Valley Stewardship Network

05/30/2026

05/28/2026

May is Historic Preservation and Archaeology Month — a reminder that Wisconsin’s state parks, trails, forests, and recreation areas protect more than beautiful landscapes. They also safeguard sacred stories, cultural heritage, and history that stretches back thousands of years.

Across Wisconsin, Indigenous mounds — many over 1,000 years old — remain powerful reminders of the people and communities who shaped these lands long before us. From effigy mounds to ceremonial earthworks, these sites deserve care, respect, and preservation for generations to come.

Friends groups throughout the state play an important role in helping steward these spaces through advocacy, education, restoration efforts, and community engagement. Protecting history is part of protecting the land itself.

As you explore Wisconsin this season, take time to learn the deeper stories of the places around you. Every trail, bluff, and mound carries meaning.

05/28/2026

05/28/2026

Buckthorn, garlic mustard, and honeysuckle can spread quickly if left unchecked. Spring is a great time to scout—many invasives green up before native plants, making them easier to spot.

As you walk your property, map what you find—use a phone app or simple sketch. Tracking locations helps you prioritize areas, catch spread early, and better understand where an infestation is coming from.

Act now while patches are small—a little effort today prevents big problems later! For more information about invasive management visit https://forestry.extension.wisc.edu/learn/invasive-plants/management/.

What invasives are you seeing this spring?

05/27/2026

VSN's Ecological Monitoring and Native Plantings Coordinator, Skye Bruce, taught a children's water monitoring workshop on a tributary stream of the West Fork of the Kickapoo River. The young students learned how to measure turbidity using a transparency tube, dissolved oxygen using a Hach kit, and conducted a survey of the aquatic invertebrates in the stream using D-nets and magnifying glasses.

Aquatic invertebrates found included crayfish (also known as crawdads), mayfly nymphs, dragonfly nymphs, and caddisfly larvae. Students learned about how aquatic invertebrates can indicate the health of the stream based on their sensitivity to pollutants. A couple of small darter fish were also swept up in the fun, and quickly released.
Thank you to Adrienne Linden, school teacher, for the invitation.

For more information email [email protected]

05/26/2026

Are the neighborhood deer🦌 treating your garden like their own personal buffet?🍽️ 😢

🦌White-tailed deer populations have increased in many areas and are now commonly observed near our homes.🏡 This is mostly due to the loss of their natural habitat and the disappearance of their natural predators. As a result, our favorite plants in our home landscapes and adjacent wooded areas have become tempting food targets.

Like all indigenous animals in North America, deer co-evolved with native plants, making them their preferred food source. The dwindling stands of native plants in nature are imperiled by swelling deer populations. Deer may browse on any plant if food is scarce, but there are many plants that they don't find palatable.

🚫🦌Deer typically shy away from plants that have 😵rough texture, 🥛milky sap, or 🌿mint, 🍊citrus or 🧅onion aroma.

⬇️🌱Try these native plants that deer typically shy away from:
–Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
–Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
–Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
–Stiff Goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum)
–Hairy Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum verticillatum var. pilosum)
–Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum)

Search “Deer Resistant” on our website for more!

05/26/2026

05/26/2026

Join fellow volunteers THIS SUNDAY, May 31 to help with an invasive plant pull at HUBBARD HILLS. 7:00 - 10:00AM. See poster for all the details.

05/22/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out to join us last weekend for the first Community Working Group event in conserving the unique habitat of the Kickapoo- Wildcat Important Bird Area.

We started with a guided bird walk, identifying many species in our Important Bird Area, followed by a community input session with Community Conservations director Terri Allendorf.

If you missed this event and would like more details on the community involvement in continuing to preserve this Important Bird Area, please reach out to us at [email protected]

05/22/2026

Please come help us beautify Mother Earth this Mother’s Day.