Gettin G a head of the c han G e

By Caitlin Williamson, Director of Conservation Programs

’re help I ng prepare W I scons I n’s landscapes F or cl I mate change

There’s no getting around it: climate change is impacting Wisconsin. Luckily, we know that conservationists and the public can take action to help make Wisconsin’s lands, waters, and wildlife more resilient to it.

Thanks to you, NRF and our partners are working to prepare Wisconsin’s incredible landscapes for warmer, wetter weather and more unpredictable weather events.

Together, we are protecting large, diverse landscapes, using science to inform habitat management, and coordinating climate adaptation projects.

Visit our blog to see how iconic Wisconsin species like the common loon and snowshoe hare are impacted by climate change: wisconservation.org/climate-adaptation-in-wisconsin

Bobolinks have been pushed into smaller grasslands, making them more susceptible to the impacts of heatwaves and summer flooding.

- Amy Staffen, conservation biologist with the Wisconsin DNR, NRF Field Trip Leader, and co-chair of the WICCI Plants and Natural Communities Working Group

tact I cs:

• Worked with partners to create climate adaptation demonstration sites, including Spur Lake and Rush Creek. At these sites, land managers are implementing methods to make them more resilient to changing climate conditions, such as using climate-smart planting lists. Hopefully, these projects will inspire and inform other land managers throughout the state!

• Established Wisconsin’s Climate Response Fund (WCRF), which provides ongoing, sustainable support for climate impact conservation and education projects in Wisconsin, thanks to NRF donors Ed and Patty Neumueller. The first WCRF distribution is helping the South Bluff/Devil’s Nose part of Devil’s Lake State Park become resilient to a changing climate.

• Helped create the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) 2021 Assessment Report, which showed continued warming, increases in snow, and more extreme rainfall. WICCI’s 2021 report explains the issues and impacts of our warming climate on Wisconsin residents, and describes the scientific progress being made toward solutions.

S Limy But Sweet

yo U ’re g I v I ng m U dp U pp I es some love

By Lindsey Taylor, Conservation Programs Coordinator

If you’ve spent time in and around Wisconsin’s waters, you may have come close to encountering a unique amphibian: the mudpuppy. The only fully aquatic salamander in Wisconsin, mudpuppies can be found in streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes all year-round. They prefer to spend time underneath flat rocks and woody debris.

Due to their behavior, searching for mudpuppies is challenging. Mudpuppies in Wisconsin have not been thoroughly studied, but scientists think their numbers may be declining.

After years of fundraising, NRF’s Wisconsin Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Fund made its first distribution in 2022 to support the mudpuppy research and conservation project. The goal: learn more about where mudpuppies used to be found, and where they are now.

Report any observations of mudpuppies to the Wisconsin DNR at DNRherptiles@ wisconsin.gov. Please include location details and any pictures!