The Brice Prairie Conservation Association (BPCA) was founded in 1958 to support conservation projects in the lower Black River area of southwestern Wisconsin.
The BPCA has been recognized with local, state, and national awards for its conservation and community-related activities. Specific goals of the BPCA are to:
- restore the natural beauty of the Black River and the surrounding territory;
- promote the general health and welfare of the community by supporting sound management practices for the Black River, Lake Onalaska, and the Mississippi River;
- disseminate knowledge and promote scientific inquiries.
"Conservation Organization of the Year"
BPCA Receives Recognition from WWF
The Brice Prairie Conservation Association has just been chosen "Organization of the Year" by the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, recognizing our extensive conservation activities (more information coming soon).
18th Annual Mississippi River Cleanup
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Upper Brice Prairie Landing
Dress warm and bring a boat if you can! Meet at the Upper Brice Prairie boat landing, across from Swarthout Park, at 8am. Information and photos of past cleanups on our
Lake/River Cleanups. In case of bad weather on April 24, the cleanup will be re-scheduled for May 22.
page.
50th Annual BPCA Ice Fishing Derby
Feb. 6, 2010
Red Pines, North Shore, Lake Onalaska
The winning "Big Fish" Board from the 2010 Derby
(1st and 2nd place Northerns released)
(Click to Enlarge)
Saturday February 6, 2010 marked the 50th year of BPCA Ice Fishing Derbies on Lake Onalaska. For this special occasion, commemorative stocking caps were given to the first 150 ice anglers entering the derby, and Red Pines gift certificates were awarded hourly. The big heated tent was again located on the shore below Red Pines Bar and Grill on highway Z, Brice Prairie, with fishing starting at sunrise and ending at 3pm sharp. Mid-20s temperatures and clearing skies through the day made for relatively comfortable fishing compared to some years.
Funds generated by the derby
are spent on local conservation projects including: Bluebird houses, wood duck
houses, oak tree plantings, river clean-ups, bike trail clean-ups, emergency shelters, fish cribs,
and enhancing public access to Lake Onalaska.
More information, winner lists, and photos on our: ice fishing derby page
BPCA Project Fledges over 5,000 Bluebirds in 2009
The BPCA Bluebird project monitored 1,019 bluebird boxes this year, 42 boxes more than 2008 and produced 5,252 bluebird fledglings, an increase of 1,024 over 2008. Our bluebird production rate increased this year to 5.15 fledglings per box, an increase of nearly one fledgling per box over the previous year. Three monitors had bluebird production rates of 6.7 or above, suggesting an excellent year for bluebird production. Several below freezing periods in April prevented some of those eggs from hatching; only those eggs under incubation remained safe. Ideal summer temperatures promoted excellent second nesting numbers and even a few successful third nesters. There were no extreme heat cycles during the later nesting periods, and there was no known mortality due to heat in our non-vented NABS-style boxes. We also produced 848 Tree Swallows, 316 House Wrens, and 40 Black Capped Chickadees. These cavity nesting species readily occupy the bluebird boxes, especially if they are located on the edge of bluebird territory habitat. Full text of the report: "Production of Eastern Bluebirds in Monitored Houses
" (Word Document)
BPCA Member Honored for Bluebird Work
BPCA member Leif Marking recently received the Wisconsin Garden Club Federation Bronze Award at the organization's 2009 state convention in Tomah in recognition of his extensive work and research contributions to raising bluebirds. The award calls Marking "the best friend a bluebird could ask for." Marking is project manager for the BPCA bluebird project. (More info: News Article from Onalaska-Holmen Courier-Life, May 8, 2009 ).
Mississippi River Cleanup 2009
(Click to Enlarge)
The
Volunteer Mississippi River Cleanup occured on Saturday April 25, 2009.
We had a good turnout despite initially threatening weather: 38 volunteers including 16 youth helped clean up trash and large debris from upper pool 7. We collected a full dump truck of trash, salvaged 10 plastic barrels for re-use, and disposed of 5 damaged plastic barrels. Volunteers also brought in 1 tire, parts of two steel barrels, a lawn mower and 1 plastic barrel with about 10 gallons of unknown and potentially hazardous liquid.
Over the past 16 years this project has cleaned up 1,385 tires, 1,646 plastic barrels, 12 batteries, 37 appliances, and 2 barrels of hazardous waste, with 79 tons of metal recycled and 129 tons of debris land filled.
Scout troop cleanup volunteers with prizes
New BPCA Artwork on Display
Brice Prairie Conservation member and artist Laurie Stiers recently completed a mural depicting a number of BPCA projects on location in typical Black River bottoms habitat. (more information)
Canvasback Information
USFWS aerial surveys
documented peak numbers of 30,315 canvasbacks on Pool 7 on October 13, 2009. Breeding ground survey abundance had been down sharply in 2008, prompting the BPCA to help distribute conservation information about the species. Canvasback abundance indices increased again in 2009. See our Canvasback Information and Identification page for more information
(updated Apr. 9, 2010)
For more information, contact Al Daus, Secretary:
cdaus9520
charter.net