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News You Can Use
SAND COUNTY ALMANAC TURNS 75
He who searches for spring with his knees in the mud finds it, in abundance. — Aldo Leopold
It’s been 75 years since those words were included in “A Sand County Almanac,” the defining work by Wisconsin’s renowned environmental champion Aldo Leopold. First published in 1949, a year after Leopold’s death, the book includes dozens of essays inspired by observations he made on his farm near Baraboo.
Leopold’s words implore readers to observe, appreciate and respect nature and immerse themselves in outdoor experiences, while understanding the vital importance of our natural resources. Seven decades later, the book has been reprinted dozens of times in more than 14 languages and has sold over 2 million copies.
BROWNFIELDS SUCCESS IN WATERTOWN
The city of Watertown celebrates the success of its Bentzin Family Town Square brownfield redevelopment project, partly funded by the DNR’s Wisconsin Assessment Monies program and Knowles-Nelson Stewardship grant money. Officially opened last May, the town square received the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 5 Brownfields Success Award last summer and was honored by the MidAmerica Economic Development Council in the “placemaking” category in November.
The 1-acre property, at 1 W. Main St., formerly housed various businesses and was identified as having petroleum-contaminated soil during environmental investigations before redevelopment. Following remediation, the revamped site now serves as an anchor for Watertown’s downtown corridor, providing a beautiful area as a gathering place for community activities.
Brownfield projects happen around the state, and DNR staff can meet with community leaders to discuss the process and wide range of funding tools available to local governments, businesses, lenders and others for cleanup and redevelopment. For information, check the DNR's brownfields webpage, dnr.wi.gov/topic/brownfields.
VOLUNTEERS MATTER IN WATER MONITORING
Wisconsin’s waterways are vital components of strong ecosystems statewide. The DNR monitors these aquatic resources to ensure their continued health — and you can help!
Volunteer stream monitoring: Water Action Volunteers play a crucial role in collecting data such as dissolved oxygen levels, water temperature and transparency, streamflow and habitat. Opportunities are open to anyone, including organizations, individuals, families and school groups. Trainings are generally held in April and May; wateractionvolunteers.org.
Citizen Lake Monitoring Network: The Wisconsin Lakes Partnership brings residents together with the science and education communities to care for the state’s 15,000 lakes. More than 1,000 volunteers help statewide to collect high-quality data and monitor for aquatic invasive species; dnr.wi.gov/topic/lakes/clmn.
For more on Wisconsin water monitoring, visit dnr.wi.gov/tiny/2181.
FREE FISHING WEEKEND CORRECTION
The Winter 2023 issue of the magazine indicated that Free Fishing Weekend is always the third weekend in January and June. Although it is always the third weekend in January, it is always the first weekend in June.
