The South Kinnickinnic Farmer-Led Watershed Council consists of farmers and agricultural landowners who are interested in seeing farmers in the neighborhood continue to grow crops profitably while also minimizing soil and nutrient loss from their fields. In the KinniKeeper Newsletter, we shared a few details on how that can look with in-field agronomic practices that protect soil. This article will explain a couple of other measures farmers with erosion troubles can add to their fields. These engineered practices are a big investment but can make a big difference in erosion. However, these structures need to be engineered based on the slope of the field and the needs and are often formed in partnership with agencies and excavators who can provide technical assistance.   Grassed waterways are very common throughout Pierce County, WI. With our steep slopes, farmers in the county have long realized the importance of slowing down water as it runs down the hills within fields. The best way to slow down rainwater is often by adding a grassy zone where the water is likely to flow. The roots and blades hold onto the soil so it doesn’t get washed out as rainwater funnels through, and also slow the water down as it travels to reduce its capacity to pick up more debris as it travels. This gives the soil a better chance to infiltrate the water instead of diverting it quickly to nearby ditches and ultimately rivers and lakes. Results from Wisconsin Discovery Farms studies have shown that adding grassed waterways, even in no-till fields, can reduce sediment loss by 99%! Because of their importance, the South Kinni Farmer-Led Council provides an incentive payment per foot to farmers or landowners installing waterways onto their fields. (see graph at bottom of page)   One other engineered practice you’re likely to see farmers in the watershed investing in is what we refer to as dams or grade stabilization structures. These earthen structures are often created where large gullies have formed and are creating huge washouts in tree lines just off the field. The site is re-graded and designed to slow down the water to allow it to infiltrate naturally with stabilized outlets when the dam overflows in heavy rain events. In 2022, Pierce County Land Conservation Department celebrated the installation of their 1000th dam. These dams reduce surface runoff by 67% on average. Although these projects do have some cost-share options, they represent a significant cost to build (as well as time!). We are so thankful that farmers in our area understand the importance of setting land aside and investing in their soil and water quality. If you’d like more information on the South Kinnickinnic Farmer-Led Watershed Council or want to learn about applying any of these practices on your farm, you can find us online: https://farmerledwatershed.org/south-kinnickinnic-watershed/ or by following us on facebook.com/farmerledwatershed . If you want to ask a question directly regarding farmland conservation or the South Kinni Farmer-Led Watershed Council, you can contact Tara Greiman-Daun at tdaun@wisconsinfarmersunion.com at 715-492-0329 Figure 1: Source UW Madison Extension Division of Agriculture Water Quality. See full article: https://agwater.extension.wisc.edu/articles/grassed-waterways-are-fundamental-in-reducing-erosion-and-impacting-water-quality/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3qproYMQ1Qa6gbiUbOMu-U2HHQRTHi0_qXljAKQMztjNa4sOnzJc3TDcA_aem_ISJC9U6mfGYdqeABt-CRwA

Headwater Preserve KRLT has contracted a logger to harvest the pine plantation at the Headwaters Nature Preserve. The plan is to restore the area back to prairie oak savanna. The project will be funded by a Natural Resource Conservation Service – Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) grant we received. June was a busy month as the loggers completed the cutting and stacking of the wood. Site cleanup has begun with the stacking of slash that will be burned this winter. Site prep for planting prairie seed will begin next year. The Headwaters Preserve's restoration project is part of the WDNR Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area . The goal is to permanently protect and restore 20,000 acres of grassland, wetlands, and oak savannas. Invasive Species Control June is an important time to control invasive plants on the KRLT preserves.  We have been actively removing Tansy and Wild Parsnip this month at Kelly Creek, Drewiske Preserve, and the Community Forest.  Hand pulling or cutting the root below the soil surface is effective during June when the plant begins to flower but before it begins to develop seeds.  Removed mature plants during June usually requires two years of control to bring invasives under control.  Caution is required when controlling wild parsnip because plant juices can react with sunlight to cause chemical burns on your skin. I did controls on cloudy or rainy days, wore rubber gloves, long sleeves and a mosquito net or face shield to protect my face. Conservation Easements During June, I met with three different landowners to discuss whether a conservation easement on their land would be appropriate.  While several landowners are considering their options at this time, the Land Trust has decided to move forward with a 60-acre conservation easement in the South Fork of the Kinnickinnic River Watershed.  The process includes evaluating the benefits on the property, conducting legal land surveys to describe conservation zones and drafting a conservation easement with landowner and Land Trust approval. Click here for more information about conservation easements. June Prairie Blooms June is a very interesting time to visit Kelly Creek as various prairie plants begin to bloom.  Something new is blooming every week and will continue through the summer months. Marty Engel Land Stewardship Manager marty@kinniriver.org

What is Phenology? Studying the change in nature during each season. Seeing the color of the leaves change in the fall, hearing the spring frogs croaking, and watching for the migrating birds to come back in the warmer months are all great examples of phenology! Join Explorer Jane and Explorer Molly on a summer phenology hike at Kelly Creek Nature Preserve ! What do you think we will find? Now it’s your turn, explorers ! Get outside and take a walk or hike and pay attention to what you are seeing and hearing in nature. Write it down: Click below to download and print your own summer phenology report or take a notebook or piece of paper with you and write about it. Need some help? Ask a parent or guardian to document your adventure! Share it with us! With a parent or guardian's help, send us a picture of your phenology findings by emailing it to molly@kinniriver.org or jane@kinniriver.org Remember to Keep Exploring!

Where do bugs live? Bugs come in all shapes and sizes, and so do their homes! Some live in logs, under rocks, or in the dirt. Join Explorer Jane and Explorer Molly on a bug hike at Kelly Creek Nature Preserve ! What do you think we will find? Now it’s your turn, explorers ! Make your own bug hotel in your backyard and see who checks in. Will the bugs be BIG or small? Fly or crawl? We can't wait to see what you discover! Bug hotel blueprints: Click below to download and print blueprints to build your very own bug hotel! Need some help? Ask a parent or guardian to help you with your 5-star bug hotel! Bonus activity: We need your help, explorers! The bugs in the coloring sheet below have lost their color. Can you add back their missing color? Share it with us! With a parent or guardian's help, send us a picture of your bug hotel by emailing it to molly@kinniriver.org or jane@kinniriver.org Remember to Keep Exploring!

Enjoy these delicious recipes that you can make during the spring and early summer months.  When foraging, always make sure that you are 100% sure that you are identifying and using the correct plant. Also, if you have a health condition, make sure to research the plant before consuming it to ensure there are no conflicting side effects. Make sure that the places you are foraging are free of pesticides and chemicals. If you are foraging outside of your backyard, be sure to follow local and state foraging regulations on different sites. The Wisconsin DNR website has more information about foraging, including best practices, and you can find it by clicking here !  The Kinnickinnic River Land Trust allows foraging at its nature preserves for personal consumption.

Stay tuned for this new blog about what is happening in the Kinnickinnic River Watershed and other communities within the beautiful state of Wisconsin. This blog will be written by Tara Greiman-Daun Director of Conservation and Stewardship for the Wisconsin Farmers Union.

There is nothing like spring birding!  A long winter of anticipation ended.  In the spring with migration at its height in May the possibilities for sightings are endless.  But birding is a verb not a noun.  It’s the process, the activity of birding that is so much fun.  You never know what you may see or hear. Warblers are my latest passion.  Moving about in the trees and under the brush, never quite holding still long enough for that good clear look.  even the chance at a photograph,can be a supreme challenge.  But, is it ever worth the effort.  The color variations.  The hope of seeing a rarity.  All adds to the thrill. Not only warblers but vireos, flycatchers, sparrows, orioles, rose breasted grosbeak, tanangers, bluebirds all a possibility for that first sighting.  I have found it is not only the sighting but also the listening for these varied species.  Sound is quite often more important than sight when the leaves start to sprout out and become an obstacle to seeing.  Luckily there are phone apps that can help with this such as Cornell Labs -  Merlin Bird ID.  Get out there and enjoy this wonderful resource prominently on display at our KRLT Nature Preserves such as Kelly Creek. For directions to this and other KRLT Nature Preserves click on the Visit The Kinni section of the website. Mark Ritzinger Board Treasurer

Looking for information and stories from our e-newsletter Keeping Current? You’ve come to the right spot! We look forward to sharing additional details and information about articles from the monthly e-newsletter!

Thank you again for attending the Outdoors for All: A Community Conversation about Nature, Health, and Equity in October of 2023. It was a helpful experience for the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust (KRLT) and provided us with important insight into what all of you are experiencing. We listened and have been hard at work taking several steps to help overcome some of those barriers you identified about accessing open spaces. It’s the start in the right direction, but we need to continue this conversation as we walk down this long path together.  Here are several initiatives we’re taking on in 2024 based on your comments. Kinni Explorers - an Outdoor Discovery Program for families. Families have many challenges with time, money, and other concerns. We heard it expressed many times at the event. KRLT is working with community partners to create equal opportunities for families (single parent, multigenerational, guardianship, nuclear) to experience the outdoors to help improve their mental and physical well-being. Our goal is to create a welcoming environment at our preserves for all, regardless of abilities, race, class, gender, and age, to help families learn together in the outdoors. The Hudson Hospital Foundation is helping fund our pilot program over the next year. KRLT staff members Molly Barritt-Luebke and Jane Taylor will be working with 35 families representing many demographics to pilot the program. If interested in participating, please contact Molly Barritt-Luebke at molly@kinniriver.org Link to Kinni Explorers web page Universal Access Trail On October 18, River Maria Urke shared her challenges accessing nature due to her progression of Multiple Sclerosis. We also heard from many others about the need to feel welcomed at sites, the need for places to rest in the shade, and many other challenges. KRLT will be using our Kelly Creek Preserve as a community model for a Universal Access Trail design.  We continue to seek out funding to start conceptual designs through an inclusionary community design process to help plan the accessible trails and experiences at Kelly Creek Preserve. If you know of any possible funding sources, please let me know at steve@knniriver.org River Maria Urke - Spotlight Video Link: Universal Access Trails and Shared Use Paths - American Trails UW – River Falls Social Work Dept Intern In the fall of 2024, we have a great opportunity to work with a UW-River Falls intern from the Social Work Dept. Her focus will be to follow up with senior residents on accessing green spaces throughout the region. Our goal is to create pilot programs the first year to then expand from what we’ve learned the following year. If you know of senior living groups or individuals who would like to work with us, please let me know at steve@kinniriver.org Researching Affordable Housing & Conservation Land Trust Partnerships Affordable housing is a critical need locally as well as nationally. I started researching projects where community land trusts have partnered with conservation land trusts to address affordable housing as well as conservation initiatives. One example: Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing and Conservation in New York - RPA | Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing and Conservation. Please contact me at steve@kinnirvier.org if you know of housing initiatives we could learn from, we would like to be a part of this conversation. Improving Our Communication After Outdoors for All, we realized the importance of keeping everyone updated on projects and the need to continue the conversation. We received grants from the River Falls Community Foundation  and St. Croix Electric Cooperative to update our website. We increased our social media presence and print material. Plus, KRLT Social Media Coordinator has partnered with Dr. Kevyn Juneau from UW-River Falls to start a podcast in June 2024 on topics revolving around the Kinni River, KRLT, and of course the Outdoors for All initiative. Topics we all can relate to locally, but also having global connections. There have been conversations about possibly hosting a second event, in Minnesota to reach a larger audience, but we are still at the preliminary stages of discussing this. Please, stay in touch. We’d love to hear your stories about overcoming your own personal barriers to exploring the outdoors. Or if you have other thoughts on individuals, communities, or organizations we should reach out to. Feel free to call me at 715-301-0724 or email at steve@kinniriver.org. Again, thank you for sharing your voices on October 18th. It has given us a direction we hope to fulfill to make sure access to the outdoors is available to all. None of this is possible without your voice. But we also need financial support. Please consider a gift to continue this conversation. Click here to make a donation. Steve Leonard Executive Director

Curious about what’s happening at the KRLT Nature Preserves? Each month, KRLT Land Stewardship Manager, Marty Engel will give a boots on the ground update about restoration projects, trail work, and updates on new conservation initiatives. Check out the Visit Our Nature Preserves tab to learn more about places to visit along the Kinnickinnic River!

2016 Bird watching in Green Valley, AZ In 2024, the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust received a donation in memory of Sharon Lubinski, an incredible woman who grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and had a passion for the outdoors. She had an extensive career in law enforcement and made history as the first woman and openly gay U.S. Marshal for the state of Minnesota. Her compassion for others and dedication to public service are a thoughtful reminder of the positive impact she had on the community. This is her story as told by her wife, Fran Kiesling. I want to introduce you to a strong, unique woman, Sharon Lubinski. It is spring as I write this and the red-winged blackbirds are returning to our yard, males flashing red and yellow epaulets. One of Sharon’s favorite birds, every spring she listened for the sound of their trilling calls. It is hard for me to believe she has been gone for over a year. When I met Sharon more than 40 years ago, she was a deputy sheriff for the Dane County Sheriff’s Office in Madison, Wisconsin. An early memory is her admission to me she sometimes used the side spotlight on her squad car to scan farm fields for wildlife during night shifts. Immediately, I recognized a kindred spirit, a true lover of the natural world. Always open to opportunity and willing to accept a challenge Sharon advanced through the Sheriff’s department moving from Traffic, to Deputy Sheriff, to the rank of Detective in sensitive crimes, where I first met her in my capacity as a social worker helping crime victims. Eventually she wanted to experience urban policing in a larger metropolitan area so we moved together to Minnesota. I took a new social work position and Sharon joined the Minneapolis Police Department, graduating from the police academy in 1986. Lateral transfers were rare at that time, Sharon had to start over going from detective in Wisconsin back to the police academy in Minnesota. The Minneapolis Police Department, graduation from the police academy in 1986. Over 23 years she advanced through the ranks displaying leadership, determination, and bravery. One memory is her description of being the incident commander for Minneapolis PD at the scene of the 35W bridge collapse. Sharon, like dozens of other first responders, went quickly to provide help in a terrible situation of fires, explosions, fear, and death. The U.S. Senate later issued a commendation for the work done that day to save lives. Ultimately, Sharon advanced to the position of Assistant Chief of Police for Minneapolis. After leaving the Minneapolis department she finished her career as the US Marshal for the jurisdiction of Minnesota, a position not previously held by a woman. Through the years of knowing one another we became friends, life partners and ultimately spouses in a decades-long loving relationship focused in large part on enjoying the natural world. For example, Sharon loved astronomy and once surprised me with tickets to Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, on the Tohono O’odham Nation. How thrilling to see Saturn! Sharon was especially devoted to birds, having grown up with a parakeet named ‘Peepers,’ an adored free-flying family pet. We supported avian conservation worldwide, but except for Canada our travels focused on parks all over the United States. Sharon had a special affinity for cranes of all species and we supported the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo Wisconsin. Sharon kept species lists of exciting bird observations such as the time we hiked into Garden Canyon at Fort Huachuca, an Army base in Arizona, to see and hear the male Elegant Trogon. It was a breathtaking experience. However, the behavior of birds most interested her. From raven antics in the snow around Ely, Minnesota to Condor fledglings trying to master flight in the Grand Canyon Sharon was intrigued by avian thinking. Even while bird feeding at home she noticed some of our visiting crows were not tame but uncharacteristically unafraid of people. The dominant male routinely solicited food, followed us around the yard or down the street. The birds came quite close if our backs were turned. Frequently one or the other of us would slip and call the crows people— ‘the people are here’—reflective I think of the bond we recognized went on amongst us, noticing the birds appeared to experience emotion. Sharon enjoying the snow of a Midwest winter. At her memorial service last year people spoke of Sharon with remarkably similar descriptors, such as capable, dependable, strong in character, approachable, a good listener, respectful, loving, and kind. After listening for years to Lubinski family stories about Sharon I believe many of her adult personality traits and values began to develop in response to her childhood experiences like playing with kids from other families, spending lots of time outdoors with friends or by herself, engaging with animals, participating in sports, and joining her family for hunting and fishing outings. Growing up in a small Wisconsin town in the 1950s and 1960s Sharon’s positive regard for both people and the natural world was nurtured by the love and security provided by parents, neighbors, siblings, and friends. In those days it was common for kids to play outside in the neighborhood for hours in summer and winter. So, Sharon was exposed not only to nature but also to other caring adults who provided a kind of parenting to the passel of kids who biked and played around the neighborhood, offering them encouragement, fun, and sometimes correction. Perhaps these early experiences helped her learn how to get along with other people and to understand that kindness facilitated connection. Sharon’s mom Virginia was very kind and anyone getting to know Sharon felt that kindness. Much later in life, a law enforcement colleague described Sharon to me as ‘down to her bones kind.’ Sharon's father, Tony & the kids on the lake shore (WI or MI lake), fishing 1957-1959 Throughout her life Sharon extended kindness to animals, domestic and wild, trying to relate to them. She spent much of her free time outdoors and in her case often alone, especially in what she referred to as ‘the woods’ near her home. I imagine her there, alone in a woodlot or some other place where she liked to play, drawn towards the animals and the sunlight, feeling the breezes; curious and not afraid, full of wonder rather than indifference, excited and enamored of what she saw and felt. I think Sharon’s independence, courage, and self-reliance developed in part from those early forays into the natural world. Her willingness to reach out to animals and recognize what she had in common with them, enhanced some of her interpersonal skills including understanding and empathy. A measure of empathy that in adulthood bloomed, making it easier for crime victims and others in distress to talk with her. Deer and grouse hunting, a family tradition. A hard-working guy her father Tony introduced all his children, both boys and girls, to hunting, fishing and sports. Family photos show happy kids fishing on lakes in summer and hunting in cornfields with Dad in winter. Like her dad Sharon enjoyed boating (she really liked driving my dad’s pontoon boat), was always comfortable with guns, and continued to hunt deer. Official Little League photo-dad Tony, bottom row left, was official coach, Sharon to his left in her bat boy uniform, her older brother Travis and her cousin also seated on the ground -1961, Sharon was 9 yrs old. As for sports, Sharon played pick-up football, baseball, and golf in backyard games starting at a young age but as a grown-up preferred to play golf but watch football and baseball. When Sharon was a kid, her dad coached a Little League ball team and while rules of the day prevented girls from playing ball, Tony made her a bat girl, a team member, and gave her an official uniform. Perhaps this experience spurred the development of one of Sharon’s most important core beliefs: do not dwell on what you cannot change, find another way.  Family tells it that she moved on, “tucking her hair up under her hat and playing” alongside her brother Travis and the other boys. I suspect, however, the experience also strengthened her sense of determination and her desire to achieve. Regardless, sports with its focus on team cohesion and cooperation no doubt helped Sharon learn about getting along with others in a group, when to ‘belong’ and when to be true to oneself, how to meet expectations for performance, and how to graciously accept both winning and losing. Learning these skills must have served her well as an emergency medical technician, an ambulance driver for neo-natal patients, and a law enforcement officer. Sharon touched the lives of many people. She was a remarkable woman by all accounts, wherever she went she was well-regarded. In the words of her best friend Sharon’s personal creed included not disparaging or judging people, instead recognizing their potential, and letting them become better people. As Trina said, “she had the effect of making each of us want to be our best self, our most ethical, reliable and non-judgmental self.” Sharon passed on many of her life lessons to others by being a living example: focus on what matters; believe that seeing others at their worst life moments helps a person develop empathy; work to be the best person possible; master all that is attempted; demonstrate poise under pressure; get things done; revel in nature and the commonality humans have with all life; love deeply; be true to yourself even when mainstream society isn’t with you; dream big and plot a pathway to get there. Sharon was committed to law enforcement as public service and strove to be of use, to help others, and to enhance understanding between people. She worked to improve communication and service provision between law enforcement and the various communities served by the agencies. While not a practicing Buddhist Sharon’s adherence to Buddhist principles informed both her policing career and her personal life. After her death, in a small book authored by the Dalai Lama I knew she kept with her, I found several passages underlined, among them: *All great teachings are founded on the motivation to help our fellow humans; *Practice compassion and tolerance; *Without justice and truth there would be no basis for human hope. Sharon and Fran enjoy a dog sled adventure. Her commitment to these words is reflected in her lifelong efforts to deepen her personal character. A favorite volume, The Road to Character , by David Brooks, was a well-worn book on her shelf. Yet, thinking back over all the years I knew Sharon, I remain in awe of her ability to be happy and to feel a sense of wonder, despite all the violence and suffering she saw in her law enforcement work. Finally, there is no greater complement to Sharon than the words spoken at her memorial service by Tim Dolan, the Chief of Police for Minneapolis when Sharon was the Assistant Chief: “I’ve met and known some excellent law enforcement professionals from around the world. I can say to her now, and regret I did not tell her this personally, ‘Sharon—I salute you. You were, and always will be one of the best’.”   Fran Kiesling