Lake Koshkonong Wetland Association:
Program Notes from 2/17/07 Meeting
February 17, 2007 at 10:00 am
Newville DNR Station
We enjoyed our annual nest box assembly program on a beautiful February morning. It will be warming up to the mid-20s today! We have expanded our offering of nest box structures this year. During our surveys for the Important Bird Area designation, we learned more about the variety of bird life in and around the lake and about the critical nesting needs of several species. This year we prepared and sold mallard nest rolls and nest boxes for Prothonotary warblers. A few bluebird and wood duck nest boxes assembled in last year were also available for sale.
Bill Bendig pre-cut and assembled 16 boxes for Prothonotary warblers. He also constructed sturdy wooden platforms for the wood duck nest rolls. Our volunteers assembled the mallard rolls made of coir mats (coconut fiber) rolled into wire mesh fencing.
Twenty persons participated including two enthusiastic young people. We assembled 23 mallard nest platforms. Cedar lumber for the nest boxes, the coir matting, and steel poles for mounting nest structures were donated.
When we got hungry, we enjoyed brats prepared by head chef Persson and brownies and candy provided by dessert chefs Yates and Shackelford.
The Prothonotary warbler boxes will be placed in suitable habitat around Lake Koshkonong. Each box will be numbered with a metal tag and monitored. LKWA will work on this project in cooperation with the Wisconsin Citizen-based Monitoring Program.
Our next meeting is March 20 at 6:00 pm at the DNR office in Janesville. The program will be “Recollections of Living and Playing on Lake Koshkonong”. Susan Yates will coordinate the program. She will lead a panel discussion by residents of the Lake Koshkonong area who will relate personal or family stories going back as far as the 1890s. There will also be time for audience participation. We hope to record the entire evening and have the stories transcribed. Please invite family and friends to this event!!
Future meetings: April 24: Bob Hay: Reptiles and Amphibians of Wisconsin (at Shackelford’s home). May 29: Bird walk at Shackelford’s home.
Respectfully submitted,
Penny Shackelford, secretary