The Naturalist - Green

Winter 2016
419 S. Franklin St.
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Janesville, WI 53548
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MONROE, WI
PERMIT NO. 3
1) Board of Directors
2) Bass Creek Canoe Launch Gets a Lift
3) Highlights from the President: The Plan Ahead
4) G-RASlands Fall Report
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5) Important Headlines
6) Membership Form
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7) This Changes Everything Book Review
8) Bird Seed Sale Report
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9) Defending Our Farmland
10) Kids
11) Kids
The Naturalist
Serving Lafayette, Green,
Bass Creek Canoe Launch Gets a Lift
By Neil Deupree
Last year the Bass Creek Dam Association (BCDA) donated two acres of creek side land to
G-RAS to maintain a permanent access to the creek. The expectation is that people will use it
for canoe or kayak trips to the Rock River from the launch near First Street and County Highway
D in Afton. G-RAS has partnered with Rock Trail Coalition to find volunteers to clear and mow
the path to the creek.
Now, the project has been given financial support by a closing gift of $3000 from the
BCDA. We will be able to draw from this money to support our maintenance efforts with the
Rock Trail Coalition. We appreciate Ken Willing of Afton, the leader of BCDA; his consistent
efforts ensured the completion of this project.
Look for a new sign to appear in the spring.
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Highlights from the President
The Plan Ahead
 The Pond in Janesville
At the November and December G-RAS board
meetings we discussed plans for G-RAS. Here's
what we came up with. Please look it over. Make
suggestions to any of us on the board. Let us know
if you would like to work with us to pursue your
own conservation efforts.
General Goals:
1. Increase interest in conservation – inclusive of all
below
2. Restoration work
3. Increase use/visitation at GRAS properties
4. Recruit volunteers for programs & land maintenance
6. Support our Education Chair
Physical improvement
 Gravel parking areas & signs
7. Make funds available for grants & scholarships
 Trail maps & nature trail
8. Tighten up board processes
 Picnic shelters – benches - tables
5. Increase attendance at program events
 Promotion as destination
Strategies:
 Continue work on marketing
 Social media
 Website
Ideas for how to find volunteers
 College students, RSVP, VAC, Master Naturalists,
Neighbors, Hunters, Retirees
 Brochures distributed
 News articles – publicist
 Coordinate with other conservation groups for
programs/mutual publicity
Program chair
 Develop a list of possible speakers/programs:
Audubon chapters, films
 Confirm programs/dates/locations
Restoration work
 Oak planting
 Send news releases
 Garlic mustard control
Resources & venues for education
 A group to work and plan together
 Brush control
 Prescribed burning – Pheasants Forever
 Someone in Rock County
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GRASlands Fall Report 2015
Prepared by Victor Illichmann
Androne Woods
We have torched the garlic mustard throughout the16 acres without any issues with fire. We planned to go
back and torch some areas missed, but that will now have to wait until spring. We frilled and killed the shade
tolerant trees and unwanted underbrush in section 1. There is a band of red oak across this section and a good
scattering of hickory and some walnut and black cherry. We won’t end up with a monoculture here. Next spring
we need to do more frilling and killing and plant another 1,000 white oak trees. There is some choke cherry and
hazelnut undergrowth. We have some good pictures of
Workenders torching garlic mustard.
Cleophas Reserve
We have kept the firebreaks mowed.
Gabower-Reilly Reserve
We cleared a little of the brush along the creek. We will do
more here next year. We don’t have a lot of brush here, but
we have some aspen invading in a couple of places.
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Spring Creek Reserve
We have killed a lot of brush here, approximately 10 acres. We still have
some patches where the brush needs
to be killed. It would have been nice to
herbicide more, but the weather put
an end to that.
Tractor: We sold the Jinma and bought
a Mahindra. We needed a larger tractor for the work we are doing.
Thanks
Thanks to John Patterson, John Watrous, Doug Conkle, Dave Dummer,
Dennis Rogers, Neil Deupree, Finn
Bomgaars, Mike Tiffany, Wayne Tiffany,
Brian Schmoldt and son, Joni Denker and her husband, Workenders, and Rock County Deputies. Volunteers are
our life-blood. Keep up the good work.
Sharing a Good Read: Birds do the Darndest Things
By Neil Deupree
Tales of Remarkable Birds by Dominic Couzens, 224 pages, c2015
Bloomsburg Natural History, publisher.
Available at Hedberg Public Library
We saw the bright picture of the cassowary on the cover as we were getting ready for a passenger pigeon program at Cedar Crest and thought, Here's something for show and tell.
As we read it, we were impressed by the author's ability to find birds with weird and unusual
behavior. We were even more impressed with the birds themselves.
The author takes us around the world – eight areas with five species in each. Pheasant tailed
jacanas make their nests on lily pads, even moving the eggs when they need to. New Caledonia
crows pass intelligence tests in tool making and tool using. Cliff swallows in Nebraska might be developing shorter wings to more efficiently dodge traffic around the bridges they use for nesting. TheOcillated Ant bird of Central America follows army ant forays to feed on the insects that are scared
up by the voracious ant column. Cassowaries from Australia look menacing – and are! The Swallowtailed gull feeds at night – in low moonlight – when its small prey rise to the surface in what's called
DVM (diurnal vertical migration).
There are lots more – each with several glossy pics and each with some unique and interesting
characteristic. It's a good read. I just wish I had my conversion chart handy, since the measurements
were all metric.
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Thanks to the Mary Doering Estate
The Green-Rock Audubon Society was given $1000.00 from the estate of Mary Doering in the month of
December. A special thank you to Mary Doering for thinking of the Audubon and Ms. Kelly Hendee for handling the estate.
If you would like to leave a bequest to the Green-Rock Audubon Society, please consider discussing this
with your financial planner.
Book Review by Neil Deupree
This Changes Everything – Capitalism vs the Climate
by Naomi Klein 566 pages, 2014 Simon & Schuster. Available in
print at Hedberg, Beloit & Edgerton. Available on disc (17 unabridged) at Hedberg. Also online at
www.thischangeseverything.org
“To keep carbon out of the air, leave it in the ground.” - unknown
The Paris Conference is over. Climate Change and what to do about it is all around us. Naomi Klein argues that the
climate crisis can be the spark that kindles a movement to change what's wrong with our whole system. In fact, as the subtitle says, she believes that the system of capitalism is what's wrong. For example, the oil/gas/coal companies have calculated the value of their assets in the ground. If we stop using carbon fuels, those assets stay in the ground. They're no
longer assets. It hits the bottom line. Their own survival encourages them to keep digging.
Impressions from the book (in no particular order):
Geoengineering (putting chemicals in the atmosphere to reflect the sun's rays) is a huge and irreversible experiment with
unknown consequences, such as, what will it do to the monsoons in India?
Green betrayal: Certain large environmental organizations have acted as if they could be on a level playing field with the
carbon companies who have thousands of times their assets. It eventually became clear that they were being used as
“greenwash”. Klein names.
Alternate energy: On page 101, Klein refers to Jacobson & Delucchi and their “map” for converting the planet to 100%
renewable energy by 2030 – yes, 2030! No one else seems to be taking this seriously. Too disruptive?
Divestment: Although it starts as a drop in the bucket, it uses money as a way to get attention and encourage the carbon
to stay in the ground. It worked in South Africa.
Blockadia: This is the most hopeful part of the book. Klein cites several cases around the world where local people are
standing against plans to mine the underground carbon – with serious harm to the local ecosystems and people's way of
life. (It reminds me of recent actions in northern Wisconsin.) She especially appreciates the work of indigenous people in
many nations who have some legal standing for the health of the land. She is hopeful that these movements can connect
and grow.
I listened to this book unabridged on seventeen CDs. It was depressing – and in the end, hopeful. Now to get to work on
the movement. I'm going to check out 350.org again.
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Bird Seed Sale Report
By Dennis Rogers
The GRAS bird seed sale sold 71 bags of assorted bird seed and 12 boxes
of suet cakes. The profit on the sale netted $457.30. GRAS also collected $150
in donations and $70 in new membership fees. Thanks to every one that made this
GRAS fund drive a big success.
Marketing is a New Frontier for G-RAS
With the help of Meghan Trimm, our chapter has been exploring ways to let people
know who we are and what we're doing. We especially want people to feel welcome to visit
our land for walks and bird watching and even trout fishing! Next step will be for the board
to review the Marketing Plan that Meghan has created. If anyone has ideas about how we
can improve our presence on Social Media, please let us know.
Hunting report from Androne Woods
Deer are part of the ecosystem at Androne Woods, our sixteen acre woodlot in Newark Township. But they can be a destructive part – particularly when they munch on rare
plants like trillium and the new oak seedlings that we plant each year. So, we encourage
deer hunting on our property – with permission – to lessen the pressure on our trees and
plants. This year, we had six hunters harvest three does and three bucks. We're also grateful
to the hunters who do volunteer work in our woods – like mowing the trails.
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Citizens
A.
Are Scientists Too
B.
C.
By Neil & Kay Deupree
One of our favorite bird counts is the Feeder Watch program through Cornell Lab of Ornithology, www.birds.cornell.edu
The count is done from November through April by observing the birds at your feeders
for two days each week. You list the highest number of each species that you've seen
at any one time. Then you log into the Feeder Watch page and enter the data. You'll
have to give a brief description of your back yard at the beginning of each year. Our
highlight is when the Coopers Hawk comes by to see if there are easy pickings at his
backyard buffet. It's also a running competition to see whether there will be more house
sparrows or more house finches chasing each other around our deck.
Volunteer!
Board Meetings are open to the public. They occur every first Wednesday of the month at 7PM at
the Public Library at Broadhead. Land Management is also a great opportunity to get into nature.
For more information call Victor Illichman at 608-302-8113 or viccarol@sbcglobal.net.
Upcoming Events
BYOSki Join us on Facebook to get an invitation to this spur of the moment event!
Bring your own cross country skis! When we get a good snow, we’ll blast out an initiation to meet up at one of the
reserves. For more information contact Trimm@Beloit.edu or call Meghan at 815-520-4333.
An American Icon: Utah’s Red Rock Canyonlands Ash Wednesday, Feb 10, 6:30 PM—8:30 PM
The Program will be held at First Congregational UCC (54 S Jackson) in Janesville. The program includes “Wild
Utah”, a multi-media slideshow. This 15-minute journey through red rock splendor, narrated by Robert Redford invigorates and motivates viewers to participate in the movement to protect these unique and threatened public
lands.
Wisconsin Audubon Council March 19, 9 AM—3 PM
The event will take place at the Welty Center's new location – Big Hill Park, the former Girl Scout building. GRAS members are welcome to attend and observe. By happy coincidence the date falls on Welty's annual Maple
Syrup and Pancake Day. There will be plenty of room and plenty of pancakes.
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Provide Shelter for Animals
Natural nooks and crannies offer wildlife protection from harsh weather and
predators. If you have low shrubs and
thickets nearby, you’re well on your
way to full-fledged winter habitat. If
your yard lacks shelter, don’t worry—
you’re just steps away.
1. Rake fallen leaves and sticks into
piles where they can be left undisturbed for insects, frogs, toads, and
box turtles to burrow under.
2. Build a rock pile in a corner of your
yard. Chipmunks, mice, and snakes can
find a home there.
3. If you have a small pond or creek
on your property, leave fallen leaves
and debris in the water to help creatures such as fish, crayfish, and frogs
take cover.
Color the Snowy Owl
Color the Snowy
Owl
Places to Visit
The MacKenzie Center, just 25 miles north of
Madison, is one of the most diverse education
centers in Wisconsin. With interpretive trails, exhibits, museums and programming available for
school and youth groups, MacKenzie is a wonderful place to visit and learn about the natural
world. The State Game Farm is connected to the
MacKenzie Center and is adjacent to the arboretum on the western half of the property.
Hours of Operation
Open year-round. Grounds dawn-dusk. Exhibits open for
10am-4pm in the summer, daily first full weekend in May
thru last full weekend in October; and winter Monday - Friday only November through April.
Directions
Located just off of Highway 22 near Poynette.
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Why do polar bears have a thick layer of fat under their skin? Try this activity and find out.
Materials: 1 large bowl, 1 tray of ice cubes, 4 medium-size, resealable plastic bags, 2 cups of solid vegetable shortening, Cold water
Activity:
1. Fill the bowl with cold water and ice.
2. Put Shortening in 1 Plastic Bag. Tell your child that the shortening is a kind of fat.
3. Cover Hands With Plastic Bags. Then place the covered hand inside the plastic bag with the fat and seal. Move the fat around until it
covers the hand. Cover the other hand with the remaining two plastic bags (without fat) and seal.
4. Put both hands in the bowl of ice water.
Talk About What Happened Ask your child:
• Which hand stayed warmer? (The hand covered in fat) • Why? (The fat helped keep the cold out.) • Polar bears have a layer of fat under
their skin that is 4 inches thick. How does this fat help them? (It helps keep the cold out.) • What other features help polar bears to stay
warm? (Woolly undercoat traps body heat; small ears help prevent heat loss; fur between paw pads keep feet warm.)
How do you go wild?
Draw a picture of your favorite outdoor activity in the box below.
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Winter 2016
Friendly Reminder:
Annual Memberships for Local Green-Rock Audubon Society are Due in January. Thanks!
@GRAudubon, #GreenRockAudubon
Green-Rock Audubon Society (GRAS) membership for one year with
the quarterly newsletter Green Rock Naturalist from Green Rock Audubon Society (all dues go to GRAS).
www.facebook.com/greenrockaudubon

Senior or student membership $10

Single person membership $15
www.greenrockaudubon.org
Board of Directors
To contact the directors email gras@greenrockaudubon.org
President, Neil Deupree: 608-752-8342
Vice President, Rich McLaughlin
Secretary, Dennis Rogers
See me in color
ONLINE!
Treasurer, John Patterson
Director, Don Gabower
Director, Donna Oxenrider
Director, John Watrous
Director, Joni Denker
Director, Open
Wisconsin Audubon Council comes to Rock County March 19
G-RAS belongs to the Wisconsin Audubon Council (WAC), along with our neighbors, Lakeland in Elkhorn, and
Madison Audubon Society, twelve other chapters and two nature centers.
Our representatives gather three times a year for mutual encouragement. G-RAS has received a collaborative
grant from WAC for our trail signage at Androne Woods.
This March 19, G-RAS will host the state meeting from 9 am – 3 pm at the Welty Center's new location – Big
Hill Park, the former Girl Scout building. G-RAS members are welcome to attend and observe. By happy coincidence,
the date falls on Welty's annual Maple Syrup and Pancake Day. There will be plenty of room and plenty of pancakes.