Spring 2008 Courses
Intro to Prescribed Fire
Chainsaw classes
Emerald Ash Borer Field Workshop
Your Land, Your Vision
Forest Ecology and Management: From Soil to Sky
Reading the Health of Your Land
Introduction to Prescribed Fire as a Grassland Management Tool
Thurs. March 27 - Fri. March 28, Aldo Leopold Legacy Center, Baraboo
-OR-
Fri. April 4 - Sat. April 5, Black Earth
We are pleased to offer two sessions of this popular class this year, one in Baraboo and one in Black Earth. The two-day course will cover the ecology of fire, fire behavior principles, and the elements of fire management planning, all particularly focused on prairie and savanna ecosystems. Participants will operate basic fire management tools, view the layout and preparation of a fire unit, and, weather permitting, conduct several real burns. This course will not prepare students to serve as a burn boss or conduct burns on their own. The course will enhance understanding of fire for landowners and resource managers, and will be as the basic crew member training by the Wisconsin Prescribed Fire Council. Lunch provided both days.
Co-sponsors: Aldo Leopold Nature Center, Wisconsin Prescribed Fire Council, and Lumberjack Resource Conservation & Development Council, Inc.
Instructors: Steve Swenson, Jeannine Richards, and Alanna Koshollek, Aldo Leopold Foundation; field assistants
Time: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Location: Baraboo OR Black Earth
Cost: $80 private landowners, $100 resource professionals ($75 ALF members and ALNC members for Black Earth class)
Class Limit: 24 per session
Register Now!
Game of Logging, Levels 1-3
Various dates
Mastering the basics of chainsaw safety is essential for woodland owners who want to be more active on their land. The “Game of Logging” is a four-level series designed to increase safety and efficiency of chainsaw use. Take the Level I course as an introduction to sawing and felling, or take the whole series to move toward mastering your chainsaw skills. Hands-on training in each session will give participants the opportunity to fell one or more trees with supervision.
Instructor: Ken Lallemont, Timber Resources
Dates:
March 15: Level I -- Aldo Leopold Legacy Center, Baraboo, WI
cost: $65 ($60 ALF Members)
March 16: Level II -- Aldo Leopold Legacy Center, Baraboo, WI
cost: $75 ($70 ALF Members)
April 5: Level IV -- Samsel Sawmill, Hancock, WI
cost: $75 ($70 ALF Members)
April 12: Level I -- Samsel Sawmill, Hancock, WI
cost: $65 ($60 ALF Members)
April 13: Level II -- Samsel Sawmill, Hancock, WI
cost: $75 ($70 ALF Members)
May 10: Level III -- Aldo Leopold Legacy Center, Baraboo, WI
cost: $75 ($70 ALF Members)
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (lunch provided)
Class Limit: 15 per session
Level I classes meet Master Woodland Stewards requirements
Register Now!
Emerald Ash Borer Field Workshop
Saturday, April 12
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an invasive beetle that could be the next big threat to the health of Wisconsin’s forests. Join Anna Healy, Plant Pest and Disease Specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, for an introduction to EAB identification and survey. This workshop will familiarize participants with the biology and life history of the EAB, the extent of infestation in North America, past and current survey efforts in Wisconsin, and how to distinguish EAB from native beetles. The afternoon will be conducted in the field surveying the site for ash trees and may include a tree peeling demonstration. This workshop is perfect for landowners, resource professionals, land steward volunteers, educators, and anyone with an interest in combating invasive species in Wisconsin.
All necessary personal protective equipment will be supplied.
Instructor: Anna Healy, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
Location: Aldo Leopold Nature Center's Black Earth Education and Retreat Facility
Time: 9 am – 3 pm (lunch provided)
Cost: $25 (ALF and ALNC Members: $20)
Class Limit: 25
Co-sponsors: This program is sponsored by an Urban Forestry Grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and is co-presented by the Aldo Leopold Nature Center.
Register Now!
Your Land, Your Vision
Saturday, April 26
Feel overwhelmed by the number of options for managing your land? Don’t even know where to start? Let us help you sort it out. We’ll ease you into the process of defining effective stewardship goals specific to you, and the resources available to make them a reality. We start by understanding the context of your land, the specific history of your own property, and what that means in terms of the surrounding landscape. We will discuss why people own land, work on refining your own land ethic into pragmatic goals for your property and discuss how adaptive management can work for you. Then we will explore the alphabet soup of programs available to landowners, including informational resources and sources of financial. You will leave with an understanding of how to start the process of writing a management plan for your property.
Instructors: Buddy Huffaker, Jeannine Richards, and Steve Swenson, Aldo Leopold Foundation; more TBA
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Aldo Leopold Legacy Center
Cost: $60 (ALF members $50)
Class Limit: 20
Register Now!
Forest Ecology and Management:
From Soil to Sky
Saturday, May 3
Come out in the field to explore the native flora and fauna of forested communities found in southern Wisconsin and the Baraboo Hills! This course will build your understanding of basic forest ecology, composition, structure, and function. We will look at the forest as a whole community, from the smallest mushroom to the biggest tree, as well as the exotic species that threaten this biodiversity. We’ll discuss the role of various forest management techniques in forest composition and sustaining biodiversity.
Instructors: Gigi LaBudde, Community Forestry Resource Center; Fred Clark, Clark Forestry
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Potter Preserve, Baraboo
Cost: $25 (ALF members $20)
Class Limit: 25
Meets Master Woodland Stewards requirements
Register Now!
Reading the Health of Your Land:What Birds and Other Wildlife Can Tell You
Saturday, May 17
When assessing your health a physician is likely to rely on a number of "indicators" such as blood pressure, pulse rate, weight, blood chemistry, etc. Likewise, ecologists assess the health of land using a variety of indicators. One of the most informative indicators of land health is the presence and abundance of certain species. Aldo Leopold's admonition, "to keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering" was his way of saying that well managed, healthy land accommodates a diversity of native species. We will explore what birds and other wildlife species can indicate about the health of your land and whether your tinkering with the land is improving its health. Using wildlife indicators requires that you monitor their presence and abundance and know how to interpret what this means ecologically. We will show you some practical (and enjoyable) ways to monitor and interpret what birds and other wildlife are telling you about the health of your land.
Instructor: Dr. Stan Temple, UW-Madison professor emeritus and ALF senior fellow
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Aldo Leopold Legacy Center
Cost: $25 (ALF members $20)
Class Limit: 20
Register Now!
Check back soon for more spring classes!
Click here to see the courses we have offered in the past.
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