Annual Meeting

On Thursday, September 18, the WWOA Board of Directors will hold their quarterly meeting at the Hotel.

Thursday, we are offering two fun and interesting tours.

The first tour group will drive to Norskdalen Nature and Heritage Center in Coon Valley, where they will spend the day. Did you know that Norskdalen is a WWOA member? We will start with the history of the valley and a guided tour of the homestead. Then Norskdalen’s forester, Patrick Dayton, will lead a hike on the Pine Loop trail and through their arboretum. After lunch, Paul Krahn of Trout Unlimited will lead an afternoon hike discussing geology, ground water, spring flow and stream restoration work in the driftless area.

The second tour group will visit Myrick Park and take a boat ride on the Mississippi River. This tour is the only bus tour offered. Come enjoy the scenic views of the LaCrosse Marsh and Mississippi River.  These waterways were instrumental in the lumbering industry which grew LaCrosse into a major city.  The tour will visit the Nature Place where you can walk the trail into the marshes used in the 1800’s to hold the logs that came down river from northern Wisconsin.  After lunch, we will be taking ride on the LaCrosse Queen to view the shores and learning about the importance of the Mississippi river to a growing community and industry.  This tour is approximately 4.5 hours in length and includes lunch and transportation.  Join us for this exploration of the La Crosse Area Marsh & Rivers.

Thursday evening will host our Sharing Experiences session where selected members share their experiences with managing and caring for their woodlands.

• Warren and Renee Pickar of West Salem will explain why they created a special shed for storing their chemicals
• Board member Steven Ahrenholz of Cincinnati, OH, will as a nonresident, share his first timber sale experience
• Mark Goings of Augusta has tree planting tales to tell

Friday, Sept 19

Here are the 4 tours being planned for Friday.

Tour #1 – Forest Management Tour with lunch – The forest management tour will be a full day starting at La Crosse’s Hixon Forest with a ¾ mile hike to view oak and prairie restorations. The lunch stop will include a scenic stop at Granddad Bluff to view the Mississippi River. The afternoon hike on the Coulee Experimental Forest will be led by WDNR forester, Kevin Schilling. Highlights of this hike include forest conversion of tamarack to oak, conifer/hardwood mixed planting, and a high-density oak stand.

Tour #2 – Forest and Fish of the Upper Mississippi Tour with lunch – To introduce participants to fish found in the upper Mississippi River and to bottomland hardwood forests along the upper Mississippi River. The tour will be divided into a morning session focused upon fish life and hosted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and, in an afternoon session, on bottomland hardwood forests of this region, notably the plant life, wildlife, forest ecology and economic and recreational benefits. Participants will drive to a designated boat landing-parking area where the USFWS sein for fish in relatively shallow river water.  The morning program, about 2 hours, will include watching fisheries staff sein and bring to shore a wide variety of fish, discussions about the river environment and ecology, and issues facing the upper Mississippi River fisheries.  If weather and river conditions permit, participants may be invited to don boots and help with seining operations.

The afternoon will be spent at Goose Island La Crosse County Park. The park is part of a woodland owned by the US Army Corps of Engineers.  Andy Meier, Forester, US Army Corps Engineers will lead a few short walks, maximum few hundred yards, perhaps driving to trailheads, to portions of the forest (few hundred yards each) on mostly level but perhaps muddy or soggy terrain. We will discuss the history of development and restoration of bottomland forests, geomorphology, flora and fauna, commercial forestry, flood and erosion control, wildlife.

Please note that due to changes in federal staffing, some aspects of the meeting may have to be adjusted. We will do our best to notify members of these changes, if they occur.

Tour #3 – Forest Industry Tour – The forest industry tour will be a morning tour. Drive east to Rockland to tour Rockland Flooring and Stella-Jones. Rockland Flooring is a North American manufacturer of laminated hardwood flooring for trailers, containers, and truck bodies. They start with oak boards and then mill them to the customers’ specifications. Stella-Jones creates pressure treated wood products, utility poles, railroad ties, residential outdoor lumber, and treatments for maritime, rail related and industrial applications to prevent rot, insect and marine-borer damage.

Tour #4 – La Crosse Historical Tour – Step back in time and learn about the great lumber barons of La Crosse with this afternoon tour. Enjoy a chance to see how La Crosse grew to be one of the state’s foremost lumber processing cities on the Mississippi River. The tour will include stops at the La Crosse Heritage Center and the Hixon House.  After completing the tours, enjoy a driving tour, with Audio, to see some of the great “castles” of La Crosse. Prior to the tour, on your own, be sure to check out one of the many restaurants in historic Downtown La Crosse.

Saturday, September 20, starts bright and early with the opening of the exhibit hall with (of course) exhibits, silent auction, fundraising raffle tickets, and coffee. Don’t forget to pre-register for your Sunday field stations too.

Saturday morning’s keynote presentation by Fred Clark will cover the new report, Opportunities Now: Wisconsin Forests at Risk: Engaging Wisconsinites in Another Century of Forest Conservation, from Wisconsin’s Greenfire. WWOA’s Annual Business meeting will include short presentations to update members on WWOA’s strategic plan and the state of the organization.

Saturday afternoon concurrent sessions will cover property assessments by Bob Madvig of Holloway Appraisals, Mississippi Valley Conservancy’s work by Abbie Church, oak restoration with WDNR forester, Greg Edge and working with a consulting forester by forest consultant Michael Dahlby. There will also be a Sit & Stitch craft session on Saturday afternoon. Bring your craft project and perhaps a good light to spend the afternoon visiting with members while working on your project. The Landowner Café will also be open with tables staffed by experts on the topics being covered.