Southwest Badger RC&D concerned about loss of funding, potential adverse impact

By Ted Pennekamp

Funding structure changes for organizations such as the Southwest Badger Resource Conservation and Development Council (Southwest Badger RC&D) will mean a reduction by almost half for the funding of environmental projects in Southwest Wisconsin.

“The money from the state will be about $8,000 per county,” said Aquatic Invasive Species Specialist Don Barrette of Southwest Badger. “This will be about half as much as we get now.”

Southwest Badger is a conservation organization serving Crawford, Grant, Green, Iowa, La Crosse, Lafayette, Richland, Sauk and Vernon counties. Its mission is to implement natural resource conservation, managed growth, and sustainable rural economic development. Southwest Badger, based in Platteville, is a non-profit organization that works towards innovative, economic and sustainable use of natural resources.

Southwest Badger is one of seven RC&D councils in Wisconsin. Each of these RC&D councils is committed to improving Wisconsin’s economy while conserving its rich resources.

“It’s concerning,” said Barrette, who noted that Southwest Badger has been fully funded since 2011. In each year of the past six years, Southwest Badger has received approximately $75,000 in grants for the five-county area that Barrette serves. It will soon go down to about $40,000 per year, which Barrette says is not enough to sustain all of Southwest Badger’s conservation projects and programs.

“We’ve done a lot of good work,” said Barrette. “We will soon have to be part-time.” Barrette said the current grant was received in December of 2016 and will run out by July of 2017. He said that there is a lot of work in progress and that many of those projects may not be able to be completed.

“It will have a domino effect,” said Barrette. “We won’t be able to be as efficient.”

Barrette said that the work that Southwest Badger does is very important to the economics of the region and to tourism. Trout angling alone brings in more than $1.11 billion annually, according to a 2008 study completed for Trout Unlimited by North Star Economics, Inc.

Without the numerous stream restoration efforts, invasive species control efforts, land conservation projects and educational outreach programs, Barrette is concerned that Southwest Wisconsin could eventually lose significant money from tourism each year and that there would be an adverse impact to the farming economy as well.

Southwest Badger has completed numerous projects over the years and are partners in many more. Some of the current projects include:

Southwest Wisconsin Forest Stewardship Initiative: Southwest Badger is involved in a number of forest stewardship initiatives to increase forest health and productivity, improve wildlife habitat, and promote public awareness of the importance of managing woodlands.

Managed Grazing in Southwest Wisconsin is an effort to encourage more landowners to implement managed intensive grazing to increase profits while protecting soil and water quality.

The Mentorship Program for Future Livestock Farmers is a one-year training and support program designed to help people to plan, launch, and expand grass-based farm businesses in Southwest Wisconsin.

Aquatic Invasive Species:  Southwest Badger is conducting aquatic invasive species monitoring in rivers and streams, increasing aquatic invasive species awareness through outreach and education activities, and has developed a regional aquatic invasive species strategic plan.

Weed Management Area:  Thanks to a couple of small grants from the DNR, Southwest Badger will be organizing a Weed Management Area in Southwest Badger’s coverage area, including Crawford, Grant, Green, Iowa, La Crosse, Lafayette, Richland, Sauk and Vernon counties.

Tree Shelter Sales: Southwest Badger sells Tree Pro tree shelters. Tree shelters protect young trees from pests and the elements.

Fee for Service: Technical and on-site assistance for landowners and local governments in Southwest Wisconsin is available on an hourly or per-project basis for forest management, grazing, aquatic invasive species, and grant writing.

Past projects are too numerous to list all of them. A few include:

My Wisconsin Woods: Stewardship Forester Patrick Dayton works with landowners as part of the Driftless Forest Network My Wisconsin Woods project. The project is a partnership of public and non-profit organizations working together to help woodland owners in Southwest Wisconsin get the most out of their woods. Patrick walks the woods with landowners and talks with them about what is important to them about their woods. Then he works with each landowner to come up with a plan that identifies actions and potential funding sources to meet the landowner’s needs.

Driftless Area Initiative: An effort to encourage multi-state collaboration to improve water quality and natural resources in the Driftless Area of the Upper Mississippi River Basin. 

Model Emerald Ash Borer Management Response Plan: With the recent discovery of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Southwest Wisconsin a partnership of federal, state, county and non-profit organizations is working together to implement an innovative management response plan for the infestation. Southwest Badger is leading an effort to assist landowners with the implementation of forest management practices to improve forest quality and reduce emerald ash borer habitat. 

True Costs of Harvesting Woody Biomass Project: The goal of the “True Costs” project was to determine whether low grade under utilized woody biomass is a viable and cost competitive feedstock for energy production. The project looked at harvest costs and yields at 30 demonstration sites covering almost 1,000 acres. The data provides valuable information on the costs and available woody biomass for loggers, woodland owners, and the energy industry. 

Kickapoo Valley Trail: Southwest Badger RC&D is working with stakeholders in Crawford and Vernon counties to develop a “roads as routes” bicycle trail through the Kickapoo Valley from Wauzeka to Milton.

Southwest Badger also holds several workshops. One recent one was a declining habitat planning session in Prairie du Chien on March 9 at the Crawford County Administration Building.