Check out Fall Events at the Mead Education and Visitor Center
Contact(s): Pam Resech, DNR natural resources educator, 715-457-6771, ext. 2
MILLADORE, Wis. - On Monday evenings this fall, the Mead Education and Visitor Center will host a series of presentations about wildlife in Wisconsin. These talks, which are free and open to the public, are sponsored by the Friends of the Mead/McMillan Wildlife Areas and the Mead Education staff. The schedule is as follows:
CWD in Wisconsin's Deer Herds - Sept. 23, 6:30 p.m.
Chronic wasting disease, which was first discovered in Wisconsin's deer herd in 2002, is a fatal brain disease that affects wild white-tailed deer, elk or moose for which there is currently no known cure. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Health Conservation Specialist Amanda Kamps will present this topic and address biological, social and policy issues surrounding the disease.
The Endangered Whooping Cranes - Oct. 7, 6:30 p.m.
The Endangered Whooping CranesPhoto credit: DNR
Whooping cranes verged on extinction in the 1940s due to hunting and habitat loss, but an attempt is in progress to bring them back to their native landscape. The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership continues to work toward the reintroduction of this species, of which there is currently about 100 birds in Wisconsin. Necedah National Wildlife Refuge Biologist Brad Strobel will present this topic.
Snapshot Wisconsin - Oct. 14, 6:30 p.m.
Snapshot Wisconsin is a year-round, statewide effort to engage citizens in monitoring wildlife populations using motion-activated trail cameras. The goals of the program are to provide necessary data for wildlife management decisions by monitoring wildlife more consistently across the state and increase public engagement with Wisconsin's natural resources. DNR Natural Resources Research Scientist Christine Anhalt-Depies will present this topic and address how citizens can get involved.
Red-Shouldered Hawks and Saw-Whet Owls - Oct. 21, 6:30 p.m.
Saw-whet owls are Wisconsin's smallest owl species, at about the size of an American robin, and are relatively rare in Wisconsin, occurring mostly in the north-central part of the state. Red-shouldered hawks have documented breeding locations in all but a dozen Wisconsin counties, with wingspans reaching over three feet. Linwood Research Station's Gene Jacobs and Sassy, his great horned owl, will make an appearance to discuss these two raptor species.
Wolves in Wisconsin - Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m.
Wisconsin is one of about a dozen states in the country with a wild gray wolf population, though that has not always been the case. By 1960, wolves were declared extirpated from Wisconsin and few remained in the lower 48 states, but wolves have made a comeback under the Endangered Species Act. Today, their delisting as an endangered species has become a hot topic. DNR Big Game Ecologist Scott Walter will discuss this and more in the final Monday night presentation of the fall.
The Stanton W. Mead Mead Education and Visitor Center is located at 201517 County Road S, Milladore, WI 54454. Visit the DNR website for more information about the George W. Mead Wildlife Area.