Celebrate, enjoy and help protect Yahara Lakes – June 4-19
June 5, 2011
Over the next two weeks, you can have a lot of fun and do a lot of good for the Yahara Lakes. You can clean up a shoreline, paddle a quiet lake at sunrise, congratulate a water champion, introduce children to the wonder of a marsh, or visit with friends and enjoy great music by the lakes.
The 2011 Take a Stake in the Lake Days is June 4th through June 19. Please check out the schedule of events, on line. Or, below. Then, take full advantage of these may opportunities to enjoy and protect our lakes marshes and streams.
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The Yahara Waterways Water Trail Guide is a great resource for exploring our area waters. |
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May minutes
May 25, 2011
WILD WARNER MEETING
May 3, 2011
Present: Jim Carrier, Trish O’Kane, Kathie Free, Alex Singer, Dolores Kester, Jack Hurst, Lori Chadli, Marlene Hardick, Betsy Tuttle.
Next meeting: Tues, June 7, 6-8 pm
Betsy Tuttle came to her first meeting after attending the Bluebird Walk and reading Northside Discuss. She is interested in eliminating invasive species and other projects in Warner. Welcome to Betsy.
Jim Carrier called the meeting to order. Marlene Hardick appointed as recording secretary for this meeting.
Sightings: Jack has a woodchuck in his yard; Laurie saw an eagle in Warner Park for the first time; Trish saw a northern water thrush, purple martin, pine warbler, bringing the species count in Warner up to 106. She found blood root, trout lilies, and other wildflowers in the woods behind tennis court and a beaver in the lagoon; Alex saw a raccoon in his yard; Marlene saw a kestrel perched on a pole at corner of Fordem & Johnson. Jack has been traveling and saw 25 black squirrels and pelicans near Portage.
Trish O’Kane recently hosted Dr. Quentin Carpenter, a wetland ecologist, for a walk in Warner. He had never been in the park before because he associates it only with Rhythm and Booms. He was amazed at the wetland plants he found in the park. He may have his UW students do some wetland research in the park.
Earth Day
Timothy Garrett led the trash pickup. There were at least 6 people who did litter pick-up, including Tim Nelson’s in his kayak and another canoe in lagoon. Lagoon yielded many tennis balls, probably lost from dog park.
Alex Singer led group in pulling of garlic mustard and other invasive plants in the Woods. There were 6 helpers with this project and a small dent was made, with lots more still to be pulled. A few more wildflowers will be able to survive.
Good turnout by Wild Warner members.
Bluebird walk and houses
Twelve enthusiasts built four bluebird houses, taught by Audubon bluebird expert, Paul Noeldner. There were 10 seniors, 1 father and his son. While they worked at Warner Park on a windy Saturday, April 30, they learned a great deal about the bluebirds who currently nest in the park. All visited the houses that have been up and occupied for several years.
Noeldner kept one house and erected one along a Warner path. Another has been put up outside the windows of the NESCO senior meal site and one is outside the windows of the Warner Park Center exercise room. Noeldner will return again this summer to present a NESCO senior program. This bluebird event was a joint project of NESCO and Wild Warner.
After Rhythm and Booms last year, three bluebird houses were found, knocked to the ground or destroyed. They were probably still occupied at the time. The first bluebird houses and wood duck houses were donated and erected by Dane Conservation.
More Bird Houses erected
Two more wood duck houses were erected this spring. Tim and Alex cleaned and put fresh wood shavings in all of the wood duck houses this spring. Eight Bird Buddies were taught to make eight bird houses from large recycled cans covered with wood bark in April. Each youth selected a spot for his house and erected it in the park.
Brentwood Grant
Wild Warner requested $5000 from City of Madison Brentwood Project, received $2500 for a project to work with youth in Brentwood. Alex and Trish did most of the work on writing this grant. Grant specifies $2000 for materials, $500 for operating costs. Initial thoughts would be to involve youth in nature education, trail maintenance.
Discussion about how to implement this grant. Northside Planning Council will act as fiscal agent for this grant. We need to be sure that it is the Brentwood neighborhood that is involved in programs. Alex has been exploring connections with school, neighborhood centers. St. Paul’s Lutheran has a family program that could be invited to participate.
Alex asked for $500 for expenses incurred in writing and researching the grant. Discussion was that there cannot be payment for activities that occurred before grant was received, must be used to administer the grant after it is received. A more detailed plan is needed to begin to implement. UW students might be available as interns, but there must be a solid proposal as to what they would do. Liability issues were discussed. It is probably too dangerous to put kids in boats on the water. Alex will work on developing a more detailed plan for the program and bring it back to June meeting.
Island Burn
The island in the lagoon was burned in April. This was a controlled burn by Russ Hefty and staff from Madison Parks Dept. He mentioned that fire department had asked him to burn the undercover. He also hopes that this will discourage some geese from nesting. Because the burn was so late, some other species were already nesting on the island, as were some geese.
It seems that a lot of trees that provide bird habitat on the island have fallen down or been knocked down. Why are they falling?
Audubon Art Fair
Marlene will create a display at a table at the Audubon Art Fair in Warner Park on May 7. Kathie will distribute info regarding the geese control plan.
Flower Pots in front of Senior Meal Site
Wild Warner/NESCO/WPCRC will work together to plant three flower pots: one to attract birds, one to attract butterflies, one to smell/touch/admire. Marlene is working on this, welcomes ideas.
Fishing in Lagoon
It is likely that most fish in Lagoon died over winter for lack of oxygen when snow covered the ice. DNR has stocked some panfish there this spring. To become healthy, the Lagoon needs attention.
Jack and the Yahara Fishing Club will teach a group of kids to fish in June on “Take a Kid Fishing” day on June 4. Many will receive fishing poles or a tackle box. This will occur in Warner Park Lagoon. Wild Warner is not involved in this, but members should stop by and encourage the kids.
June 4-5 is free fishing weekend all over Wisconsin. Try the lagoon for yourself. No fishing license required that weekend.
Structure
Jim Carrier said that that Wild Warner’s success in defeating a cyclocross race in Warner Park was a recognition by the Parks Commission of Warner’s natural area and our work in using it for education.
Our first grant, for Brentwood, also recognized this work.
But the Brentwood grant, essentially a contract with the city, involving money, responsibility, a fiscal sponsor, and liability, created the need for a more formal structure for Wild Warner, including a charter, a board, and subcommittees. He asked D. Kester and M. Jacobsen to write a charter with him. He suggested subcommittees to include: Finance, Education, Fundraising and Recruitment. Recruitment needs to focus on creating new members, and the need for diversity in membership.
Press and Publicity
Kathie and Lori outlined Geese Peeps Strategy for the upcoming Parks Commission decision on geese management. Lori was designated to make the official Wild Warner positioin.
Christa led a bird and plant walk on Sunday, May 15, attended by 18 adults. (See Story and photos on blog and home page)
She pointed out many fungi growing in the woods and on trees. She noted that she had seen Northern Pike spawning in the Lagoon. She noted that the Lagoon was originally created as a spawning place for pike.
She identified unusual and common plants, teaching some participants to recognize garlic mustard.
Bluebirds hung out on the roof of their house and a heron made an appearance. A redstart and several other warblers bobbed in the trees and a Baltimore Oriole showed off his colors. Blackbirds sang.
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Birds of Prey Talk at Lakeview Library Saturday May 21
May 18, 2011
Birds of Prey
Free program with Dianne Moller of Hoo’s Woods Raptor Center (plus live birds.)
When: 05/21/11 @ 11:00am
Cost: Free
Call: 246-4547
Web: www.madisonpubliclibrary.org
More Information:
Birds of Prey
DATE: Saturday, May 21
TIME: 11 AM
LOCATION: Lakeview Library, 2845 N. Sherman Ave., 246-4547
DESCRIPTION: Learn about the importance of different raptor species from falconer and eagle handler Dianne Moller, with the help of a live eagle, hawk, falcon and owl.
For more information, see http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/calendar
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Explore Warner Park’s Wild Side
May 4, 2011
Explore The Flora and Fauna of Warner Park
These free events will all meet at the Rainbow Shelter in Warner Park, except as noted. They are sponsored by NESCO and Wild Warner. All are designed to be wheelchair accessible and for all ages. Cars can drive up to the Shelter for drop offs. Walking and biking to events is encouraged.
Saturday, June 4, 8:00am
Audubon Birding Walk and Roll
UW Environmental Studies Ph.D. student Trish O’Kane is conducting geolocation research on catbirds in Warner Park, to find out their migration routes. Catbirds raise their families in Warner Park and then fly to Central America and the Caribbean for the winter. During this walk we will see many migratory birds, including many species of warblers. Red-wing blackbirds are preparing a concert., just for this event. Babies will be learning to fly.
Sunday, June 12, 4:00pm
Wild Warner Wetland Walk and Roll 
UW Wetland Expert Dr. Quentin Carpenter teaches UW’s popular Wetland Ecology course for the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Learn about the importance of wetlands and about the research of his wetland ecology students, who conduct field studies in Wild Warner’s wetland.
Saturday, July 30, 9:30 am
Warner Park Prairie Circle: A Look at Prairie Plantings
Meet at Warner Park Center and bring a chair. Gerry Gunderson and Rose Ann Scott, long time prairie enthusiasts, teach about the wildflowers in the Circle and the non-stinging bees who love them. Learn how to plant to attract birds and butterflies. After a talk at the Circle, those who wish can walk/roll a short distance into Warner Park to see a small wetland planting.
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Wild Warner meets May 3 at Warner center
April 28, 2011
Please come to Wild Warner meeting at Warner Park Center on Tuesday, May 3, from
6-8pm. Or the first Tuesday of every month. Mark your calendar. Same time, same
place.
Where's the Wild Warner meeting? (Trish O'Kane)
Help us protect the wild areas and wildlife. Help us educate everyone, including
Northside youth.
Learn from Alex about the grant we just received to run summer nature programs
for Northside Youth in Warner park.
Learn about the success of our Earth Day activities.
Learn how 102 species of birds were discovered in Warner Park.
Bring your young people. There is a role, large or small, for everyone who cares
about this jewel in our midst.
Check www.wildwarnerpark.org for news, especially about public nature events
every month. Bluebird talk and walk on Saturday, April 30, 9am. Accessible.
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Wild Warner hosts nature walks in Spring-Summer 2011
April 16, 2011
Wild Warner has scheduled six nature and environmental education walks. They are open to the public. All are welcome to explore the “wild side” of Warner Park. Here’s the schedule so far:
1. Saturday, April 30 from 9-11am at the Warner Park Shelter. Bluebird Talk and Walk given by Audubon bluebird expert Paul Noeldner. Noeldner builds bluebird houses and has installed several bluebird trails in Madison. He is a major local force in bringing bluebirds back. There will be a talk on bluebirds, a bluebird house-building demonstration and then a walk down to the bluebird houses.
Red-Tailed Hawk (Jim Carrier Feb. 13, 2011)
2. Sunday May 15, 1 p.m., Bird and Plant Walk led by UW Environmental Studies student Christa Seidl. Seidl has considerable field experience studying both birds and plants. She is also a mentor in Sherman Middle School’s Bird Buddy program, an environmental education program that teaches kids about the birds of Warner Park. Meet at community center parking lot.
3. Saturday, June 4, 2011, 8:00am, Audubon Bird Walk by UW Environmental Studies Ph.D. student Trish O’Kane. O’Kane is conducting geolocation research on catbirds in Warner Park, to find out their migration routes. Catbirds raise their families in Warner Park and then fly to Central America and the Caribbean for the winter. During this walk we will see many migratory birds.
4. Sunday, June 12, 4:00pm, Wild Warner Wetland Walk and Talk by UW’s wetland expert Dr. Quentin Carpenter. Dr. Carpenter teaches UW’s popular Wetland Ecology course for the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Some of his wetland ecology students are conducting field studies in Wild Warner’s wetland.
5. July 30, 9:30 am, Warner Park Prairie Circle: A Look at Prairie Plantings
Gerry Gunderson and Rose Ann Scott, long time prairie enthusiasts, talk about plantings in the Circle and the non-stinging bees who love them. After a talk at the Circle, those who wish can walk/roll a short distance into Warner Park to see a small wetland planting.
6. Sunday September 25, 2011, Wild Warner Tree Walk given by UW’s tree expert, Dr. Bruce Allison. Come explore our big woods and scrub woods which both provide vital nesting habitat for many birds including the Brown Thrasher, a species that is declining in Wisconsin and is now protected by the DNR.
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Cleanup memo – on the water
April 13, 2011
Dear Wild Warner friends and members,
As the organizer of the trash pick up for Sat. April 23 it has come to my attention that one of our members has water craft to share for picking up any trash and recyclables located in the waters of Warner Park Lagoon.
He has a kayak for one person and a canoe for two. And I will be able to borrow a canoe for two maybe three people as well.
So let me know if:
A) You also have a peaceful silent canoe or kayak that others may use.
B) If you would like to be one of those going onto the water for trash clean up.
If I get more folks who want to go on the water then there is room for in the water crafts then I may have to make a decision somehow. (First come, first serve. Names out of a hat. I’m thinking of a number between one and 20, etc.)
Keep in mind that this won’t be the only opportunity to go on the water for trash pick up this year. We will do it a few more times.
Also: We are to meet at the shelter by 10:30 on April 23.
There is a dumpster in the back for trash collected.
I can provide trash bags.
Timothy Garrett
purevegetarianman@yahoo.com
467-8355
“The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than blacks were made for whites, or women for men.”
Alice Walker
American author, The Color Purple
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Warner Park Action on Earth Day!
April 4, 2011
On Sat, April 23, Wild Warner and Brentwood Neighborhood Assn will sponsor a trash pickup in all of Warner Park and a garlic mustard weed pull in Warner Park Woods behind the tennis courts.
Meet at Rainbow Shelter at 10:30am. Bring trash bags and wear old shoes and gloves.
One team will pick up trash all over Warner Park.
A second team will pull garlic mustard in the woods. In spring it is easy to pull, even for a child. Pulling will not cause a rash. This is an invasive herb and makes a tasty salad. Garlic mustard is an exotic species introduced from Europe by early settlers for food, cooking, and medicinal uses. It spreads rapidly, crowding out native wildflowers. Once it is pulled, wildflowers will reclaim the area.
BONUS: Bring your favorite salad dressing, bowl, and fork. We will teach you how to eat it. We’re not kidding. It is delicious!
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Minutes of March 8 meeting with Supt. Briski
March 27, 2011
WILD WARNER MEETING MARCH 8, 2011
Wildlife sightings by members: Bluebirds, robins, sand hill cranes, a raccoon’s skull. We are hoping to attract wood ducks with two new nests.
Parks Superintendent Kevin Briski came to talk to the group. Our question to him was, “What can we do in Warner Park?” His response was “What we can do is up to our imaginations.” He is open to all ideas. The ideas that he brought up were invasive species removal and removal of trash.
Concerns from the attendees include:
The “Invasiveness” of the Park. That non-development of the park is what is appealing verses the commercialized aspects of the park. One of the questions that someone asked was “Where do you stand as a representative of the city? His response was that the Parks Commission is where people go to vet, keeping many ideas, of many people, in mind.
Commercialization of Park. The Madison Parks department incorporates 1/3 conservation, 1/3 active, and 1/3 preservation. when looking at the park’s usage.
We asked Briski: Is Warner Park the “sacrificial lamb”? Can we develop boundaries within Warner park for balancing the areas? Briski said that many events have been denied behind the scenes before they get to the Parks Department depending on environmental impacts and other concerns.
Are there public records available to us of what is being approved? No.
We expressed concerns of the bicycle race pre and post. Are there laws that protect areas? Yes. City Ordinances
Dogs unleashed. Parks know about the problem and talked about a Ranger program that was recently approved with two positions. The Rangers will be the ones to manage the dog issue.
Delores sees Warner Park as a treasure and reiterates that it is a neighborhood, community park.
Mr Briski told us that Alder Satya Rhodes-Conway requested (in the 2011 city budget) $100,000 for a master plan for Warner Park. The funding is available and there will be a consulting team coming in.
Someone asked, “Why don’t we stand by the master plan that is already in place?”
Geese issue. Timothy brought up the frustration of the break down of communications between the Parks Department and Wild Warner. His question to Mr. Briski was, “Are we going to be able to develop a working relationship with the Parks Department? Briski’s comments were that he wanted public input, ideas, opinions and then develop a management plan. And, that there will be a committee after Hefty has finalized research including Geese Peace. Timothy talked about the urgency of the time line since spring is nearing.
Rhythm and Booms. We asked if R&B was going to be moved and the answer was NO. Asked about the process of input and Mr. Briski said that you could attend Common Council meetings, talk to your alder and the Mayor’s office. Heavy metals from R&B in the lagoon were brought up.
There was also a question about getting the Mallards to set off the fireworks before10:00 pm.
Recommendation at the meeting to invite Satya to meetings since she is an intricate part of the
decision making at the city level.
Trish has five professors or students from the UW to do nature walks and talks for this spring.
Marlene has applied for a Willy Street Grant worth $2,000. To collect the grant we must have a non-discrimination statement. Will work on that for the next meeting.
Talked about pulling something together for Earth Day, on April 23, a Saturday Timothy will organize litter clean up, Alex will organize a Garlic Mustard pulling roundup.
We are changing the date of our monthly meeting starting in May. They will be the first Tuesday of the month instead of the second. April will be held on the second Tuesday, because of the election.
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Last geese public hearing before plan released – 4/20
March 21, 2011
Goose Management Public Informational/Listening Sessions
The City of Madison Parks Division is hosting a final public informational/listening sessions concerning Goose Management in public parks. Staff is gathering information in order to put forth a Goose Management Plan for the Madison Parks Commission’s consideration in May 2011. The plan will report the public input gathered at this and the previous meetings held in the fall of 2010, various research findings, as well as a number of options and techniques for controlling Goose populations.
The next public input session will focus on Goose population in general parklands:
April 20, 6:30p.m. – 8:00p.m.
Goodman Maintenance Facility, 1402 Wingra Creek Pkwy