual round-up of Trumpeter Swan cygnets in Wisconsin. Trumpeter Swan cygnets, generally within a few weeks of flying, are captured in wetlands by canoe or kayak with the help of a DNR pilot overhead who can direct teams to where cygnets are located. The birds are given health checks, then outfitted with neck collars and leg bands to allow biologists to track their movements and survival. On August 27, 33 volunteers from the International Crane Foundation, Operation Migration, the Fish and Wildlife Service, Americorps, and the Wisconsin DNR participated in the swan round-ups.
Second Edition of Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail Checklist Available!
For this Second Edition, 5 species have been added to the Checklist (Cackling Goose, White-winged Tern, Greenbreasted Mango, Rock Wren, Great-tailed Grackle) and one has been deleted (Streak-backed Oriole) based on input from Bill Mueller, the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology’s Conservation Chair. Other checklist elements have also been updated to reflect the most current information on Wisconsin birds. View the Checklist [PDF 1.25MB]
Second Edition of Snakes of Wisconsin is Now Available!
Originally printed in 1999, this updated version includes a new snake, the western wormsnake, which was not recognized as a valid species in Wisconsin when the first edition was published. Its status has since been validated and a breeding population was discovered in southwestern Wisconsin in 2006. This edition also contains a number of changes to the common and scientific names of several snakes and updates the regulations section of the book. The Bureau's Rori Paloski assisted with the writing and production of the 2nd edition.
Snakes of Wisconsin is available by mail, by phone (608-266-7012) or by purchasing it from service centers and selected state parks. Cost is $3.00, but the book can be purchased along with the Amphibians of Wisconsin and Turtles and Lizards of Wisconsin as a set of three for $10.
New
State Natural Areas on Fishery and Wildlife Properties
Twenty-eight new State Natural Areas (SNA) were recently designated on DNR Fishery and Wildlife properties. This cooperative effort between programs helps fill numerous gaps within the SNA system and adds a number of benchmark areas to the program for future research and education purposes. The new SNAs will remain open to the public for hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, and other nature-based activities.
2008 State Lands Inventory Forest Raptor Surveys
The Natural Heritage Inventory undertook an effort to perform targeted inventory work on multiple Department properties throughout the state in 2008. One focus of this effort was the forest raptor group. Broadcast call surveys were played for the State Threatened Red-shouldered Hawk & State Species of Special Concern Northern Goshawk in appropriate habitats during April and May to elicit a territorial response identifying presence. Thirteen state properties were surveyed and results were very encouraging for Red-shouldered Hawks as 29 active nests or territories were identified. In addition, one active Northern Goshawk nest was found. Inventory data from these and additional surveys will be used to guide the future management of these properties.
Donate to the Wisconsin Endangered Resources Fund!
We are happy to announce the release of the Endangered Resources Online Donation Center! The options by which individuals can make a donation to the Endgangered Resources Fund have now been expanded to include the ability to donate with a credit card or eCheck.
The Landowner Incentive Program Awards 19 Grants to Private Landowners, Currently Accepting Letters of Interest for Fall 2008 Funding
Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources is pleased to announce 19 new cost-share grants have been awarded this spring to private landowners through the Landowner Incentive Program. This program, run through the Bureau of Endangered Resources, is intended to support private landowners who choose to manage their property to benefit rare and threatened plants and animals. Read More...Flambeau River State Forest Biotic Inventory Now Available
The Flambeau River State Forest Biotic Inventory was a multiple-year project to survey and analyze selected natural resources of the Flambeau River State Forest and select nearby areas. The Natural Heritage Inventory Program, part of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Bureau of Endangered Resources, conducted the inventory in cooperation with the Division of Forestry. Project goals were to provide baseline information on rare species, high-quality natural communities, significant aquatic features, and the overall ecology of the Flambeau River State Forest. This report will provide an ecological context for the property and its natural features and highlight opportunities to conserve biological diversity. Read More...A Closer Look at Whooping Cranes
The Wisconsin DNR and Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership presents: A Closer Look at Whooping Cranes: Whooping Crane Education in Wisconsin and Eastern North America. The program offers whooping crane and wetland-based activities specifically designed to meet Wisconsin Academic Standards. It is a supplement to our whooping crane education trunks and an activity guide to Educators. More...
State Wildlife Grant News from Washington, D.C.
Congressman Ron Kind of La Crosse recently accepted an award for his leadership in working to secure more federal dollars for Wisconsin and the nation through the State Wildlife Grant program. State Wildlife Grants are the nation's core program for keeping wildlife from becoming endangered in Wisconsin. Pictured with Kind is Tara Bergeson of the WDNR's Endangered Resources program. Tara is currently on assignment in Washington, D.C. working for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.New Checklist of Wisconsin Birds!
The Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail is pleased to offer the new, second edition of the Checklist of Wisconsin Birds. For this Second Edition, we have added 5 species to the Checklist (Cackling Goose, White-winged Tern, Greenbreasted Mango, Rock Wren, Great-tailed Grackle) and deleted one (Streak-backed Oriole) based on input from Bill Mueller, the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology’s Conservation Chair. We also updated other checklist elements to reflect the most current information on Wisconsin birds. Free copies of the guide can be obtained from the Endangered Resources Program. View the Guide [PDF 1.25MB]Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey
The Bureau of Endangered Resources’ Ecological Inventory and Monitoring Section and Beaver Creek Reserve’s Citizen Science Center in Fall Creek, WI have recently completed updates to the existing Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey (WFTS) web site (exit DNR) and associated volunteer survey manual. The Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey is a citizen-based monitoring program coordinated by the Bureau of Endangered Resources and the Bureau of Science Services at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The primary purpose of the WFTS is to determine the status, distribution, and long-term population trends of Wisconsin’s thirteen frog species. The new WFTS site is intended to be a resource for WFTS volunteers as well as a general resource on identification of Wisconsin frogs and their calls, WFTS calling survey protocols and analyses, and WFTS publications. Current WFTS volunteers will receive their new survey manuals in March when yearly materials are distributed. Funding for this project was provided by the Citizen-based Monitoring Network of Wisconsin.
Caring for the Swans
Trumpeter swans are making an impressive comeback in Wisconsin. Nick Vander Puy from the Superior Broadcast Network checks out a swan nesting lake with DNR avian ecologist Pat Manthey. Pat Manthey is an avian ecologist who cares for trumpeter swans because trumpeter swans were missing from Wisconsin and the DNR Bureau of Endangered Resources attempts to restore animals that were adversely impacted by humans. More... (exit DNR)
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