2022 WI Land+Water Conference Sessions
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2022 WI Land+Water Conference Sessions
Engineering Professional Development Hours (PDHs) and Continuing Educational Units (CEUs)
will be noted once approved.
Wednesday, March 2, 1:45-2:45pm
Multi Discharge Variance Funding. How’s It Working? MDV Climate Resiliency in Wisconsin: How counties are responding:
funding has been around for a few years and has been an The Monroe County - Climate Change Task Force (CCTF) was
important money stream for counties to implement BMPs. launched in 2019 after a series of devastating floods. Led by the
How’s it working in Wisconsin? This two-part presentation is county land conservation department, the Monroe County -
from both a county’s and the WDNR’s perspectives. Fond du CCTF is taking a proactive approach to climate change by
Lac County was an early recipient of MDV monies, and they’ll installing Weather Monitoring Stations, assessing crossings
discuss how they were able to use their monies in their county. (bridges/culverts), helping landowners relocate out of the
They’ll also share their experience with fluctuating annual floodplain, and identifying land use changes to limit the
amounts. WDNR will provide an update from the statewide impacts of extreme weather in Monroe County. Presenter: Bob
perspective, including a summary of program accomplishments Micheel, Monroe County Land Conservation Department
and insights into the future of MDV funding. Presenters: Paul Director.
Tollard, Fond du Lac County; Matthew Claucherty and Andrew
Craig, WDNR. Climate Action in Dane County. In 2020 Dane County issued an
ambitious countywide Climate Action Plan and now the priority
is on implementing the plan, which means reducing GHG
emissions and increasing natural carbon sequestration. Attend
to learn more about these efforts, including how Dane County
is leveraging its existing land and water quality initiatives to
support climate priorities. Presenter: Kathy Kuntz, CC-P, is the
Director of the Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change
in Madison. Kathy has almost 30 years of experience
implementing programs focused on resource efficiency and
climate action.
WDNR’s Water Grant Programs. The WDNR offers cost-sharing
grants to eligible applicants for surface water protection & Results from GLRI Edge-of-Field Monitoring and Connections
restoration, recreational boating, and nonpoint source to Soil Health. In an effort to reduce nutrient loading to the
pollution reduction. Whether you’re looking for help with Great Lakes, several agricultural conservation activities were
outreach, data collection, planning, project design or implemented on working farms in the Lower Fox River Basin.
implementation, there is probably a DNR water grant that can Here, we present results on nutrient and suspended sediment
help. During this talk, program staff will provide a quick loads associated with conservation practices and describe how
orientation to three water grant programs: Surface Water these conservation efforts influence water quality. In addition,
Grants, Targeted Runoff Management and Urban Nonpoint linking water-quality results with soil-health parameters show
Source & Storm Water Management Grants, and Recreational strong relationships between soil and surface runoff nutrients.
Boating Facilities Grants. Staff will highlight available funding Presenters: Matt Komiskey and Luke Loken, U.S. Geological
opportunities, outline the steps you can take to develop a Survey, Wisconsin Water Science Center.
project and apply for a grant, and provide helpful tips on grant
management and administration. Presenters TBD.
Observations of water quality and river conditions while voyaging river systems by canoe. John Sullivan is a paddling/poling
enthusiast who enjoys extended solo canoe trips on rivers. His excursions started in the late 1990s and were focused primarily in
Wisconsin. John’s initial interest was to follow the paths of early explorers and voyageurs in their journeys from the Great Lakes
to the Mississippi and comparing their historical observations to present conditions. Over the past two decades, he has canoed
many rivers of Wisconsin, the midwest, and great national rivers including the Ohio, Missouri, and Mississippi. Along the way he
has documented his journeys with photos and journaling and supplemented these observations with general water quality
measurements when possible. John’s presentation will highlight some of the observations and will illustrate both unique and
common problems that were apparent while traveling these waterways, but also show some of the beauty that can be found
while descending or ascending rivers from the seat of a canoe. John grew up paddling the flat waters of the Rock River and
marshes at Horicon, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Minnesota on the banks of the Mississippi and earned his master’s
1degree studying the Big Eau Pleine River in north central Wisconsin at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. John spent his
entire working career with the Wisconsin DNR in the fisheries, wastewater or water quality programs. A website of some of his
canoe trips can be found at Irishvoyageur.com.
Wednesday, March 2, 3:15-4:15pm
Soil Health Expert Jay Fuhrer. Armor Up! This session will be Beyond the field edge: forest management and water quality.
more technical than Jay’s keynote address. Description Join Andy Johnson, Natural Resources Educator-Forestry, UW-
forthcoming. Madison Division of Extension, and hear about ways to
integrate forestry into whole farm planning and management,
as well as resources to help landowners.
Wisconsin’s Environmental Health Capacity Grant. In 2020 the Assistance for the Assistant. Are you in the position of
Department of Health Services (DHS) received funding from the rendering assistance to EVERYONE? Join this roundtable
CDC to improve overall environmental health practice. This discussion session to learn some best practices for the things
grant provides the opportunity to enhance capacity across the you do every day. Learn from others in similar positions
state to better address, prevent, and control the environmental throughout the state. Compare notes with colleagues and
health hazards that impact Wisconsinites. We are focusing on make the assistance you give the best it can be. What do you
environmental health hazards related to Natural Disaster do for tracking cost share? What do I put on this line of the
Recovery, Healthy Homes, and Safe Drinking Water, and grant reimbursement? How do you run your tree program? Is
updates will be provided on the status of our work on each of there an easy way to file electronically? What is the best way to
these areas. More specifically, we will discuss how we are track expenses? Is there more to do? What about
working to research factors affecting environmental health communication – how do you do it and how do you receive it?
hazards, inventory and evaluate environmental data systems, Join us for an hour of honest and helpful sharing!
implement effective interventions, and develop tools and
resources. Upcoming opportunities for partnerships between
DHS and the counties will also be discussed. Presenter: Sarah
Yang, Ph.D., Toxicologist, Wisconsin Division of Public Health
and others TBA.
Thursday, March 3, 8:00-9:15am
Technical Roundtable #1: Manure Storage Abandonment Communication Basics for Field Staff. First Serge Koenig, Sauk
Procedures. Travis Buckley, DATCP, will discuss the current County, will present on strategies one can employ to move
manure storage abandonment procedures and go through people to action in selling conservation practices, as well as
recommendations from counties with experience with this. cover the interpersonal relationship building skills necessary to
Manure Composting. Travis Buckley, DATCP, will lead a establish trust and encourage producers to action. Rod Webb,
discussion on current manure composting methods. Pepin County, will share additional insights into communicating
with landowners. Then Jim Arch, Clark County, will provide
attendees with experienced guidance on working with Amish
and Mennonite communities.
Groundwater session #1 – Nitrate in Groundwater: From field Drones in Conservation Take 3. Drone use in conservation
to faucet. This session is designed to help citizens, staff, or local departments has increased over the years and this session will
officials that might be struggling with nitrate contamination in highlight that use as well as engage the audience to facilitate a
their communities. We will illustrate publicly available tools for discussion. Outagamie County LCD will present on their
communities to access and understand what baseline data vegetation delineation projects, which may help determine
exists on nitrate in groundwater, talk about nitrogen budgeting invasive species impact in hard to reach areas or aid in
at various scales, how information can be used to inform future evaluating vegetative cover on crop fields. In addition we will
strategies, and provide examples of what communities and share lessons learned using drones for survey work, and
researchers have been doing to address groundwater nitrate discuss a project working with Lawrence University on using
concerns. sensors to monitor row crops in a conservation system. The
2Each community may have a different goal or research main goal of this session is to highlight the potential for drones
question in mind. Is groundwater quality in my area getting to aid in conservation and have a discussion. Presenters: Jeremy
better or worse? What agricultural practices help to reduce Freund, Outagamie County LCD, and others TBD.
nitrate leaching to groundwater? How long will it take for
conservation practices today to result in improvements to
water quality in our rivers and streams. These are examples of
various questions organizations and communities are trying to
address. By the end of the session, attendees will have a
clearer picture of existing data, better understanding of the
scale and time needed to address these concerns, as well as
tools that might be effective for investigating or addressing the
problem. Presenter: Kevin Masarik, UW-Stevens Point & UW-
Madison Division of Extension.
Hydrologic Restoration 101: A Primer for Land Conservation Committee Members. This interactive session will help participants
better understand opportunities to repair hydrology to solve problems in their communities. Following short presentations on
hydrology fundamentals and how loss of storage, infiltration, connectivity, and flow contribute to water related concerns,
presenters will lead a series of exercises to help participants think about how and why to elevate consideration of hydrologic
condition in county plans and policies. The session will wrap up with examples of Wisconsin-based efforts to restore hydrology to
reduce flooding, conserve groundwater, and improve stream health, and details on efforts to improve integration of hydrologic
assessment and restoration in state sponsored programs. The session is hosted and facilitated by Wisconsin Wetlands Association
and was developed in collaboration with DATCP Conservation Engineering Section staff.
Thursday, March 3, 9:45-11:00am
Technical Roundtable #2: Natural Flood Management Utilizing Groundwater session #2: Four counties, three studies. New
“Slow the Flow” Practices to Promote Floodplain Connectivity findings and lessons from Kewaunee research and the
and Maximize Wetland Storage. This roundtable will discuss Southwest WI Groundwater and Geology Study (SWIGG).
the ongoing project in Ashland County which will utilize Presenters: Mark Borchardt and Tucker Burch, USDA
wetlands and stream connectivity to decrease the flow Agricultural Research Service; and Joel Stokdyk, USGS.
volumes during severe storm events. We will discuss planning
options to date and provide insight into the project showcasing
our planning idea and the obstacles that we had to work
through. Presenters: Stacy Dehne, DATCP, and Wisconsin
Wetlands staff.
Land Conservation Departments (LCDs) and Farmer-Led Group Cranes: Ambassadors for Conservation, with Richard Beilfuss,
Partnerships to Advance Conservation in Your County, President & CEO, International Crane Foundation. Cranes, with
facilitated by Dana Christel, DATCP. This session will highlight their deep cultural connections, high visibility, extraordinary
three farmer-led groups and their partnerships with county beauty, dramatic migrations, and striking behaviors, are among
LCDs. The discussion will focus on ways county land the most loved and revered birds on earth. Yet cranes are also
conservation staff can support farmer-led groups in their among the most endangered families of birds in the world, with
development, organization, and advancement of their goals, eleven of 15 species threatened and many populations in peril.
and in turn how farmer-led initiatives have complemented Over the next 20 years, emerging challenges will further
conservation efforts occurring at the county-level. Presenters jeopardize cranes and the places where they dance --the rapid
will also speak to their experience collaborating with other development of China (home to eight crane species), for
farmer-led/LCD partnerships across their county lines. example, and the impact of climate change on wetlands and
Presenters and Panelists: Justine Bula, Environment Education water in Africa, Asia, and the USA. We will explore the role of
Coordinator, Sauk County LRED; Roger Bindl, Lead Farmer, Sauk cranes as ambassadors for conservation, bringing people
Soil Water Improvement Group; Dustin Ladd, County together to save some of the most extraordinary places on
Conservationist, Juneau County LWRD; Brian Daugs, Lead earth, and the people and wildlife that depend on them. We
Farmer, Producers of Lake Redstone; Todd Rietmann and will explore win-win solutions for “Sarus Rice” and biodiversity
Christopher Arnold, Land and Water Resource Management conservation in Southeast Asia and new pathways for cranes,
big mammals, and community livelihoods on the Kafue Flats of
3Specialists, Columbia County LCD; Joe Benish, Lake Wisconsin Zambia. We will share lessons learned from the struggle to
Farmer Watershed Council. bring back our iconic Whooping Cranes from the brink of
extinction, as well as our efforts to maintain the successful
recovery of Sandhill Cranes on agricultural lands of the
midwestern US.
OPEN - federal funding opportunities? TBD
Thursday, March 3, 1:15-2:30pm
Technical Roundtable #3: Streambank Standards. Bart Wisconsin’s changing climate, impacts, and solutions - WICCI
Chapman, DATCP, and NRCS staff TBD will discuss the updated Part 1. In recent years, extreme weather linked to climate
associated Streambank Standards and provide initial training change has been battering communities more and more across
and guidance on how to use them. the globe. Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate
Change Impacts (WICCI) has been doing its part to address
these challenges at home in Wisconsin.
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WICCI is a nationally recognized collaboration of scientists and
stakeholders working together to help Wisconsin policymakers
and citizens understand the impacts of climate change. Over
Next Generation of Boots on the Ground: Emerging the course of two sessions, members from WICCI will describe
Conservationists. Are you looking for a way to expand your how Wisconsin's climate is changing, the associated impacts,
youth education program? A youth conservation field day may and strategies for both mitigation and adaptation.
just be the ticket. Get students in an outside learning
environment while exploring various aspects of conservation, Part 1: WICCI is set to launch its new comprehensive
along with an introduction to careers in natural resources with assessment report on climate change in Wisconsin, focusing on
local partners and having a ball doing it! This is a field day you science, impacts and solutions. In this session, WICCI members
will walk away feeling very rewarded. Come join Shawano and will describe how Wisconsin’s climate has changed and is likely
Outagamie Counties and learn how we do it. to change in the future, along with an overview of climate
impacts and adaptation strategies across Wisconsin’s people,
land, water, and the built environment. Presenter: Dr. Steve
Vavrus, Co-Director of WICCI and Senior Scientist, Nelson
Institute Center for Climatic Research, UW-Madison.
Wisconsin Soil Health 101. Learn the basics on the principles of Mapping your environment with LiDAR. Processing and
soil health, resource concerns, soil health practices, assessing analyzing LiDAR is difficult but developing countywide
soil health, and success stories with examples of economic environmental LiDAR layers can help land managers quickly
benefits. Presenter: Andy Paolucci, USDA-NRCS. locate and mitigate risks, perform preliminary design, plan
efficient site visits, and much more. Access to culvert
inventories, EHD, countywide hydro-enforced DEMs, closed
depressions, modeling accumulated flow paths and
catchments, or assessing risk of erosion, can put your data to
work to save time and money. Dive into the use case for these
Lidar derived products. Presenters: Adam Derringer, GISP, and
Bruce Riesterer, Ayers Associates.
4Thursday, March 3, 3:00-4:15pm
Technical Roundtable #4: County Presentations. Unique Adapting to climate change in Wisconsin – a deep dive and
technical projects will be shared by county staff with plenty of discussion - WICCI Part 2. In recent years, extreme weather
time for discussion. Presenters: TBD linked to climate change has been battering communities more
and more across the globe. Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Initiative
on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) has been doing its part to
address these challenges at home in Wisconsin.
Part 2: WICCI is composed of 14 Working Groups who focus on
climate impacts, adaptation and mitigation, within their areas
of expertise. Hear from and engage with some of the WICCI
working groups to discuss climate adaptation and mitigation
strategies in depth. WICCI Working Group Presenters:
Agriculture Working Group - Sara Walling, WI DATCP;
Geospatial Working Group - Larry Cutforth, WI DNR; Forestry
Working Group - Fred Clark, Wisconsin's Green Fire;
Infrastructure Working Group – Rob Montgomery, UW
Madison; Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Working Group -
Natalie Chin, Wisconsin Sea Grant; Water Resources Working
Group - Katie Hein, WI DNR.
Soil Health with Lance Klessig. (Specifics TBA). Lance is a Taking Your Partnership to Light Speed!
regenerative agriculture enthusiast working alongside Midwest This popular breakout session is back and better than ever!
farmers to understand and implement soil health principles & Successfully navigating a conservation department through the
practices. Previously he’s worked for Dunn County Land asteroid field of today’s funding shortfalls and resource
Conservation, the USDA-NRCS, and most recently for Winona concerns requires respect, collaboration, and communication
County Soil Water Conservation District. Lance and his family (even when you speak different languages). Hear lessons
direct market pastured pork, eggs along with broilers, and learned from experienced and savvy “pilots” in this stellar
additionally custom graze heifers and goats on their SE MN session on strengthening the LCC/LCD partnership. Panelists:
farm, Heart & Soil Ridge near Dakota, MN. They also have 3 on- Monte Osterman, Ben Dufford, Amy Piaget, Chase Cummings,
farm rentals and focus on agro-tourism. Lance also owns Soil another LCC member TBD.
Keepers where he provides soil health educational outreach
and professional technical services.
Effectiveness of local regulations on non-point source pollution: Evidence from Wisconsin dairy farms. While the Clean Water
Act's regulation of point source pollution has had a significant effect on water quality, non-point sources of pollution, especially
animal agriculture in the US, remain a leading unevenly regulated source of water pollution. This work studies the effectiveness of
local manure management regulations on dairy farms in Wisconsin. Wisconsin represents an important location to study non-
point agricultural pollution due to the economic importance of both small, non-point, dairy farms and a tourism industry based on
clean water. Using bespoke hand collected regulatory data from Wisconsin counties we are able to estimate the effects of
changes in local regulations on water quality outcomes. The results demonstrate that a few easily implemented and verifiable
regulations such as nutrient management plans have significant short-term effects on water quality, while other less observable
and difficult to implement regulations have no discernible effects in the short term. The work points to a number of potential
policy levers to improve the management of non-point pollution, as well as the challenges of measuring impacts of non-point
source policies that work through slow-moving hydrologic processes. Presenters: Marin Skidmore, Post-doctoral research, Nelson
Institute for Environmental Studies, Agricultural and Applied Economics, UW-Madison; and county conservationists TBA.
5Friday, March 4, 8:00-9:00am
Invasives Species and County Funding Updates. This session Finding a Return on Investment from Land Conservation
will cover general identification of high priority and newer Work. Brian Haase, Waupaca County Conservationist, will look
invasives, as well as some of the more common aquatic and at framing some of the other positive financial aspects of Land
terrestrial invasives. We will discuss the importance of early & Water Conservation Department activities beyond just cost
detection monitoring and a successful eradication story sharing BMPs to address a resource concern in Waupaca
Additionally, there will be an overview of the new Lake County. Next Dan Zerr, Regional Natural Resources Educator
Monitoring and Protection Network noncompetitive AIS with UW-Madison Division of Extension, will discuss some
funding available for each county. Presenter: Chris Hamerla, qualitative ways in which land conservation work provides
Golden Sands RC&D. value to residents, counties, and our natural resources.
From Fields to Features: Telling the Stories of Conservation. Maintaining Conservation Across Different Department
Zach Laughlin, Fond du Lac County LWCD’s Outreach and Structures. In recent years, many counties have merged their
Education Coordinator, will show how social media is a free and land and water conservation departments with other
easy tool to promote projects, and provide tips on what type of departments, or have considered doing so. No matter the
equipment is most useful for taking photos and videos in the structure of the department, the work of getting conservation
field. WI Land+Water’s Communications Manager, Kristin on the landscape remains a priority. Hear about the
Teston, will then talk about our success stories, how to connect experiences and lessons learned by a number of counties that
with media outlets, and showcase the resources and tools on feature different conservation department structures.
WI Land+Water’s new website. Panelists: Tony Reali, Calumet; Lynda Schweikert, Grant; Kurt
Calkins, Columbia, more TBD.
Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck from NRCS Local Working Groups. Learn about NRCS Local Working Groups; and engage in
a discussion on how County Land & Water Resource Management Plans can leverage LCD and NRCS goals, priorities, and funding
opportunities. Presenters: Angela Biggs (NRCS State Conservationist); Melissa Bartz (Assistant State Conservationist – Financial
Assistance Programs); Eric Allness (NRCS Assistant State Conservationist – Partnerships).
Friday, March 4, 9:15-10:15am
Outside the box: Creative ways to leverage partnerships, Floodplain Management Workshop. Hear the latest on federal,
funding, and resources to further conservation efforts. First, state and local roles; understanding the Flood Insurance Rate
Kyle Minks, Dane County LWRD, will share how Dane County Maps (FIRMs); Letters of Map Change (LOMC): LOMA, LOMR,
worked collaboratively with six different organizations and LOMR-F, CLOMA, CLOMR, CLOMR-F; Hydrologic and Hydraulic
agencies to secure a $1.8 million Regional Conservation Analyses; Zone AE and Zone A Development Scenarios; and
Partnership Program (RCPP) award from USDA-NRCS to Floodplain Management. Presenter: Brian Cunningham, WDNR.
improve soil health and water quality. He’ll share lessons
learned on successfully working with partners to secure
funding and implement the project. Next, Jim Arch, Clark Co. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LCD, and Greg Leonard, Eau Claire Co. LCD present on the Eau
Claire River Watershed Coalition and their creative ways to get
watershed-wide grants and projects going, including working NR151 Compliance Assessments Panel. This panel discussion
with West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning to write grants will assess NR151 compliance on the farm; farm examples were
that apply across county lines, as well as a county assisting in submitted by county staff. The audience is encouraged to ask
grant writing to help another county obtain a grant that time questions and take an active role in the discussion. This is your
and workload would prevent them from getting by themselves. chance to get some answers/clarification. The session goal is to
Then Greg Baneck, Outagamie County, shows that in this day provide county employees an opportunity to get feedback on
and age, it unfortunately isn’t a one size fits all approach to problem sites and start a conversation about different
fund their local programs… it takes a host of funding sources to perspectives, goals, and roles with NR151 compliance. Panel:
make it work. As they say… you don’t necessarily want to see county, DATCP, and DNR staff; moderated by Tina Barone,
how the sausage is made! Dunn County.
6Conservationist and Environmental Historian Curt Meine. Conservation has always evolved to address emerging social and
environmental realities. Aldo Leopold recognized this when he described the land ethic as “a product of social evolution,”
occurring “in the minds of a thinking community.” Curt Meine, author of the biography Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work and
Senior Fellow with The Aldo Leopold Foundation, will explore new needs and directions that are shaping land ethics for the next
generation.
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