Lesley Brotkowski - Assured Wetland Delineator at Cedarburg Science

Cedarburg Science is proud to announce that our Senior Conservation Biologist, Lesley Brotkowski is a part of the Wetland Delineation Professional Assurance Initiative of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Lesley is one of only seven people in Wisconsin with this distinction. This means her work is assured for purposes of State of Wisconsin wetland delineations. As an Assured Wetland Delineator, wetland boundary review and concurrence from WDNR is not needed when Lesley performs a delineation of a wetland boundary. This greatly speeds up project approval processes.

As described by the Wisconsin DNR: “The goal of this program is to provide a high level of certainty about wetland boundaries for project planning, and save time in state review of wetland boundaries, while enhancing protection for Wisconsin's wetlands through more accurate wetland boundaries overall.” To learn more about the Wetland Delineation Professional Assurance Initiative, go to this link.

In addition to her many other skills and areas of experience, Lesley specializes in the performance of Wetlands and Upland Habitat Assessments, Natural Resource Management projects, and Endangered Species Surveys. Lesley is skilled in Invasive Species Management, Plant and Wildlife Surveys, Restoration, and Habitat Quality Assessments. Lesley works closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) to conduct surveys for the Federally Endangered Hine’s emerald dragonfly, Somatochlora hineana. Habitat assessments and surveys are conducted to document and protect active breeding locations, which aid in the conservation of this rare species.

Progress on the Forest Beach Migratory Preserve, plus International Migratory Bird Day Celebration!

Cedarburg Science has been involved from the start of the restoration and development of the Forest Beach Migratory Preserve, a property of the Ozaukee-Washington Land Trust. During this past year, the Land Trust received $454,000 in federal economic recovery act funds to help pay for project development and restoration activities. On May 8^th, the first observance at this location of International Migratory Bird Day was held for members of the public to participate in bird walks, learn from presentations by WDNR –Bureau of Endangered Resources Ornithologist Kim Grveles and Cedarburg Science Ornithologist Bill Mueller, and see displays from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Land Trust, Flying Wild, Treasures of Oz, Bird City Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology. Representatives of the Land Trust and the Fish & Wildlife Service were on hand to assist the public in learning more about the restoration and management activities. Cedarburg Science is proud to have prepared the Restoration and Management Plan for this site. Photos here show recent planting work done on the preserve.

Cedarburg Science is proud to announce that our Senior Restoration Ecologist, Heather Patti, PWS is a part of the Wetland Delineation Professional Assurance Initiative of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. This means her work is assured for purposes of State of Wisconsin wetland delineations. As an Assured Wetland Delineator, wetland boundary review and concurrence from WDNR is not needed when Heather performs a delineation of a wetland boundary. This greatly speeds up project approval processes.

As described by the Wisconsin DNR: “The goal of this program is to provide a high level of certainty about wetland boundaries for project planning, and save time in state review of wetland boundaries, while enhancing protection for Wisconsin's wetlands through more accurate wetland boundaries overall.” To learn more about the Wetland Delineation Professional Assurance Initiative, go to this link.

For more information, please contact us at cedsci@cedarburgscience.com, or call us at 262-376-0735.

What are we up to lately at Cedarburg Science? Coordinating restoration activities at Forest Beach Migratory Preserve, finishing the late fall wetland delineations (done by our own Heather Patti, who is a Wisconsin assured wetland delineator, and is pictured here), completing the last wind farm bird and bat mortality surveys for this fall, and completing a year-end report of our wildlife collection activity, in addition to strategic planning for 2010. A new event scheduled for early in the coming year will be a Cedarburg Science “Winter School” weekend, complete with winter ecology, winter plant identification and winter bird workshops, building and using your own snowshoes from inexpensive materials, and creating "outdoor art" in the natural world – at the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station near Amherst Junction, Wisconsin. To learn more about our services, any of these events, or our other work , see our website , or call us (262-376-0735) or e-mail us at cedsci@cedarburgscience.com.

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Forest Beach Migratory Preserve/OWLT - First Annual Raptor Watch

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At the new Forest Beach Migratory Preserve, a property of the Ozaukee-Washington Land Trust north of Port Washington, a group of approximately 30 people inaugurated the first Annual Raptor Watch at this location. Cedarburg Science staff planned and coordinated this event with staff from the Land Trust. Among 55 total species seen throughout the morning, the following raptors were identified and tallied:

Turkey Vulture 10
Bald Eagle 1
Northern Harrier 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 18
Cooper's Hawk 4
Broad-winged Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 14
Merlin 4
Peregrine Falcon 4

Photos are above. The group had a marvelous time, and plans are in the works for a second event at this location later this fall. If you have questions, e-mail Bill Mueller at bmueller@cedarburgscience.com

Sturgeon Release - this Saturday in Thiensville

Sturgeon Release at Thiensville Village Park: Release a Baby Sturgeon!

Cedarburg Science is once again at the heart of the Annual Riveredge Nature Center Sturgeon Release. Photos from last year's event are here; come to this year's event at the Thiensville Village Park, Saturday, October 3rd.

Schedule of Events
4th Annual Return of the Sturgeon
1:00 to 1:30pm Registration and Activities
1:30 to 2:00pm Activities and Refreshments
2:00 to 2:30pm Welcoming Remarks and Sponsor Recognition
2:30 to 4:00pm Sturgeon Release

Children's activities take place throughout the day, including a live reptile and amphibian presentation with Randy Hetzel.

We hope to see you there!

bat monitoring for the Citizen-based Monitoring Network

The Citizen-based Monitoring Network of Wisconsin incorporates many inventory and monitoring projects for wildlife species. Among their other studies, Dave Redell and Paul White of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources coordinate a series of volunteer mobile acoustic surveys for bats, utilizing ANABAT electronic detectors. The ANABAT units make it possible to determine species diversity and numbers at a variety of locations and habitats across the state. Members of our Cedarburg Science staff are participating in several bat surveys this autumn. One took place at the Cedarburg Bog, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Field Station, and the second will be done at the new Forest Beach Migratory Preserve, owned by the Ozaukee-Washington Land Trust. Photos above show us in action, collecting acoustic data in early September. To learn more about the Citizen-based Bat Monitoring project, go to this link.