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Buffalo County Natural Resources Internship

2019 Final Report

Larkin Hoepner August 2019

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Introduction

The Buffalo County Natural Resources Internship Program offers hands on experience to

a college student pursing a degree in natural resources. This internship allows the intern to get

experience working with many different entities at the federal, state, and county level. My

internship began the last week of May and concluded at the end of August. The intern works

35-40 hours a week and receives a $6,000 scholarship thanks to many contributions from

conservation groups, businesses, and local families. I was fortunate to be chosen to be the

Buffalo County Natural Resources Intern after an interview process that included identification

of pants and animals, questions about my education and work experience, and a presentation

on a natural resources project I would be helping with this summer.

I grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin where I spent time hiking, hunting, boating, and

kayaking which drove me to want to find a career where I could help protect the resources I

grew to love. I currently attend University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point where I am majoring in

Hydrology and a member of the track and field team. After graduation I plan to work on stream

restoration and runoff management to keep water resources viable.

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USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Most of my time working with NRCS was

spent with Chad Dewyre, Soil Conservation

Technician. He works with farmers on

implementing dams and waterways in an effort

to reduce runoff and erosion as well as installing

rip rap to help control stream bank erosion. This

fit well with my major, so I was particularly interested in what we were doing. While much of

the planning was done in the office, I was able to

help with the field work which included using laser

levels and stadia rods to ensure the construction

workers were doing correct slopes, had the right

length or depth, and making changes if needed.

After the construction was complete, we also did

measurements so that we knew the actual amount of materials used and to double check

everything was up to the specifications on the plan.

Early in the year I also worked with Dennis Reimers, NRCS District Conservationist, doing

compliance checks. These checks were for a group of randomly selected people enrolled in the

cost-shared program where environmentally friendly farming practices were placed to reduce

erosion. When doing these, we inspected tillage practices, estimated the percent residue left

on their fields, and ensured their waterways were intact.

Riprap Construction

Waterway Installation

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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Forestry

I spent quite a bit of my time with Adam Foehringer, the Buffalo County forester. While

working with him, one of the things that I did was to help manage logging properties. This

included spraying herbicides on early

successional invasives, such as buckthorn and

honeysuckle, on a recent clear-cut patch of

forest. We also worked on a red pine stand

that will eventually be cut. This site had a

problem with invasive Siberian Elm that was

crowding into the stand and not allowing the

pines to grow to their full potential. To help solve this, we girdled and sprayed the elm to

prevent them from continuing to overcrowd the pines. Other logging sites were checked to

ensure the loggers had fulfilled their contracts, cleaned up roads, and did not leave erosion

gullies.

We also did reconnaissance on managed forest lands to see how they had progressed

since the last logging and to ensure the data on the stands was still accurate. The data on the

stands included tree species, basal area, number of large saw logs, number of pulp sticks,

understory trees, and any invasives. Once the data was collected, we went back to the office,

and Adam taught me how to calculate data, how to interpret it, and then discussed potential

future management actions.

Post logging property visit

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Other forestry projects included marking timber for harvest, calculating the amount of

timber that would be taken for sale, and calculating the number of residual trees that would

remain after harvest.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Wildlife Management

Wildlife management provided me a wide variety of work duties. I spent time spraying

invasives, banding geese and peregrine falcon chicks, conducting black bear and bobwhite quail

surveys, and wolf trapping.

Banding birds was one of my favorite things

this summer. I have been banding geese since I was

six, so it was interesting to see the differences

between banding up north vs this summer’s banding

on the Mississippi River. I went out with Gary Wolf –

a Wildlife Technician, and Jane Blomberg – a Wildlife LTE, and scouted to find the birds and

estimate counts about a week before banding. The day of banding I helped set up and herd the

geese into the nets. Once the geese were netted, I helped transfer them from the net to the

biologist who would band them.

Banding peregrine falcons was another cool experience. I had never seen peregrine

chicks before, and additionally, the nest is out on a cliff face! Two members from a raptor

center came to the area and repelled down with a kennel, grabbed the chicks, and brought

them up to be sexed, banded, and checked for black flies; black flies can be fatal to peregrine

chicks. The raptor center workers also taught us that male chicks are substantially smaller than

Group of geese after being captured in the nets

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females; I was able to see this difference at the second

banding site where there was one of each sex. It was

interesting to hear about how fast the chicks grow and

to see and hear the birds up close.

With Gary, I was also able to assist with a bear

population survey and a bobwhite survey. The bear

population survey consisted of a spread of traps

throughout Eau Claire County that we had to check.

These traps were square sets made from a single barbed wire strand placed about knee high off

the ground. Within the set, a peanut butter and oil mix was placed as bait. In addition, liquid

smoke was used as an attractant. If a bear walked into the trap, the barbed wire would catch

some hair that we would collect. The hair would then be sent and genetically tested to help

identify and estimate how many bears were in the county. We collected hair at three of the 12

trap sites. The bobwhite survey was done just south of Buffalo County and was a collection of

stops where we would listen for two minutes for a bobwhite call to try and estimate how many

bobwhites were in the area. We heard one bobwhite which was the first one heard in our

sampling area in two years.

Another project I got to see was wolf trapping with Gary and DeWayne Snobl, a USDA

biologist. We went out to an Eau Claire County forest where DeWayne had already set leg hold

traps. While we did not catch anything, I learned to identify wolf tracks, how DeWayne goes

about the process of where to set the traps, and what he does to try and draw the wolves in.

Peregrine Chicks

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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Fisheries Management

I also spent a couple days with DNR Fisheries assisting

Fisheries Biologist Brian Brecka with fish surveys and a

contaminant fish collection. Shocking fish was an

interesting experience and it really kept you on your

toes because you never knew when a fish was going to

come up, and it was always a surprise to see what

species it was. I enjoyed trying to net the carp because

they were usually quite large and provided a good

workout. The first day of shocking was spent on Pool 4

where we took multiple samples for 10-minute increments collecting every fish that I could. For

each of those fish we recorded their species and length. The survey is done to keep track of

populations of fish in the pool. The other times we went

shocking it was to collect fish for contaminant testing. The

fish collected were gamefish including bluegill, crappie,

and yellow perch, that we packaged and froze to be taken

down to a lab to be tested for the amounts of

contaminants that accumulated in them. This helps the

DNR set advisories for the amount of fish that should be

consumed without risking health problems.

Two yellow perch caught electrofishing

A hefty common carp

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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Natural Heritage Conservation (NHC)

My work with NHC consisted mostly of restoration work. Over the course of the

summer, we spent our time on State Natural Areas which included a lot of the bluffs in the

area. Working on the bluffs provided a unique challenge for me as the terrain was not

something I was exposed to growing up. It took a few weeks of slipping and many afternoons of

sore legs before I got comfortable. Our time on these bluffs was spent trying to control the

amount of woody vegetation and restore them to a bluff prairie state. We used brush cutters,

chainsaws, and herbicides to control woody vegetation. For much of our work, this meant

treating sumac. Sumac is a woody species that invades bluff prairie habitat; it invades in big

patches, and when left uncontrolled it can take over a prairie quickly. Another project I did with

NHC was collecting and drying seeds. The

seeds included lupin, spiderwort, needle

grass, and bottlebrush grass. These seeds

will be spread onto future prairie

restoration projects. My work with NHC was

intense at times but it was very rewarding

to see all the hard work come together.

Buffalo County Land Conservation Department

Most of my time spent with the Land Conservation Department was doing stream

monitoring for the Water Action Volunteers program (WAV) with Tim Wucherer, the county

Conservation Resource Specialist. We went out multiple times over the course of the summer

to the same sites to measure transparency, temperature, velocity, dissolved oxygen, width,

Spraying invasives out at Coon Fork

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depth, and macroinvertebrates. After we collected the data, Tim showed me how to enter the

data into the database where the information for all the streams is stored. The WAV program

provides data that can be used to evaluate stream health

and potentially guide future management practices.

The other project I worked on with Land Conservation

was the Cropland Transect Survey. This survey was

conducted by driving through the county to 600

predetermined points where we would record what crop

was planted on either side of the road and what type of

tillage practices were being implemented. This data is

taken and put into a program and calculates the amount

of erosion that takes place around the county every year.

Community Outreach

During the summer I was involved with many community outreach events. Most of

these were focused on getting the communities aware of and involved with some of the work

we do. The work included the annual Trout Day celebration, the Mondovi Schools Conservation

Day, Kids Fishing League, and the Buffalo County Fair.

Trout Day was an opportunity for families to come out to a restored trout stream and

spend the afternoon fishing for trout. Conservation groups that sponsored the celebration

included the Alma Rod and Gun Club, Fountain City Rod and Gun Club, Waumandee Rod and

Gun Club, and Trout Unlimited. The sponsors provided rods and reels to any kids that wanted

them, worms for bait, and a free lunch. After a couple hours of fishing, raffle prizes were

Measuring the width of the stream for a WAV survey

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handed out and the DNR’s

electrofishing crew from Black

River Falls shocked the stream and

showed the kids how many fish

were really in the stream. I was

able to assist by helping people

register and handed out raffle

tickets. I was also responsible for

handing out rods and reels and bait to kids.

During the Mondovi Conservation Day, I worked with Tim Wucherer to make an initial

collection of water invertebrates. Our quest that day was to teach 5th graders how to use a

dichotomous key and then have them try to identify as many invertebrates as they could. I

walked around and helped kids with any questions they might have. After some time, we had a

group discussion about the different invertebrates and their roles in the ecosystem.

On Wednesday evenings I

helped Gary Wolf with the Kids Fishing

League on the Great Alma Fishing

Float. I helped with bait, unhooking

and measuring fish, and keeping track

of what species each kid had caught.

On some weeks we gave out medals

for whoever caught the biggest or Kids fishing on my final week helping with the program

Assisting with sign in and rod and reel distribution on Trout Day

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smallest fish and had other prizes for the other kids. This program is a great opportunity for kids

to get out and learn how to fish no matter their experience level and will hopefully help build a

future community of fishers in the area.

During the Buffalo County Fair, I worked the DNR booth where I answered questions

and provided literature on various programs we have, such as those on invasives species and

certain regulations. I also helped kids with identifying examples of wild game anatomy that we

had on display. It was another good opportunity for me to interact with people of the county

and get them involved with some of the programs we have.

Reflection

This internship gave me the perfect opportunity to apply what I had already learned in

the classroom, while also picking up new skills and experiences that will help me become a

better professional. The opportunity to work with many different agencies and disciplines gave

me a better understanding of what goes on behind the scenes at the different levels. The

waterway and stream restoration projects that I was able to oversee this summer were

especially interesting because it gave me a good look and a better understanding of what I hope

to do in my future career. I’m thankful for this opportunity and for the people I worked with for

making this a wonderful learning experience that will no doubt help me in the future. A special

thank you to all the donors that made this internship possible, the funds will go towards my

schooling as I continue into my last year at UW-Stevens Point.

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Thank You to the 2019 Donors!

Alma Rod and Gun Club Brian Berger Excavating

Dairyland Power Cooperative Ron Hurlburt

Clear Waters Chapter – Trout Unlimited Carl and Pat Morsbach

Madison Fishing Expo Collins Plumbing, Inc.

Buffalo County Farm Bureau Fountain City Ford

Stuart Hagen Fountain City Lions Club

Mondovi Conservation Club Fountain City Rod and Gun Club

Steve Stamm Gunderson’s Meats – Jon Seipel

Waumandee Rod and Gun Club Post D Excavating – Doug Sokup

John Balk Reglin Excavating, LLC – Tim Reglin

Bushy’s Meat Market and Buff’s Bike Shop Ridge Top Taxidermy – Dan Rolbiecki

Klevgard Trucking & Backhoe, LLC Rutting Ridge Outfitters – Jarrad Fluekiger

Lower Chippewa River Alliance, Inc. Bucknuckles

Melitta Schaffner Lori Miller

Swan Watch Unser Excavating

This internship was partially funded through a grand awarded to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (C-SWG Grant #F17AP00917).