Environmental Education

      FUND HONORS KAY RILL                                                        

     Winnebago Audubon Society received a gift of $800.00 in memory of Katherine Rill from her husband, Russell, and their children, Teresa and Jeffrey. When Katherine died last year the family established a memorial fund in her honor. The money given to Winnebago Audubon came from donations to that memorial fund. The gift of those memorial donations is designated for improving Sullivan’s Woods.

     Sullivan's Woods is the 20-acre outdoor environmental center owned by the Oshkosh Area School District. Winnebago Audubon members, particularly Frank Zuern, were instrumental in the school's acquisition of this property.  Following the acquisition, Katherine was the motivating force in creating trails, teacher guides, trail signs and, in 1989, planting the one-acre prairie.  The property is used by the Oshkosh School system for outdoor education.  Friends of Sullivan’s Woods aids the school by supplying volunteers to help teachers and students learn about the important habitats on the property.

     The prairie is to be dedicated to Katherine and Russell Rill. A sign will recognize their efforts to preserve and protect this unique habitat for the education of future generations.  Several new trail signs in the prairie as well as prairie maintenance will be completed. We plan to hire a consultant who will help develop a long-term management plan and assist Winnebago Audubon in its implementation.  An important maintenance tool, burning of the prairie, will be done as well as efforts to eliminate woody species and invasive plants that are encroaching.  There are still many wonderful prairie plants that can spread and flourish with proper maintenance.

     Winnebago Audubon is pleased to accept this money to continue work at Sullivan's Woods in memory of the woman who was instrumental in forming the Winnebago Audubon Society Chapter in 1982. She and her husband Russ were an important part of this chapter, contributing time, talent, money and ideas that benefited the organization, the community and the environment.  Winnebago Audubon has established the Rill Fund with this donation.  The fund is designated for use at Sullivan's Woods, particularly the Rill Prairie. If you are interested in contributing to the Rill Fund, please send your check made payable to: Winnebago Audubon, PO Box 184, Oshkosh, WI 54903. Designate “Rill Fund” in the memo portion of the check.  All donations are tax-deductible.

     Thank you to Katherine's family for the catalyst to keep the prairie alive!

      SULLIVAN'S WOODS

Another exciting fall at Sullivan's Woods has ended with over 600 4th grade students experiencing the environment up close.  From Sept. 18th through Oct. 10th classes came out for an exciting and educational day.  Winnebago Audubon members have for years voluteered their time and experience to guide student groups through Sullivan's Woods.  Thanks to all those who are helping this year:  Louise Coumbe, Zaiga Freivalds, Joanne and Mike McAleer, Frank Zuern, Jeanne Shiras, Barb Urbrock, Carolyn Blassingame, Lorraine Eberle, Lorna Edwards, Dave Moon, Pam and Larry Lang, Wendell Williams , Val Williams, Barb Urbrock, Sarah Thompson and Judy Anderson.

Consider becoming an Audubon Adventures sponsor.  For $46 you    will supply a 4th or 5th grade class with 4 different issues of a fun hands on environmental newspaper.  Last year we were able to sponsor 19 classrooms in the Oshkosh area because of your generousity.  Contact Carla Hansen at 920-233-1129 for more information.

      HISTORY OF SULLIVAN'S WOODS                                          

       By Katherine D. Rill, August 12, 2002

     In pre-settlement times, native prairies and oak openings were present in the part of Winnebago County where Sullivan’s Woods is now located. The idea to plant a prairie was conceived by Winnebago Audubon Society and The Friends of Sullivan’s Woods in 1988 with the encouragement of Ray Wachholz, Environmental Coordinator of the Oshkosh Area School District.

     An open area of approximately one acre of mostly reed canary grass was selected to establish a prairie. The goal was to plant prairie grasses and forbs to give students some idea of what a prairie looked like in the early days and acquaint them with some of the plants that may have been present.

     To oversee the project, The Don Vorpahl Landscape/Environmental Planners was hired. Audubon members were told the first challenge would be to get rid of the reed canary grass and other weedy species before preparing the soil for planting. Using the herbicide Roundup was the recommended approach, but there were concerns about its use. Consultant Don Vorpahl said that the job could be done without an herbicide but that hand pulling weeds and a regime of plowing and waiting for weed seeds to sprout between plowings would be necessary. Members were willing to take this approach even though it involved more work. He suggested a three till, multiple-harrow plan, supplemented by hand raking and weed removal at each stage with a final goal on planting day of having a firm seed bed with fine textured soil as free of weeds and weed seeds as possible. This plan was implemented and willing volunteers spent many hours removing weeds. On the day of the actual planting, July 8, 1989, a group of volunteers hand planted forbs and grass seedlings and broadcast other seeds. Then all that was necessary was to wait for nature to do its work.

     In order for a prairie to continue to grow in Wisconsin on the prairie/forest border, shrubs and trees that will encroach must be eliminated. Prairies remained open in pre-settlement times because of fires caused by lightning or fires set by Indians to aid their hunting and agriculture. What this meant, was that periodically, the prairie must be burned. This was done initially in consultation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and later burns were carried out by The Friends of Sullivan’s Woods.

     Since 1988, the Sullivan’s Woods prairie has matured into a creditable example of the original prairies and is a valuable teaching tool for Oshkosh Area School District students.

       Winnebago Audubon participates in Wisconsin’s First Salamander Survey

   The Wisconsin Audubon Council, Inc. (WAC,) a coalition of the state’s 14 independent chapters and two National Audubon centers, received a grant from the Citizen-Based Monitoring Network of Wisconsin in August 2007 to coordinate a statewide survey of salamanders. Herpetology experts with the WDNR and state universities are guiding this effort. Members of Wisconsin Audubon chapters will serve as citizen monitors. Four Winnebago Audubon families have volunteered to participate.

   Each volunteer family will be advised when to place their five live traps in a local breeding pond based on criteria provided. Volunteers will check the traps daily over a one-week period, probably in early April, and enter their catch results on a data sheet. There will be a second period in early July when they will be asked to place their traps again for 6 consecutive days. 

   Wisconsin has seven salamander species. The survey focuses on four species that breed in shallow woodland pools: the tiger, spotted and blue-spotted salamanders and the central newt. This survey brings attention to these secretive creatures, gives wildlife managers’ much-needed distribution data, and promotes the value of wetlands and woodland pools.

   According to Randy Korb, WAC president and project director, monitors will receive web-based training, receive data sheets and materials to build their traps before the survey begins in early April 2008.