What's New?
Endangered Resources News & Events
Donate to the Wisconsin Endangered Resources Fund!
Now you can make your donation online at our new Endangered Resources Online Donation Center! It's easy, fast, and efficient! Individuals can make their donation to the Endgangered Resources Fund with a credit card or eCheck.
New Endangered Resources License Plate Designs
Bluebird |
Heron |
Badger |
Woodpecker |
The Endangered Resources Program is excited to introduce a new, second license plate that will be available for purchase in addition to the original wolf plate. The new plate will help showcase our work to protect Species of Greatest Conservation Need and their habitats. Each of the new plate designs represents the diversity of Wisconsin's natural heritage and includes non-game animals and the ecosystems that support them. The money from the $25 contributed to each Endangered Resources license plate is used to support the program's conservation fund account. More....
New Rule Aims to Reduce Spread of Invasive Species
Chapter NR 40, Wisconsin’s new invasive species rule designed to contain new and existing invasive species, went into effect Sept. 1, 2009. The new rule establishes a science-based classification and regulatory system for invasive species and addresses possession, sale, transportation and introduction of listed invasive species. Read more about the new rule...
Wisconsin's Top Bat Man
Photo by Wolfgang HoffmannAs the state’s leading authority on bats, Endangered Resources Ecologist Dave Redell hangs out well past nightfall to observe and identify bats when they are most active. Several times each month, he sets up near the mouth of a Wisconsin cave to capture and measure bats as they emerge, often not finishing his work until 3 a.m. Read more... (exit DNR)
Original Watercolor Painting "Through the Eyes of John Muir" by Janet Flynn
Now you can own a beautiful limited edition print of this original watercolor painting of the boyhood home of John Muir! Available in two sizes, the signed limited-edition prints will make a great gift any occasion. In addition, a beautiful poster and note cards complete the line. The image depicts a variety of native species of plants and animals in rich vibrant colors. Proceeds from this select line of products helps the Endangered Resources Program continue its work to preserve species for future generations. Read More...
A warble from the barrens
On a windless June morning in a dewy pine barren, a tiny, colorful bird adds its song to the typical chorus of Wisconsin's shrubland birds. Amid the melodious notes of vesper sparrows and bouncing calls of field sparrows, a distinctive chip chip che-way-o announces the presence of a rare, elusive species- the Kirtland's warbler. The male's song is followed by chipping calls from the female. She alights on a pine branch and is photographed, marking the first time a female of this species has been seen in Wisconsin. Careful scrutiny leads to another first discovery on this fine morning. Concealed among grasses under a pine branch is a Kirtland's warbler nest containing five eggs! Read More...
State of the Birds - The 2009 Report
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued a comprehensive report on bird populations in the US showing the decline of birds and solutions to reverse the trend. View the Report (exit DNR).
Trumpeter Swans... For Generations To Come
The Wisconsin DNR is proud to announce the availability of a new DVD video for sale, titled: "Trumpeter Swans... For Generations To Come." This informative video covers the history of the recovery effort from its early years in the late 1980's to the present. The video includes spectacular footage from Alaskan egg collections to restoration efforts at Crex Meadows and elsewhere, and features several interviews with principal players highlighting the many public-private partnerships that have made it a nationally recognized conservation success story. Length: 25 minutes. Cost: $25. To order this DVD, mail a check made out to the Department of Natural Resources to: DNR Video/EI, PO BOX 7921, Madison WI 53707-7921, or call (608) 266-6790. You may view a promo clip of the video below:
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.
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]
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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