Road-Stream Crossing Tour
2021-10-13 08:30 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)
Join us for a one-day road-stream crossing tour in Hayward. The tour will stop at several road-stream crossings in the Hayward area and the National Forest to showcase common signs of problems at crossings and on-the-ground designs that were used to address these problems. The tour will provide ample opportunity to discuss design techniques, short-term and long-term cost benefits of installing flood resilient structures, who can help you, and the planning and construction process involved with properly designed structures.
Register using this link by September 24 at https://conta.cc/3Ag3aVL
5 PDHs will be provided.
While we are hopeful we can safely host the event (a) there will likely be safety precaution measures along with a waiver of liability that all attendees must follow, and that information will be shared prior to the event; (b) there may be last minute changes to the structure of the event; and (c) the event could be cancelled if cases continue to rise. Your patience is appreciated while we navigate the difficult nature around hosting an in-person event during COVID.
Details here.

Multi-Discharger Variance in BITS, pt. II: Annual Reports
2021-10-14 09:00 - 10:30
We’ll talk about the reporting phase of your MDV projects: how to document implemented practices and submit a report to the DNR. We’ll cover common questions and advice for submitting the most meaningful data.
Intended audience: Counties participating in the MDV program, counties considering participating in the future, or any conservation staff interested in learning more about BITS
If you cannot attend this webinar, the recording will be posted on the UW-Extension’s DNR webinar YouTube page in the weeks following the session.
Info here.

Wood Products as Sustainable Materials
2021-10-14 10:30 - 11:30
A part of the Yale Forest Forum: The Future of Wood Building Products in a Changing Climate
Wood is a renewable resource that has wide material applications in many industries. Wood products sourced from sustainably managed forests store carbon and can play an important role in combating climate change. Recent innovations in the use of wood have led to the development of new products that can replace traditional fossil-based carbon-intensive materials, particularly in the construction and energy sectors. Understanding the potential environmental impacts and societal implications of increases in both conventional and emerging wood products across their respective life cycles, as well as their possible reuse in a circular construction economy, is critical in assessing the climate mitigation potential of wood vs. other materials.
What is the future role of forest products in addressing climate, resources, societal, and environmental challenges? What are the environmental, economic, and societal implications for using more forest products? Hear from speakers representing forestry, industrial ecology, architecture, conservation, and academia.
Info here.

How Climate Adaptation Helps to Manage Organizational Risk
2021-10-14 12:00 - 13:00
Climate action is a planetary necessity and also a strategic organizational imperative. If progress doesn’t measure up, organizations can face consequences, including investor, employee and community activism — as well as increased operational and financial risk.
Sustainability professionals are developing and operationalizing resilience and adaptation strategies that are scientifically valid, technically feasible and commercially viable. Yet, too often, these plans don’t sufficiently address potential operational risks. At the same time, enterprise risk management (ERM) teams often work from “back-casted” models that can lack a robust, updated view of rapidly evolving climate risks and the potential impact on the organization and its value chain.
Info here.

Climate Ghosts: Migratory Species in the Anthropocene
2021-10-14 16:00 - 17:30
Environmental historian Nancy Langston explores how climate change and the legacies of settler colonialism threaten the future of wildlife in the Anthropocene. She focuses on three “ghost species” in the Great Lakes watershed—woodland caribou, common loons, and lake sturgeon. Ghost species are those that have not gone completely extinct, although they may be extirpated from a particular area.
Info here.

2021-10-14 16:00 - 18:00
What’s the first and the most important step to stewarding your land for generations to come? Developing a conservation plan specific to your property that blends tested strategies with the unique nature of your land and your goals for it. Join us for an intensive session with a team of conservation experts and Conservation Coaches to identify tools, resources and funding opportunities to create your unique land conservation plan. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet and network with other women landowners in your area.
Info here.

Optimization in Energy and Environmental Systems
2021-10-14 16:15 - 17:15
Prof. Michael Ferris (Computer Sciences Department, UW–Madison) will discuss: Power grids across the world depend on optimization models that capture interactions between producers, transmission and consumers. The recent explosion of renewable supply such as wind, solar and hydro has led to increased volatility at different time scales. We develop optimization models that consider investment and fuel costs, emissions, electricity prices, and lost-load.
Info here.

Wisconsin Bison Producers Association (WBPA) Fall Conference
2021-10-15 - 2021-10-17
Info here.

Wetland Butterflies in Wisconsin
2021-10-15 10:30 - 11:30
Mike Reese is a self-taught insect enthusiast. Now retired, he has been a cook, botanist, high school math teacher, golf and basketball coach, and high school librarian. While he says he’s no Lepidoptera expert (just a guy who “spent lots of time wandering around, getting my feet wet and looking for whatever happens to be flying by”), others might disagree. He first started learning about butterflies with his son by exploring every nook and cranny of the prairies, swamps, and other nature near their home in Wautoma. He’s actively involved in the North American Butterfly Association, for which he moderates the national butterfly sighting pages, as well as the Southern Wisconsin Butterfly Association. As a photographer, he’s captured images of butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, tiger beetles, and robber flies.
Info here.

Life Hacks over Lunch: A Meet-up Series for Watershed Professionals
2021-10-15 11:30 - 12:30
This free, virtual meet-up series is a peer-learning opportunity for watershed professionals to share ideas and advice for solving real-life challenges of watershed projects.
If you work with farmers and communities on watershed-scale projects to improve water quality and have ever found yourself thinking, “I don’t want to recreate the wheel,” this meet-up series is for you.
In each meet-up, one person will kick things off by presenting a challenge or issue to the group to “hack.” Conversation, collaboration, and commiseration will ensue.
Join us for these informal gatherings of peers who share a passion for watershed work – and bring your lunch!
Info here.

Black Sustainability Summit
2021-10-16
​We are unapologetically committed to Sustainable, Liberated, Lifelong Learning Communities for people of Afrikan Descent. We envision Afrikan people living in sovereign communities dedicated to returning to the ways of our Ancestors living in harmony with nature, growing our own food and using the natural energies of air, fire, water and the earth to thrive.
We invite you to support our mission to mobilize committed people to exchange knowledge, implement skills and pool our resources to build sustainable communities throughout the Afrikan diaspora and the continent.
Our goal is to create interrelationships between Afrikans working across sustainability field and/or living in sustainable communities with those novices willing and ready to make the necessary sacrifice to create or become a part of a sustainable community.
Let’s collectively bridge the communication gap between those already working in sustainable communities globally.
Info here.

Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) Annual Conference
2021-10-18 - 2021-10-20
ASDWA Conference Exhibitors are public and private corporations, trade associations, and assistance providers to the water community. The focus of their exhibits includes treatment technologies, especially technologies appropriate for small systems and alternative technologies; water security technologies; and equipment such as membrane filtration, corrosion control, and disinfection. Also welcome are exhibitors that provide information and services on regulatory compliance; educational, training and assistance programs; and data management services and products.
Info here.

Minnesota Water Resources Conference
2021-10-19 - 2021-10-20
Immerse yourself in innovative, practical, and applied water resource engineering solutions, management techniques, and current research about Minnesota’s water resources. The Minnesota Water Resources Conference is an opportunity to address:

lessons learned from the implementation of engineering projects.
best practices discovered in the design and application of water resource management techniques.
implications of water policy decisions.
research into current and emerging issues.

Info here.

Esri Imagery Summit
2021-10-19 - 2021-10-20
As imagery and remote sensing continue to proliferate and diversify, your peers are developing software systems, tools, and analytical methods to harness their power. Join the remote sensing community at the 2021 Esri Imagery Summit and learn how you can use ArcGIS and geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI) to extract meaningful information from your imagery and lidar faster than ever. Take control of your growing imagery collection. Network with your colleagues in person. Together we can secure and analyze aerial, stereo, oblique, and ground imagery, lidar, and terrain data to drive policy and make better business decisions.
Info here.

Commodity Super-Cycle Update
2021-10-19 10:00 - 11:00
The size of the 2021 crops is largely known as harvest progresses, with a much better handle on Chinese demand as well. What does that mean for crop fundamentals over the coming year, and how will the continued flow of fiscal and monetary stimulus impact how this money-rich market manages supply and demand in the months ahead? What have we learned about U.S. / China relations in the first year of the Biden Administration and how that might impact future demand for U.S. crops and meat products?
Info here.

Life from the Ashes: Exploring the Impact of Prescribed & Natural Fire on Insects and Other Invertebrates
2021-10-19 10:00 - 16:00
Ecosystems throughout North America evolved with wildfire. Today, prescribed fire is an important tool for managing habitat by maintaining open, early seral landscapes. Fire can greatly improve the value of habitat for insects and other invertebrates, often increasing species abundance and diversity, however, fire (both natural and prescribed) in the wrong place, at the wrong scale, or at the wrong time can have the opposite effect – negatively impacting invertebrate communities and their habitat.
Life from the Ashes will explore the positive and negative impacts of prescribed and natural fire related to insects and other invertebrates in landscapes across North America. The symposium will provide research and practical insights to inform natural areas professionals as they manage landscapes with fire.
Info here.

2021-10-19 12:00 - 13:00
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.

4-part Digital Dialogue: What are healthy agroecosystems?
2021-10-19 12:00 - 13:30
Grassland 2.0 is hosting a 4-part Digital Dialogue focusing on the question – What are healthy agroecosystems? The digital dialogues will be held on the third Tuesday of the month from 12:00 – 1:30 PM CT this fall with the following schedule:
Tuesday, September 21st – Dan Smith
Tuesday, October 19th – Stephan van Vliet
Tuesday, November 16th – Thelma Heidel-Baker
Tuesday, December 7th – Adam Abel
The format will be a 45-minute presentation followed by a facilitated questions and answer session.

Create your spark: How to cultivate an innovative team
2021-10-19 13:00 - 14:00
Innovation is a term that is thrown around a lot.
We want our government agencies to be innovative, to be creative, to think outside the box, but agencies are also tasked with incredibly important missions that need stable and constant attention in order for them to be successful.
Join us online to learn how you can instill small-scale innovation like process improvements, and creative rethinking of outdated practices into your work to add a spark of creativity while still achieving the mission of your agency.
Info here.

Understanding patterns of fish kill events in Minnesota and Wisconsin Lakes
2021-10-19 13:00 - 14:00
Fish kill events can serve as indicators of a changing environment, disease emergence, or stressors. Recent reviews of fish kill events in Minnesota and Wisconsin have revealed predictable patterns, which forecast an increased frequency of fish kill events as the climate warms. It is important that we improve the investigation and reporting of fish kill events, understand the underlying drivers, and develop management strategies to limit the impacts to protect ecosystem health.
Info here.

Wisconsin Sedimentation & Erosion Control Inspector (WISECI) Best Management Practices
2021-10-20 - 2021-10-21
Learn techniques to manage construction site stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) and eliminate problems before they cause higher costs and slowdowns for your project. Save time and money by avoiding erosion and sediment releases. Learn about Wisconsin regulations and requirements for construction site inspection, EPA SWPPP requirements for inspections, proper documentation procedures, how to recognize poorly managed erosion and sediment control BMPs on construction sites, and guidance for keeping your projects in compliance with local, state and federal requirements. With this training, you’ll join the team of professionals with EPA SWPPP training and the Wisconsin-specific credentials of Wisconsin Sedimentation & Erosion Control Inspector (WISECI), as well as the Wisconsin Department of Safety & Professional Services – Soil Erosion Inspector.
Info here.

Clean Lakes 101: Yahara CLEAN Strategic Plan 3.0
2021-10-20 08:00 - 09:00
The Yahara River Watershed contributes significantly to the region’s economic vitality and quality of life. Despite years of investment in water quality improvements, the watershed’s five lakes remain highly eutrophic, and intensifying climate impacts threaten to further deteriorate water quality.
The Yahara CLEAN Compact, a diverse coalition of 19 organizations and agencies, seeks to improve and protect regional water quality by strengthening community partnerships and uniting around shared, measurable goals. This presentation by the consultant team of SmithGroup and Urban Assets will describe the process and recommendations of the Yahara CLEAN Compact’s 3.0 Plan, a strategic playbook developed through community input for reducing phosphorus and bacteria in the lakes.
The plan outlines a comprehensive series of strategies to improve water quality and defines key roles and responsibilities of various landowners and managers within the watershed for contributing to healthier lakes. Everyone has a role to play. Register for this presentation to learn what you can do to restore cleaner lakes.
Info here.

SGSO Network Webinar - School Food Service and School Gardens
2021-10-20 13:00 - 14:00
Hear how school gardens can be intertwined with the work of school nutrition programs. We will share case studies related to school food service program funding and staffing support of school gardens, garden to cafeteria programs, and policies to support school gardening efforts. Bring your questions and ideas to share as we will allow time for Q and A.
We recognize that we ask multiple questions in our registration. This is to better inform our presenters and to share with our audience during our presentation. Thanks for sharing.
Info here.

How to harness social messaging for better citizen engagement
2021-10-20 13:00 - 14:00
Long gone are the days where government agencies should rely on brick-and-mortar locations to respond to the needs of the constituents.
Social messaging – using applications like Facebook or Twitter to interact with an organization – is replacing the phone as the preferred communication channel. During the pandemic, we saw those previously thought to be digitally excluded adopt social messaging as a way to stay in touch with their loved ones. For them, social messaging may be the only form of digital channel they will ever use.
This begs the question: should social messaging become the standard for citizen engagement?
Info here.

Forestry BMPs for Invasive Species
2021-10-20 13:00 - 14:00
BMPs – Best Management Practices for Forestry Invasive Species are voluntary practices that were developed to coincide and complement Legislative Rule NR 40 https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/code/admin_code/nr/001/40.pdf which works as a way of classifying Invasive Species across the board. The BMPs are designed to be a practical response when addressing Invasives in a forested setting when logging practices are in place. They were adopted in September of 2009 and since that time we have trained thousands of Foresters, Loggers and Landowners on the practicality of implementing prior to planning a harvest especially when Invasive species are present.
Info here.

WASPS: Their Biology, Diversity, and Role as Beneficial Insects and Pollinators of Native Plants
2021-10-20 18:00 - 19:00
Author Heather Holm will be sharing from her new book, “WASPS,” which features approximately 150 species of flower-visiting wasps that occur in eastern North America, and the specific native plants and habitat each species depends upon.
Info here.

Imagine a Day Without Water
2021-10-21
No water to drink, or wash your hands with. No water to shower, flush the toilet, or do laundry. Hospitals would close without water. Firefighters couldn’t put out fires and farmers couldn’t water their crops. Disease would spread.
This year, we want to help you learn more about where your water comes from and where your water goes. We’ll take a deeper dive into the impact drinking water and wastewater providers have within your community. Many Americans take water for granted every day. But what would a day be like without water? Imagine a Day Without Water 2021 will be the seventh annual day to raise awareness and educate America about the value of water.
Imagine a Day Without Water is a national education campaign that brings together diverse stakeholders to highlight how water is essential, invaluable, and in need of investment. This year, the day of action will take place on October 21, 2021, and will include events, resolutions, student contests, social media engagement, and more, all across the country.
Info here.

Wisconsin Science Festival
2021-10-21 - 2021-10-24
The four-day Wisconsin Science Festival features events throughout Wisconsin for people of all ages. Activities include hands-on science experiments, live Q&A sessions and interviews with scientists, demonstrations, performances, behind-the-scenes tours and more. Teachers and school districts are encouraged to preregister to participate in our virtual field trip live sessions with scientists covering a wide variety of topics.
Don’t miss your chance to explore the fascinating world of fungi, dive into archaeology, experiment at home, discover the variety of species in Wisconsin during our statewide BioBlitz and more!
Info here.

USDA Office Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production
2021-10-21 03:00 - 16:00
As the Partnerships Liaison for the Office, Joe will highlight successes of the Urban Agriculture Planning and Implementation grants and Compost and Food Waste Reduction grants, both of which are managed by the office, outcomes from the office’s 2-year tenure, and the new Urban Agriculture Federal Advisory Committee and the new FSA Urban and Suburban Pilot County Committees. Information will be helpful for districts and municipalities to identify new partnering opportunities and other ways to engage with the office.
Info here.

EddMAPs Training
2021-10-21 10:00 - 11:00
Join Invasive Species Program Coordinator Matt Wallrath of Upper Sugar River Watershed Association for this training on how to ID and report invasive plant species! Matt will explain why invasive species are a problem for our environmental and economic heath. Top species of concern will be presented with tips for how to ID invasive species, followed by a short training on how to use Eddmaps and the mobile Eddmaps Pro app to report species right in your own backyard or nearby park.
Info here.
