Conservation Professional Training Program

Barrier Removal and Aquatic Organism Passage in Lake Systems
2021-08-10 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago) | Online
Aquatic species need to move, oftentimes migrating between different ecosystems and locations throughout their lives. Lakes provide crucial habitat for many species but sometimes the connections between lakes and other systems are blocked – either by a physical barrier like a dam or undersize road culvert, or by an abiotic barrier like unsuitable water temperatures or poor water quality. This webinar will introduce how different barriers impact aquatic organisms and how barrier removal reconnects critical pathways to support resilient and self-sustaining populations, often benefitting the human communities connected to these systems. Case studies from the Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership will be showcased to demonstrate success of barrier removal projects within lake systems and the response in aquatic organism passage.

Info here.

Riparian Forest Buffer
2021-08-10 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
The Chesapeake Bay Program – On the lessons from implementing a watershed-wide riparian forest buffer program. The one-hour presentations will be followed by break-out discussions focused on challenges, strategies, and other issues germane to implementing riparian forest buffers in the following Ecological Provinces in the Midwest: Laurentian Mixed Forest / Midwest Broadleaf Forest / Prairie Parkland / Central Interior Broadleaf Forest.
Info here.

Soil Health Field Day
2021-08-10 16:30 - 20:00
What’s covered?

Roller crimping
Alternative forages
Drone seeding demo
Seeding equipment

Contact Lance Klessig to RSVP – (608) 780-2134. See flyer for more details.

Soil Health Institute's 6th Annual Meeting - Soil Health: Enriching Soil, Enhancing Life
2021-08-11 - 2021-08-12 | Online
Soil Health: Enriching Soil, Enhancing Life will be an online virtual meeting designed to connect the science of soil health with the information requested by farmers and the environmental benefits that follow.
Sessions:
– Farmers’ Experiences with Adopting Soil Health Systems
– Business Case for Regenerative Soil Health Systems
– Agricultural Input Impacts on Soil Health
– Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation through Soil Health
– Establishing Soil Health Interpretations for Farmers and Conservation Planners
– Understanding and Managing the Soil Microbiome
Info here.

Grazing on Conservation Lands
2021-08-11
Help take a forage cutting amid 40 head of beef cattle managing 60 acres of CRP mid-contract management. Help determine how much longer the cattle should be grazing before the stubble height threshold is achieved. The second site we will visit an organic farm who have been prescribed grazing cattle on their Fish and Wildlife Service Easement for three years. Hear about some hardships of grazing within the confines of easements and organic markets. We will utilize this site as another opportunity to refine our forage cutting skills.

Info here.

Smart Salting for Parking Lots and Sidewalks
2021-08-11 08:00 - 12:00 | Online
Training for winter maintenance professionals who remove snow, apply road salt or maintain snow removal equipment used on roads.
Learn how using the right amount of salt can save time, budget and our waters.
The training will include: best management practices to keep paved areas safe, benefits of using a liquid salt system, guidance on how to determine the right amount of salt to use, and case studies from local applicators.

Info here.

Basics of Pond Management
2021-08-11 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
This webinar will cover the basics of pond ecology and managing ponds for varied uses, irrigation and recreation – swimming or fishing. Algae/aquatic plants and their management and water quality will be presented.
Info here.

Effective Agricultural Practices for Nitrate in Groundwater
2021-08-11 13:00 - 14:30 | Online
Speakers from three states (Kansas, Nebraska, and Wisconsin) will share information about their efforts to work with agricultural partners to reduce nitrate in groundwater sources of drinking water.
Info here.

Advanced Wetland Delineation Training Workshop
2021-08-12 - 2021-08-13
The Advanced workshop provides more in-depth training in wetland delineation methodology and field experience. Successful completion of the Basic Wetland Delineation Training Workshop is a prerequisite for admission. This course may be taken multiple times.
Info here.

My Happy Place - Understanding Your Property
2021-08-12 09:00 - 11:00
Where is your happy place? If you had to describe it what would you say? Would you describe the trees and plants? Join us as we take you on a tour of one our happy places, Schmeeckle Reserve, where we’ll use the trees and plants to describe what our property is, could be, and should be. Through a combination of presentations, activities, and a short walking tour (roughly 0.5 miles) you will learn how to identify key characteristics of prairies, oak savannas, hardwoods, riparian zones, and mixed pine ecosystems.
The program will cover:

Identifying common ecosystems of central Wisconsin
Plants and trees indicative of prairies, oak savannas, hardwoods, riparian zones, and mixed pine ecosystems
How to use indicator species to understand your property’s history and possibilities
Resources available to help achieve your property management goals

Info here:

WI Pest Management Conservation System Training
2021-08-12 09:00 - 11:00 | Online
The course goal is to help you identify who is involved in developing the CPS 595 Implementation Requirement
Developing consensus between the client, the pesticide professional and NRCS.
Pest Management Component of the Conservation Plan
Pest Management Planning Worksheet with WIN-PST results
CPS 595 Implementation Requirement with pesticides selected by the producer and mitigation agreed upon by the Producer, NRCS, CCA/Ext. (if applicable)
Running WIN-PST
Demonstrate WIN-PST features
Interpreting WIN-PST reports
Attendees develop WIN-PST reports for class scenario4

Register by August 11. Find out more here.

Conservation Observance Day
2021-08-13 09:00 - 15:00 | Harmony Farm, S4210 County Rd O, Viroqua, Wisconsin, 54665
Come celebrate Conservation Observance Day on August 13 with 2020’s conservation farmers of the year, Kevin and Carolyn Parr of Harmony Farms. Learn more about successful farming and managed grazing operations in addition learning how producers are protecting our natural resources.
Topics and Speakers

Animal Health: Will Winter, Thousand Hills Beef
Cover Crops: Erin Silva, UW–Madison
Managed Grazing Economics: Jim Munsch, Munsch Consulting

Register here.
Questions? Call 608-637-5480 or email smcdowell@vernoncounty.org

2021 Lake Michigan Day
2021-08-13 10:00 - 12:00 | Online
Welcome to the 8th Annual Lake Michigan Day! It is the day we celebrate this precious freshwater resource and highlight the many ways people protect and restore our waters throughout the Great Lakes Basin. Each year, we honor and recognize the outstanding achievements of individuals, organizations, and businesses that go the extra step to restore and protect Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan basin, and thus our quality of life. We call them our “Champions of Conservation!”
We hope to inspire you to think about how you, too, can protect the incredible natural resources we are so blessed to have in this part of Wisconsin. You’ll never know the impact you can make until you try.
Info here.

Visible and invisible mending: An intersection of art and ecology
2021-08-13 10:30 - 11:30 | Online
Ecological restoration, the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem, is a process of mending. In mending, there is much promise –- for both lands and people. Nancy Aten’s work practicing ecological restoration, especially involving wetlands, interacts with her work as a monotype printmaker — especially around this idea of mending. Join this Wetland Coffee Break to learn more about Nancy’s work and how these domains interact for her.
Info here.

Pasture Walk on Grazing Annuals, Converting Cropland
2021-08-13 17:00 - 20:00
Topics Covered: Grazing diverse summer annual forage crops in a traditional corn/soybean rotation, converting cropland to pasture, planting peppers, watermelon, cucumbers, & squash into pasture, use of Arrowquip chute for cattle handling, use of the Kiwitech TriplePAC carrier for fencing
Info here.

Identifying Raptors in Fall Migration in Wisconsin
2021-08-14 10:00 - 14:00
The goal of this course is to learn to identify and monitor raptors during migration. We will especially focus on learning how to identify raptors in flight; that is how we are most likely to see them during their autumn migration. Many field guides are useful for identifying a perched raptor, but the birds when seen in flight can look quite different from images in standard bird field guides, and their appearance can be confusing at first.
Info here.

Field Day: Prairie Walk in Pepin County
2021-08-14 13:00 - 17:00
View a prairie up close and take a field walk side by side with NRCS staff, conservation coaches and neighbors that can build our knowledge of prairies, prairie establishment and restoration. Sally Farrar, a passionate prairie manager from Pepin County, will lead a hike through her personal prairie and explain the process for her in regards to seed selection, pollinators and native grasses, drilling vs. tilling, prairie burns and more. Learn about specific grasses, pollinators, wildflowers, grassland birds and other biodiversity that prairies foster.
Info here.

Silverwood County Park Field Day
2021-08-15 11:00 - 16:00
Visit with small vegetable and flower growers; Learn about Indigenous corn and cover cropping, using small equipment; what it takes to start a heirloom orchard and Savanna Institute’s tree installation and alley cropping partnership.

Using Social Science for Stakeholder Engagement
2021-08-16 13:00 - 16:00 | Online
This live, online module introduces the novice participant to prominent social science disciplines, important social science questions, and ways in which social science can be used to meaningfully and systematically engage stakeholders.
You will learn how to 1.) Recall the major social science disciplines and their applicability to coastal zone management 2.) Identify and incorporate behavioral considerations from the social sciences in defining a problem 3.) Conduct a stakeholder analysis 4.) Evaluate the strengths and limitations of different stakeholder engagement techniques
Info here.

Journey 2050 Virtual Workshop
2021-08-17 09:00 - 11:00 | Online
Engaging Students in World Food Sustainability- This free, cross-curricular program engages students in discussions about sustainably feeding the world. Functional in a virtual or in-person setting, the seven-level game and program meets educational standards for science, geography, social studies, STEM, career and technical education and agriculture classes. Lesson topics include sustainability, soil, water, economy, geography, culture, careers, agriculture technology and project-based learning. It is geared to grades 7-12.
Info here.

Benching and Boulders: Restoring Stream Hydrology and Habitat for Wildlife and Water Quality
2021-08-17 10:00 - 11:00
Join us to learn about stream restoration goals, strategies and benefits on the Little Sioux River. Hear from Brian Cuperus and Darrick Weissenfluh about a recent stream restoration and mussel habitat enhancement project completed at the Dickinson County Conservation Board’s Horseshoe Bend property that benefits both wildlife and water qual ity. Also learn more about how landowners can use conservation programs to implement similar restoration projects on their own properties.
Info here.

Ways to Leverage Microbes to Boost Fall Crop Yields
2021-08-17 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
Whether you are planting winter wheat, cover crops, strawberries, or some other fall crop, leveraging soil microbes may help you nurture a healthier, stronger crop, improve root mass, and increase yield. Join Holganix and the editors of No-Till Farmer for a free webinar to learn about the role of soil microbes in crop performance, and how to improve soil microbe activity to increase your yield on fall crops.
Register and info: https://www.no-tillfarmer.com/articles/10741-webinar-ways-to-leverage-microbes-to-boost-fall-crop-yields

Protecting Pollinators and Managing Their Habitats
2021-08-17 11:00 - 13:00 | Online
Part 1: Leveraging IPM for Pollinator Protection and Sustainable Crop Management
Part 2: Protecting Pollinators and Building Biodiversity on the Farm Landscape
Info here.

Field Day
2021-08-17 11:00 - 14:30
Join Peninsula Pride Farms and the Door-Kewaunee Demonstration Farm Network for a field day. Speaker Rick Clark on the economic benefits of regenerative farming and planting green. Soil pit presentation by Jamie Patton, and rainfall simulator demonstration by Barry Bubolz.
Info here.

Stand Level Management: Desired Forest Conditions, Structure and Composition
2021-08-17 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forest Ecology Working Group (FEWG) and NCTC, working in collaboration with many FWS programs and partners, have developed a monthly lecture series to address the 50-year decline of 3 billion birds through partnerships, conservation science and forest management. The series tells a compelling story about forest bird population declines, partnership opportunities, and forest management actions that can support bird population recovery and sustainability
Info here.

Is My Water Safe to Drink? - Common Questions about Private Wells
2021-08-17 13:00 - 14:30 | Online
Your drinking water well doesn’t have to be a mystery. In this training hosted by The Private Well Class you’ll learn the answers to common questions, such as:

How do I get my well water tested?
What do I need to do to take care of my well?
Is my well susceptible to contamination?

Register here: https://privatewellclass.org/safe

Systems Approach to Organic Farming
2021-08-18 11:00 - 13:00
Rodrigo Cala, one of the new community organic specialists with MOSES, grows certified organic produce, raises pastured chickens using the Tree Range® system, and rotationally grazes Katahdin hair sheep. He’ll explain the systems approach he uses on his organic farm and strategies for weed management and soil fertility.
Info here.

Racial Equity and Environmentalism
2021-08-18 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
Join August M. Ball, founder, and CEO of Cream City Conservation as she outlines how compounded disparities impact communities of color in every corner of society. Be it socio-economic, political, educational, health, etc. communities of color remain disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards yet grossly under-represented in spaces that hold key decision-making power related to conservation and sustainability. This presentation will provide the history of the construction of race, (a key component in driving these inequities), while also examining environmental policies that have had a layered impact on the environmental movement and contributed to the racial homogeneity we see today. The goal of this presentation is to help participants understand why these inequities exist and develop shared language for how to discuss these issues and interrogate the intricate relationship between race and institutional outcomes.
Info here.

Infusing Eco Therapy into Your Day
2021-08-18 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
Our daily routines can be overwhelming at times so exploring ways to relieve stress are useful to achieving a calm and relaxed day. This session will give you a better handle on how to deal with those issues as they arise to create a more peaceful and productive environment for your tasks at hand.
Info here.

Writing Effective Survey Questions
2021-08-18 13:00 - 15:00 | Online
Surveys are a popular information collection tool to help coastal managers understand their stakeholders and quickly assess large populations. Unfortunately, because of their popularity, many people untrained in survey creation administer poorly designed surveys that yield questionable results. This live, online module serves to provide coastal managers with best practices to write more effective survey questions.
You will learn how to 1.) Review and critique surveys, and identify common mistakes in question design 2.) Incorporate 25 best practices when creating survey questions 3.) Create appropriate question layout and design 4.) Identify ways to improve survey questions that yield desired data types

Info here.
