panorama Fall 2022 Digging Deep Into Soil Page 4 AssessmentStand Page 5 PhysicsFlightof Page 8
Creative Lead | Design & Photography
John H. Kopmeier, Jr.
Renee M. Clair
Philip R. Smith
Adults: $8 | Youth: $5 (ages 3 — 17) 1111 East Brown Deer Road | Milwaukee, WI 414-352-2880 | www.schlitzaudubon.org
Zoe Finney
Schlitz Audubon is an independent, locally supported partner of the National Audubon Society.
Shane
We are pleased to announce that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service recently awarded Schlitz Audu bon an additional $73,700 for the next phase of this project. This funding will allow us to restore the 2.5 acres between Butterfly Bend – the beautiful area on Lake Drive surrounding our signand the first hardwood swamp project area along Brown Deer Road.
Editing | Select Writing
Hours
Monday - Sunday | 8:30am-5:00pm
Director Emeritus Dorothy K. (1910-2013)Vallier
HELEN BOOMSMA Executive Director
Enjoy this season by taking an enriching hike on our trails filled with autumn colors and activity.
FREE admission to Members
Heidi ThereseAmyDondlingerGiuffreGripentrogJonathanT.LuljakLeiaC.OlsenJeffRusinowLindsayStevens
Dennis L. Fisher
The purpose of stand assessments is to give a high-level picture of the health of the land and guide restoration priorities. After analyzing our 2014/15 assessment results, the land management team chose a formerly unremarkable four and a half acres between Brown Deer Road and the West Meadows Loop for conservation work. With major support from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, over the last two years, volunteers and staff were able to convert this area into an emerg ing southern hardwood swamp. This was done in part by removing dead ash trees and replacing them with more diverse plantings.
CREDITS FOR PANORAMA
Director of Marketing & Communications
Craig Mattson
BOARD OF OfficersDIRECTORS
Past Presidents
Thomas B. MargareteThomasStephenRandolphFitzgeraldH.DeanF.GeimerJ.DroughtDavidK.HooverJohnS.McGregorR.HarveyTimothyJ.GerendJohnGrunauAliahBerman
Thomas J. McCutcheon
Fall 2022 | www.schlitzaudubon.org2
Admission
There are plenty of reasons to visit this season, whether to take a hike, participate in a program, or attend one of our special events. October 13 brings the return of Flight Night, an event that supports our Raptor Program, where attendees taste local craft brews while meeting our birds of prey. Three sessions of our seasonal family event, Species Spooktacular, take place on Sunday, October 16. Meet our raptor ambassadors up-close at Xtreme Raptor Day, our annual celebration of all things birds of prey, on Saturday, November 5.
COVER PHOTO A fallen maple leaf.
Directors
Terrence K. Knudsen
BarbieBenjaminEvanPresidentDelsmanKirksteinTreasurerT.PavlikSecretaryBrennanNelsonVP-DevelopmentJohnSchaubVP-Governance
Welcome to fall! The forests are bursting with the colors of changing leaves, while the prairies are dappled with the finale of blooming wildflowers, and ani mals make their final preparations for the colder months.
Bridget Carlson, our new Director of Corporate and Special Events, is ready and excited to book your next special event in our natural setting, whether it's your organization's holiday gathering or a team retreat!
Nancy Quinn
In this issue of Panorama, you will learn about the process of conducting a stand assessment. This survey of our land is an awesome tool for guiding the work of the conservation team. Discover the incredible details about the physics of bird flight. Read about the makeup of soil, from former glaciers to the nourishing forest floor. Discover the joy and utility of Ever-Green Energy’s commitment to employee volunteerism.
This new work, already underway, will consist of removing 80% of the dead ash trees and replac ing them with the same hardwoods featured in phase one, including swamp white oaks, American sycamore, and hackberry. Native wildflowers, such as wild bergamot, swamp milkweed, and car dinal flower, and shrubs like buttonbush and winterberry, will also be added. In total, 350 trees, 125 shrubs, and 15,000 plugs will be planted. When complete, the conversion of these areas will welcome birds, pollinators, and other insects, as well as people arriving at the Center.
WELCOME
the peak of fall leaf color in South east Wisconsin, and there is no better view than from the top of our sixty-foot Observation Tower. Take in the view of maple yellow, rich oak brown, and conifer green set against the infinite shades of Lake Michigan blue. In the nearby Maple Grove, every hour is the golden hour! As the yellow maple leaves crunch beneath you, breathe in the earthysweet smell. These leaves, now on their way to becoming nourishing soil, spent the summer providing food, shelter, and shade for both wildlife and people.
A walk along the Gateway Trail’s prairie boardwalk in ear ly October showcases golden hues of prairie grasses and rainbow shades of big bluestem. Find a grey headed cone flower along the trail and rub your fingers gently around the seed head. Lift your fingers to your nose and breathe in the citrus-mint scent, then listen for the breeze moving through the drying grasses and prairie flower stems. These plants that provided habitat for insects, birds, amphibians, and reptiles during the summer will stand through the cold months ahead, providing shelter for overwintering birds and small
Early December days unveil the hidden details over looked in flashier seasons. A stroll on the Central Wet lands Loop between Dragonfly Trail and Birch Point Overlook is an ideal place to take in the silhouettes of trees. Gaze up and enjoy their intricate branching pat terns. As you continue your hike, search for eastern grey squirrel dreys made up of leaves and loosely woven twigs. While only the leafy outside is evident, the inside is lined with grasses, mosses, and shredded bark. December is their grand reveal!
From the lush hues of October to the subtle landscape of early December, autumn contains many seasons. Come out to experience yours!
Fall colors are not only found in the treetops! In the weeks after a soaking rain, a hike around the Woodland Loop re veals a variety of mushrooms. Caste your eyes towards fallen
3Fall 2022 | www.schlitzaudubon.org
logs and the bases of dead trees and you are sure to dis cover turkey tail, a common bracket (shelf-like) fungus famous for its medley of colors. A beautiful example of a symbiotic relationship, this fungus gains nutrients from the dead or dying tree it calls home. As a primary decom poser, it breaks down the cellulose in rotting wood, cre ating healthy soil and space for new trees to grow.
CARRIE HIESTAND Nature Preschool Teacher
An autumn landscape at the Center.
SEASONAL SIGHTINGS
Fall is an exciting time of seasonal changes at Schlitz Audu bon! While October, November, and December may all be long to fall, each month contains multitudes of seasons within to surprise and delight your senses!
Mid-Octobermammals.istypically
November brings a chance to enjoy sunset at the Cen ter. If you head up the Observation Tower near dusk, you may glimpse large, silent shapes in the trees. At first, they may appear motionless, but if you catch one mov ing you have just discovered an Eastern Wild Turkey at roost! To avoid nocturnal predators, turkeys roost in trees from dusk to dawn throughout the year, preferring conifers during colder temperatures.
Discover the changing season
Digging Deep Into Soil
For all the things soil does for us, we should also consider what happens when we lose this vital resource. Impervious surfaces like parking lots, roads, and buildings cause rainwater to accu mulate and funnel into natural areas. Water at high volumes and speeds can rip away topsoil and organic matter, washing it into our rivers and lakes. Then, not only do plants lose their liveli hood, the chemistry of the water bodies can also be changed by the nutrients the soil adds, promoting algae growth and impact ing water quality and the lives of aquatic animals. Healthy soils are the basis of the food chain, providing for plants, animals, and humans in so many ways. And since it takes 100 years to make just one inch of topsoil, the things we do in our everyday lives, like planting native plants, supporting our local natural areas, and eating sustainably farmed foods, can make a huge differ ence.
When we first observe soil, we may notice the rich black and brown colors and its ability to retain moisture. This first layer is called the O horizon, named for the organic matter it con tains. We find roots and fungi weaving through it and insects and invertebrates making their homes within it; these living or ganisms are essential components of this layer. Each autumn, fallen leaves slowly break down and add essential nutrients to it. Insects and animals add organic matter to it throughout their lives as well as when they die. All these things contribute to the O horizon’s soft, pillowy texture and high nutrient content.
Digging deeper we can reach more horizons, each one with less organic material and more parent material. Eventually we reach the original mineral deposit that constitutes the majority of the soil. These materials vary from place to place and become a de-
We walk over it and wash it away daily, and although we don’t think about it much, soil is an important part of our lives. All our food comes from the soil, the materials we use in our homes and jobs come from beneath the soil or grow from it. Rarely do we appreciate it for all it does for us, and even less often do we con sider where it comes from.
EDUCATION 4 Fall 2022 | www.schlitzaudubon.org
In essence, soil is a combination of two things; parent materi al – meaning the rock or base layer beneath the soil, which can be inches or thousands of feet beneath the surface; and organic material from plants and animals at the surface.
fining feature of the soil developing from them, influencing the soil’s texture and many of the minerals it contains. Over time it becomes weathered and breaks down into smaller components, becoming more accessible to plants. In southeastern Wisconsin our soils originate from glacial till – deposits left by the glaciers when they retreated over 10,000 years ago. In some places this glacial till is up to 600 feet deep. The parent material that the glaciers left for us is mostly brown clay and silt. These minerals combined with our state’s history of lush prairie and savanna gives us deep, nutrient dense, fertile soil that has become highly valued by farmers.
TESS STAHLER Naturalist
FEATURE Fall 2022 | www.schlitzaudubon.org 5 Performing a Land StandManagementAssessmentCRAIGMATTSON Communications Specialist With contributions from Sarah Long and Drew Shuster
Since the 2014-2015 stand assessment, the team has made prog ress removing invasives, restoring many areas of the property, and increasing biotic diversity, resulting in higher quality hab itats. The current assessment will help the conservation team plan for the next five years of land management and indicate progress towards the 2030 Conservation Goals.
Our conservation team is currently surveying the vegetation growing within 256 individual sections of our 185 acres, con ducting a land management stand assessment throughout our woodlands, prairies, and wetlands. They are working to get a high-level understanding of the vegetative material growing in each of these areas. This assessment will provide impactful insights to inform present and future conservation activity.
To illustrate the process, Drew and Center Land Manager Sarah Long conducted a survey on stand 15A, which runs along a trail on the terrace and borders the bluff on the north. They found the edges of this stand by looking at both a paper map and the GPS system on their phone. To begin the assessment, they walked the area, on and off-trail, to get an idea of what is growing there.
Surveying the ground layer takes more time and is more com plex. Land managers search for open space, or the amount of light hitting the ground and soil. These are spots that invasives may fill, as they thrive on disturbance. Wooded areas have more bare ground compared to prairies, which have almost zero. The amount can also vary by time of year – in spring the ground is filled by ephemerals.
Dividing land into stands is a common practice in land man agement. It helps conservation teams track species and changes in habitat over time. Conservation work benefits from the methodical process of the stand-by-stand vegetative surveys, which allow the team to maintain orderly restoration
The team does the same calculation for the sub-canopy, which consists of smaller trees just below the canopy. If canopy trees fall, they are replaced by sub-canopy trees. Here, the team found a coverage of 65%. Common natives are box elder, and ash. Rare trees are oak and black walnut. While the previous survey indi cated 5% non-native trees, they are no longer present due to the team’s conservation work.
The percentage of coverage for this stand of forest is now 25% canopy, which is broken down into categories, first determining whether trees are native or non-native species. Native species are found in an ecosystem due to natural processes, such as nat ural distribution. Non-natives are not indigenous to a given area. Of the canopy trees, there is often a dominant species, but in this stand, currently there is none.
FEATURE 6 Fall 2022 | www.schlitzaudubon.org
Then, they began recording observations, starting with the cano py, or the highest-level trees.
PERFORMING A STAND ASSESSMENT
Shuster has worked at the Center since 2015 and knows the Center’s land well. Since becoming our Director of Con servation last year, he has maintained the importance of these surveys. When a land manager wants to know the land, Drew said, a stand assessment is the first and best thing to do.
THE COMPLEX GROUND SURVEY
This layer contains more categories of plants living within the same space but occupying several layers. In the filled spaces, the team looks for a dominant species and measures for native and non-native herbaceous plants, graminoids (grasses, sedges, and rushes), and plants that are woody, such as tree seedlings and small shrubs.
A stand is an area of the property that exists as a unit. Vege tation throughout a stand is ubiquitous and is therefore treat ed in the same way. This includes canopy trees, sub-canopy trees, shrubs, and ground layer vegetation. Each of the 256 sections on the Schlitz Audubon property is a stand, which are different sizes and have unique conditions.
The Center’s stands were created in 2014-2015, when the conservation team formulated our 15-year Conservation Plan. The process started by looking at aerial photography of our property to view where clusters of similar species were located. Staff created a rough sketch of potential stands and then surveyed the land, adjusting the stands’ borders based on their on-the-ground habitat observations.
Drewwork.
THE ABUNDANCE OF TREES
THE PURPOSE OF STAND ASSESSMENTS
Species in the stand are then labeled common, uncommon, or rare. These terms refer to a tree’s abundance within the stand, not its status as a tree. The last step for each layer of vegetation is to find the individual species. In stand 15A’s canopy, Drew and Sarah found that basswood and box elder are common, black walnut is uncommon, and white ash is rare.
Measuring the percentage of open space versus how much space is filled, they determine the scope of the canopy. They noted variability within this stand as the canopy has changed due to emerald ash borer. When there is loss to the canopy, it opens the ground to new growth, accounting for many changes in wooded areas.
Next, the team measured the shrub layer. There are many defini tions of shrub vs tree, but typically shrubs are between three to fifteen feet tall. In this stand, the team found 25% shrub cover age, all native species, with none being dominant. Black cherry is common, box elder is uncommon, and elderberry is rare within the stand. It contains 3% ash trees.
The size of a stand, as well as the land’s complexity, can de termine the time it takes to do an assessment. Stand 2A, east of the main building, is our smallest at .038 acres, and stand 7, next to Doctor’s Park, is the largest, with 6.6 acres.
In this case, the team noticed that open ground was 20%, or 80% filled. Some of the species in the ground layer include the dom inant jewel weed, and common occurrences of wild geranium, Canada goldenrod, black snakeroot, and many more. Uncom mon plants include Virginia water leaf, cow parsnip, and creep ing Charlie, among others. Creating a species list for the ground layer can take longer due to the sheer number of plant types and categories.
All stands are assigned a mean, or average C value, based on the C values and prevalence of the plants within the stand. The con servation team assigned the stand’s habitat a C value of four, an increase from the mean C value of two in 2014. This increase was expected, as invasives and ash had been removed from this stand since the last survey. The goal of restoration work is to increase a stand’s C value over time.
FEATURE 7Fall 2022 | www.schlitzaudubon.org
Management recommendations constitute the last step in an as sessment. The strategy for managing stand 15A will change be cause invasive removal by mowing was so successful. The stand now has desirable vegetation, so moving forward, hand pulling garlic mustard and dame’s rocket that arise from remaining seeds is chosen to maintain the native population.
WHAT THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY MEAN Drew and Sarah compared this survey of stand 15A to notes tak en from the last assessment in August of 2014, looking for the differences. The team didn’t expect major changes or additional species except where work was done. The change in overall qual ity of habitat was also considered, reflected in a C value.
high C values. Plants with low values will outcompete plants with high C values, and invasives knock out everything.
Drew Shuster & Sara Long performing a stand assesment on the terrace.
This assessment work will continue into the fall, stand by stand, until it is complete. Management recommendations will be re vised to ensure progress towards our 2030 conservation goals. Visitors to the Center will see the rewards of this work for years to come.
The Coefficient of Conservation (C value) is a number deter mined by scientists that refers to a plant species’ probability of growing in areas unchanged from conditions present before Eu ropean settlement. Only native species are given this value, and species with a coefficient of 0-1 will grow almost anywhere. A coefficient of 10 means the plant needs very specific conditions and is very susceptible to disturbance. Rare plant species have
EDUCATION Fall 2022 | www.schlitzaudubon.org
Flight is one of the most energy demanding forms of lo comotion experienced by any animal. Many larger birds, with heavier masses, utilize large sail-like wings to soar on thermals. Turkey Vultures, for example, can cover up to 200 miles in day with very little flapping if the condi tions are right with air currents. Conversely, humming birds constantly flap, adjusting the angle of their wings and flight feathers to have the ability to hover in front of a flower. They can maneuver their wings both vertically and horizontally, like a helicopter, affecting the air pres sures around them and, therefore, lift and drag forces.
Humans have noticed. To research plane design, the Wright brothers spent a significant amount of time studying vultures and hawks in flight, looking at the physics behind form and function. They discovered that the shape of the plane, including its framing, body, and wings, affected how the air currents moved around it. Everything on a bird's body is naturally designed the same way. From birds, they modeled the shape of their plane's wings, and observed the power of air pressures, to create the first human powered flight. This is just one of the many ways birds have inspired us in our history.
EDUCATION 9Fall 2022 | www.schlitzaudubon.org
others control the small yet essential orientation of each flight feather. For an example, let’s think of a duck: when a duck takes off from a pond, they create strong thrust forces to become airborne by rotating their wings in a rowing motion. The wings do not just go up and down but appear to ‘scoop’ the air and push it behind them in a figure-eight shape. This rowing of the wings provides the thrust upwards as well as increases the lift force as much as possible by reducing air pressure.
The Physics of Flight
From the largest eagles to the smallest wrens, birds’ bodies embody the physical principles of flight. Whether they’re soaring on thermals like condors or maneuvering with agile swiftness through dense forest like the gos hawk, birds rule the air.
Over 50 muscles in the body work together to help a bird fly. Some are responsible for the downward and upward motions, some for folding and unfolding the wings, while
LINDSAY OBERMEIER Raptor Program Director
With great strength, grace, and beauty, birds are admi rably adapted to the skies. They can travel hundreds of miles in a day, dive through the air at unimaginable speeds, and maneuver through tight spaces with a single flap of the wing. But have you ever wondered how flight can actually happen? Many factors are at play, including biology and physics, to culminate in this complex form of movement. Concepts from physics are key to under standing the mechanics behind flight.
There are four opposing forces on a moving object that determine its mobility through space: weight, lift, thrust, and drag. Generally speaking, thrust is a force pushing an object forward; drag is the friction holding it back. When thrust is stronger than drag, the subject can move forward. Weight, or gravity, is the force downwards to wards earth. It’s determined by the mass of the object. Lift is the upward force allowing the subject to get high er in the air. If the lift force is stronger than the force of gravity pulling it down, a bird can be airborne. Therefore, if a bird’s thrust (forward force) and lift (upward force) are stronger than gravity and friction, they can fly.
How does lift occur? This is where the physical design of a bird's body and wings are essential. A bird's wing, for example, is built in the shape of an airfoil. This can be roughly described as a comma ( , ) on its side. The top of the wing curves upwards before tapering down to the back. The underside follows this upward curvature. Be cause of this shape, there is less surface area on the top of wing than the underside. When the air moves around the wing, the air above the wing moves across it faster than the air underneath. This results in different air pressures on either side of the wing. There is lower air pressure above the wing, and the bird has created lift.
CRAIG MATTSON Communications Specialist
To share Ever-Green Energy’s values in the community, em ployees at their offices in St. Paul, Duluth, and Milwaukee chose to all volunteer with the National Audubon Society on Earth Day in 2018. The Milwaukee team decided upon Schlitz Audubon and has volunteered at the Center one Friday per month since then, except during the height of the pandemic.
Ever-Green Energy Shares Values Through Volunteerism
Ever-Green Energy, headquartered in St. Paul, MN, designs and runs advanced utility operations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, and Illinois. These include plants for municipalities, high er education, and health care that provide improved efficiency in running heating, cooling, and energy production services. Their company’s development team designs efficient, state-of-the-art heating and cooling plants. Overall, they are working to decarbon ize energy production.
Rory Peters, Ever-Green Energy
There are many ways to volunteer. Many companies aren’t able to contribute volunteer time once a month, and that’s okay. Schlitz Audubon works with each organization on a case-by-case basis to find a schedule that works. Companies such as Kohl’s, for ex ample, visit a few times per year. The Catalyst Committee from Kohl’s recently spent an afternoon planting 60 trees in our Wood land Loop to replace those felled to the emerald ash borer.
If your company is looking for a way to enhance teamwork and build long-term relationships within your organization, consider joining us as a volunteer group. You can work on a cause you be lieve in, enjoy healthy activity in the great outdoors, and reap the benefits of enhanced community relationships.
Ever-Green's volunteers contribute their skills to enduring proj ects. Rory remembered the satisfaction of moving a trail in the Stormwater Wetland and Ravine Restoration Project area with staff from his company. His team has been instrumental in re moving hazardous ash trees, and they truly thrive doing demand ing tasks like splitting logs and getting involved in major clean-
Oneups.
Volunteering with your co-workers is a wonderful way to get out and help the community. The employees at Ever-Green Energy accomplish this by embracing their company’s values of environ mental stewardship and volunteering at Schlitz Audubon.
10 DEVELOPMENT Fall 2022 | www.schlitzaudubon.org
Rory Peters is Ever-Green Energy’s General Manager for Mil waukee Regional Medical Center Thermal Services. This com pany specializes in providing an extremely reliable and efficiently produced supply of heating and cooling services, working with Froedtert Hospital, Children’s Hospital, and the Medical Col lege of Wisconsin. Since winning the contract to run the MRMC Thermal Services plant in 2015, Ever-Green Energy has reduced greenhouse gas emissions at the facility by over 70 percent.
reason that company volunteerism is so important to Ev er-Green Energy is that it builds what Rory called “espirit de corps.” Getting to know your coworkers while working on a proj ect, without job pressure, is a fantastic way to build and maintain a team. It develops harmonious relationships, Rory suggested. Working on projects at the Center also allows employees to get out of the office together while doing a beneficial, healthy activity.
General Raptor Support In Honor of Vicki Greenman Angie Greenman
Chad Wickesberg Andrew & MacKenzie Julian Carrie Becker Barbara & Stephen Becker
Brett Hawkins Linda Hawkins
Susan Bell Mike & Pam Langan
Neen Rock
DEVELOPMENT 11Fall 2022 | www.schlitzaudubon.org
Gifts listed in this issue were received between 04/01/22 – 06/30/22
In Memory Of Raptor Sponsorships
In addition to programming with adult and student groups, the new kayaks are also bolstering the Center’s research efforts. Every year, Schlitz Audubon conducts a number of citizen science projects to help add to collective re search on a regional scale, as well as to inform our own undertakings right here at the Center. The kayaks benefit several of these projects by providing Center team members and volunteer research ers with the ability to quickly access aquatic habitats, and the plants and animals utilizing these habitats.
The Stanley Family Danny & Nancy Nessman
Julienne M. Rock
Now multiple programs can even occur simultaneously: A school group can learn to paddle on Mystery Lake, for example, while an adult group kayaks the Milwaukee River or a State Natural Area. With lightweight, easy to trans port kayaks, access to local waterways at the Center and beyond has increased dramatically, making it simple for small groups to explore pristine, high-quality river and lake habitats that are difficult to access by canoe.
In Memory of Kenneth Balfanz Linda Balfanz
John M. Jankowski
Bonnie Behee-Semler Robert Amich
Hannie Danzig-Hall Jon Ellison
In Honor Of
With more vessels, the Center can safely accommodate more people on the water.
Amelia Gunther Kyle Peschel
Betty Meyer Mary Lee & John Walloch
Marilyn J. Banzhaf Henry B. Banzhaf
Joan Sommer Christine Prevetti
Mark Cavaluzzi Patrick & Karen Linnane
Malary – American Kestrel In Honor of Isabella Hron Matthew Hron
Michael Bamberger and Family
Valkyrie – Bald Eagle Cynthia Backhaus
Thank You to Johnson Outdoors
Mark Hauer
Reed Rodenkirch & Carla Minsky
Paul M. Hauer
Willow – Northern Saw-whet Owl In Honor of Annie Tuman and Connor Doak Jennifer & Stephen Tuman
Rosalee W. Bamberger
Special thanks to Johnson Outdoors, whose recent donation of four beautiful new Loon 126 kayaks is giving more people access to freshwater habitats both at the Center and across the region. By adding state-of-the-art vessels to our trusty fleet of canoes, Johnson Outdoors has greatly enhanced the Center’s ability to conduct aquatic programming.
Michael Lueck
1111 East Brown Deer Road Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53217
U.S. Postage PAID Milwaukee, WI Permit No. 4168
Join our annual celebration of all things raptor! Visit www.schlitzaudubon.org for more details
FALL 2022 PANORAMA
Saturday, November 5
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center