Hello VSN Members and Friends,
 
VSN is happy to announce that the Vernon County Farm to School Program has successfully received another year of AmeriCorps funding. As a result, we will be hiring two new Farm to School positions including a Food Procurement Coordinator and a Nutrition Educator. Please see the announcement below.
 
VIROQUA AREA SCHOOLS

Looking to hire two AmeriCorps Farm to School Members to assist with Nutrition Education and Local Food Procurement. Both positions are part-time and include a paid stipend including possible education credits. Applicants should be passionate, self-motivated individuals who have an interest and experience in supporting local agriculture and increasing access to local foods in area schools. Please send a cover letter and resume to Marilyn Volden, Food Service Director, Viroqua Area Schools, 100 Blackhawk Drive, Viroqua, WI 54665 or email application materials to mlvolden@viroqua.k12.wi.us For more information, contact Marilyn Volden, 608-637-1645. Applications will be accepted until positions are filled. Screening of applicants will begin immediately. EOE.

Greetings everyone,
 
With summer coming to an end, a new school year begining, and the fall season upon us, you are probably experiencing some changes in your daily / weekly schedule. All of us here at VSN are experiencing some changes of our own!
 
Do to our two year committment for Board members, we have had to say our goodbyes and thankyous to some, and welcome others who have committed to serve with our organization. We also have just recently hired a new part-time office manager, and she is busy getting her "feet wet", learning some of the history and background of the organization.
 
We are looking forward to introducing these fine individuals to you, at our Annual Meeting, scheduled for Oct. 8th, at Green Man Music Hall, here in Viroqua. Mark that date on your calendars, and plan on joining us for an enjoyable, relaxing, and entertaining evening. More details on that gathering coming soon!
 
Finally, the main purpose of this message.... Because of the complexity of everyone's schedule, we are moving our monthly Board Mtgs. from the third Wed. of each month, to the third Tues. of each month. As always, you are invited to join us to express your ideas, raise your concerns, or just sit in and listen.
 
Thanks to all who continue to support us, and work to preserve and protect our Watershed!
 
GT
 
 
Gary Thompson
Valley Stewarship Network
124 1/2 South Main St.
Viroqua, WI> 54665
608-637-3615
www.kickapoovsn.org

Hello VSN Members and Friends,
 
Check out this great new program being offered by Natural Resource Conservation Service. Learn more at an upcoming event scheduled for Wednesday, September 9th.
 
Learn more about the

NEW Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

In Viroqua, WI on Sept. 9th from 7-9pm

 

CSP rewards agricultural producers (crops and livestock) as well as owners of forested land with cash payments based upon the positive impacts of their conservation activities. It represents a new approach to how our nation supports farmers and ranchers by placing emphasis on current land management and future stewardship practices that enhance conservation of our natural resources.

Join representatives from the Wisconsin Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), Land Stewardship Project, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, GrassWorks, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Valley Stewardship Network, and Vernon ACES for an informational meeting on the NEW Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) in the basement of the Medical Center, attached to the Vernon Memorial Hospital on Hwy 14 in Viroqua, Wisconsin on Wednesday September 9, 2009 from 7-9 PM.

The meeting will be presented in two parts. The first part will be a short overview of who is eligible, what type of operations would benefit from this program, and what is required to apply for CSP. There will then be a short break with refreshments. The second part will be a working session, with NRCS personnel present to help farmers understand the Conservation Measurement Tool used to rank the applications for funding.

Bring along your FSA aerial farm map, as well as any conservation plan, nutrient management plan, organic system plan or other overall farm management information that would be a good resource to help complete a picture of your farm’s conservation enhancing practices.

There is no charge for this meeting. For more information, contact MOSES at 715-778-5775 or harriet@mosesorganic.org or 800-551-GROW.

The Conservation Stewardship Program is a voluntary working lands conservation program. To download a fact sheet on the new CSP, visit LSP and MOSES online at www.landstewardshipproject.org and www.mosesorganic.org.

Invitation:

Vernon County land and water dept. will be hosting an informational meeting concerning Jersey Valley at Jersey valley Park this Sunday at 9:00am.

All concerned parties should try to attend, if possible.

 

Because the La Crosse area had the coldest July since 1891,fishing has continued to produce, if using correct methods. September’s expectations continue to run high.

Please forward to all,thanks

Sincerely,

Bryan”Trapper” Voldahl –Secretary WFSC

Avalanche- in the heart of the Driftless Area

Just in case some of you were planning on coming but had not yet RSVP'd:


The Crawford County Housing Needs Discussion scheduled for Wednesday,
August 26 5:00-6:30 PM at Prairie du Chien City Hall has been postponed
until further notice. For more information about county housing
including updated foreclosure data please contact Laura Brown at the
Crawford County UW Extension office at 608-326-0223.

Have a great weekend-
Best- Laura Brown


********************************************************** *
Laura Brown
Community & Economic Development Educator Crawford County UW Cooperative
Extension
225 N. Beaumont Road, Suite 240
Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
608-326-0224 Fax: 608-326-0226
laura.brown@ces.uwex.edu
www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/crawford

Another opportunity to learn more about our local geology, this workshop is sponsored by our friends to the south, Crawford Stewardship Project (See message below)
 
Gary Thompson
Valley Stewarship Network
124 1/2 South Main St.
Viroqua, WI. 54665
608-637-3615
www.kickapoovsn.org
 

 

Karst Identification & Reporting Workshop & Field Trip
 

Join Dr. Kelvin Rodolfo, professor emeritus of University of Illinois-Chicago for a presentation on karst geology and field trip to see local karst features on Saturday August 22. Presentation is at 10-12 at the Soldiers Grove Community Room. If you wish, bring your own lunch and join others for a local field trip to view karst features at 12:30.

 

The event is co-sponsored by the Soldiers Grove Library and Crawford Stewardship Project. Coffee and lemonade are provided. Following the presentation, Dr. Rodolfo will answer questions and explain the Wisconsin Geological Survey's Interagency Karst Reporting Form. Landowners may wish to complete the form and submit it for later verification of karst land features. This is one of several first steps leading to a karst study of Crawford County. The more information gathered, the more complete and accurate the study will be.

 

Crawford County is one of a number of areas in Wisconsin underlain by karst geology. "Karst" refers to an area where bedrock, such as limestone or dolomite, has been dissolved by water. Karst regions are generally characterized by connected cracks and layers between rocks that easily transport water. Sinkholes, shallow soils, sinking streams, and springs are found in karst areas. These areas are potentially vulnerable to contamination from pollutants traveling directly to groundwater through shallow soils overlaying fractured bedrock. Dr. Rodolfo lives with his wife, Kathy in rural Viroqua.

 

Crawford Stewardship Project Soldiers Grove Library

PO Box 284 102 Passive Sun Drive

Gays Mills, WI 54631 Soldiers Grove, WI 54655

608-735-4277 608-624-5815

Hi folks-
 
I'm passing this on because I thought you might be intersted in checking out a new interactive online news outlet for the greater Prairie du Chien (Clayton, Grant and Crawford county) Area www.pdctoday.com They are also on twitter and facebook. News and releases may be sent to Dan Moris danmoris@pdctoday.com Please pass this on to others who might be interested!
 
Very Best- Laura Brown
 
***********************************************************
Laura Brown
Community & Economic Development Educator
Crawford County UW Cooperative Extension
225 N. Beaumont Road, Suite 240
Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
608-326-0224 Fax: 608-326-0226
laura.brown@ces.uwex.edu
www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/crawford

Hello VSN Members and Friends,
 
VSN's Food & Farm Initiative Kickapoo Harvest: Gleaning for Healthy Communities is looking for youth and adult volunteers to help us prepare fresh fruit and veggie boxes for our summer fresh food gleaning project. Fresh food boxes will be packaged with locally harvested fruit and veggies from Keewaydin Farms and Ridgeland Harvest Farm. Boxes will be delivered to elderly residents at Parkview Manor in downtown Viroqua.
 
We are looking for volunteers to help us out on Friday, August 14th from approximately 4:00-6:30pm at the Viroqua High School Cafeteria. Volunteers will be washing, sorting and packaging harvested food into boxes that will be delivered on the morning of Saturday, August 15th.
 
We are also looking for volunteers who are interested in delivering fresh food boxes to those residents at Parkview Manor who are participating in the project. Food boxes will be delivered on Saturday morning, August 15th from 10:00am-12:00pm at the kitchen of Parkview Manor. During this time (11am) a local chef will be providing a 1 hour cooking demonstration to the residents. Volunteers can also help with the cooking demo by handing out taste samples and helping the chef in the kitchen.
 
The Food & Farm Initiative needs at least 10 volunteers to help cover the Friday (fresh food box preparation) and Saturday (box delivery) events. Please call Jessica Luhning (608) 637-8568 or email jessicavsn@frontiernet.net to sign-up. Please sign-up by August 12th.
 
Our July Gleaning Event was a wonderful success and many of us agreed that this was our most meaningful work to date! Many thanks to our farmers and our volunteers!
 
http://www.vernonbroadcaster.com/articles/...tures/01feature.txt
 
I hope to hear from you soon!
Jessica Luhning
Projects Coordinator
Valley Stewardship Network
124 1/2 S. Main Street
Viroqua, Wisconsin 54665

Creative Thinkers and Resource Providers
The Inventors & Entrepreneurs Club Invites You
to treat your CREATIVE side!!


The next Inventors and Entrepreneurs (I&E) Club meeting is Wednesday, August 12th at Western Technical College in Viroqua. Come early to network at 5:30, the program starts at 6:00 pm.

The speaker this month will be Chuck Sara, Patent Attorney with Dewitt Ross & Stevens Law Firm in Madison, back by popular demand. He will talk about managing Intellectual Property, specifically Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks.

Everyone is welcome! Share ideas with other creative thinkers and find resources to help you. Existing businesses might also find ways to expand their markets or improve their business. New ideas are just a spark away! Remember, the meetings are free, the second Wednesday of every month, so join us when you can. Check out the new website at www.veda-wi.org/inventors_club

Hope to see you there!
Sue & Laura

Susan Noble
Executive Director, Vernon Economic Development Association
402 Courthouse Square, Banta Building Suite 207, Viroqua, WI 54665
608.637.5396
snoble@veda-wi.org
Check out our new website at www.veda-wi.org

DNR Secretary Hearing on July 28th!
Greetings all,



Whether you’re a hunter, angler, or you just like spending time outdoors, a DNR Secretary who best represents your interests is one who makes natural resource decisions based on science, not on the winds of political change.
Right now, you have the opportunity to make sure the bill to restore an Independent DNR Secretary takes one more important step forward. On Tuesday, July 28, the Assembly Natural Resources Committee will listen to your testimony about why you think they MUST pass AB 138- the bill to Restore the Independent DNR Secretary.

This is your one chance to have the undivided attention of the members of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. Tell them why the Independent DNR Secretary is so very important to you.

We need YOUR SUPPORT to make SURE AB 138 passes through the committee with a strong vote if we want to get this bill all the way to the Governor’s desk!

Legislators need to hear from EVERYONE that cares about conservation integrity! Please RSVP below if you plan to testify or attend!

Tuesday July 28th, 1:00PM at the State Capitol, Room 417 North, Madison, WI

Let us know if you plan to testify or attend by clicking here.

Take a load off at the WLCV Open House on the day of the hearing! We invite you to stop by the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters office (just two blocks from the Capitol) throughout the day. We’ll have sodas, light snacks, and a live broadcast of the hearing. Better yet, join us at our office after the hearing for some well-deserved refreshments. We’ll recap the day and plan our next steps as AB 138 heads to the full Assembly. Please join us!

Are you unable to attend the hearing in Madison? You can still let legislators know that you support an Independent DNR Secretary. Click ACT NOW below to share your comments with the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. WLCV will hand-deliver your letter on the day of the hearing.


Deadline for responding: Please take action by July 26, 2009.

Edited by author 07-19-2009 07:44 AM
Karst Indentification & Reporting Workshops & Field Trips
Saturday, August 1, 10-12 Presentation with Dr. Kelvin Rodolfo. Bring your own lunch. The 12:30 field trip to see karst features will include viewing karst features and visiting Phil Burgess� rock collection in Prairie du Chien.� Event is at Century Hall in Wauzeka. Sponsored by Crawford Stewardship Project, 608-735-4277. Coffee and lemonade provided.

Saturday, August 22, 10-12 Presentation with Dr. Kelvin Rodolfo. Bring your own lunch. The 12:30 field trip will visit examples of karst features nearby. Event is at Soldiers Grove Community Room, Cosponsored by Crawford Stewardship Project, 608-735-4277 and Soldiers Grove Library. Coffee and lemonade provided.

Dr. Kelvin Rodolfo professor emeritus of University of Illinois-Chicago will show a power point on karst geology. Following the presentation, Dr. Rodolfo will answer questions and explain the Wisconsin Geological Survey's Interagency Karst Reporting Form. Landowners may wish to complete the form and submit it for later verification of karst land features. This is one of several first steps leading to a karst study of Crawford County. The more information gathered, the more complete and accurate the study will be.

Crawford County is one of a number of areas in Wisconsin underlain by karst geology. "Karst" refers to an area where bedrock, such as limestone or dolomite, has been dissolved by water. Karst regions are generally characterized by connected cracks and layers between rocks that easily transport water. Sinkholes, shallow soils, sinking streams, and springs are found in karst areas. These areas are vulnerable to contamination from pollutants traveling directly to groundwater through shallow soils overlaying fractured bedrock.

 

Gary Thompson

Valley Stewardship Network

124 1/2 South Main St.

Viroqua,WI. 54665

608-637-3615

www.kickapoovsn.org

MTovD3

Dam Challenge includes T-shirt design

Details of the 7th annual Kickapoo Reserve Dam Challenge have been released.

The event will be held Oct. 3 at KVR. Competitors will paddle seven miles on the Kickapoo River, bike 14 miles and run three miles.

Registration opened June 1 and will run until Sept. 16. Late registration will take place after Sept. 16 and carry a $15 fee. There is no same day registration.

You can register at http://kvr.state.wi.us/damchallenge. A new feature of the event is a T-Shirt design contest. The winner will receive a $50 cash prize. The design will be reproduced on the 2009 T-Shirt for the event.

The winner will be picked through online voting. Deadline for submitting a design is Aug. 7.

 Creative Thinkers and Resource Providers
The Inventors and Entrepreneurs Club invites you
Wednesday July 8
6:00 PM
Western Technical College
220 South Main Street Viroqua, Wisconsin

“Social Networking Tools and Tricks”
 with Tim Puyleart, Business Development Manager for the Institute for Environmental Assessment, Inc. (IEA)

 The Inventors and Entrepreneurs Club has moved to Viroqua and now meets on the second Wednesday of every month, at Western Technical College. Networking starts at 5:30 and the program begins at 6:00 pm.

This month’s topic is - How to be recognized in the Social Network World! Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, Facebook? Do you know what these can do for your business? How do your clients find you? Can Social Networking pay off in the client development / marketing world? Speaker, Tim Puyleart is the Business Development Manager for the Institute for Environmental Assessment, Inc. (IEA). He will discuss how he has used these forms of networking to build a client base and reach out to potential clients. The presentation will give best practices and lessons learned from Tim's own journey with Social Networking as well as an overview of each of several of these sites.

Whether you have an idea or just like to think business, join us for a dynamic evening of networking with lots of creative people. Everyone is welcome!

Hope to see you there!

Susan Noble
Executive Director, Vernon Economic Development Association
402 Courthouse Square, Banta Building Suite 207, Viroqua, WI 54665
608.637.5396 snoble@veda-wi.org
Check out our new website at www.veda-wi.org

Valley Stewardship Network Food & Farm Initiative’s

Kickapoo Harvest: Gleaning for Healthy Communities

Summer 2009 PILOT PROJECT SCOPE

Project Description

Kickapoo Harvest: Gleaning for Healthy Communities is a grass-roots initiative aimed at getting healthy, locally produced food into the hands and mouths of those who need it most.

 

The basic premise of the summer 2009 pilot project is to engage area youth in supervised harvesting of excess “un-marketable” produce and fruit grown on area farms that will then be distributed to interested residents at Park View Manor, an apartment complex located in downtown Viroqua which is home to mostly senior citizens and other people living on a fixed, limited income. Harvested produce and fruit will be cleaned and nicely boxed by volunteers before being distributed to Park View Manor residents. In addition, area chefs will offer cooking demonstrations and recipes to residents along with their gleaned food boxes. The pilot project will be implemented in the summer months of July-October, 2009. Additional gleaned food items will be distributed to area food pantries and processed for use in Viroqua Public School lunch menus throughout the 2009-2010 school year.

 

Volunteer Description and Summary

The Valley Stewardship Network (VSN) is actively seeking adult and youth (ages 12+) volunteers to assist in monthly gleaning events during the 2009 summer months of July, August, September and October. The gleaning dates are as follows:



· July 17

· August 14

· September 18

· October 16



 

A gleaning day will consist of one group of volunteers harvesting fresh produce and fruit from 2-3 area farms in the morning hours while a second group of volunteers will help during the afternoon hours with the washing and packing of the gleaned food items into nice, family food boxes that will be distributed to Park View Manor residents and area food pantries.

 

Each gleaning group (one group - harvesting and one group - washing/packing) will consist of at least 5 youth volunteers and 2 adult volunteers. Members of the VSN Food & Farm Initiative Steering Committee will be on-hand to assist and direct the volunteer groups.

 

The harvesting volunteers should expect to work 4-5 hours and each volunteer should bring their own water, gloves, closed-toe shoes, sunscreen, and sun-hat. Volunteers will meet at the Viroqua High School before carpooling to the participating farm(s).

 

The washing/packing volunteers should expect to work 4-5 hours and each volunteer should bring their own water, gloves, and closed-toe shoes. Volunteers will meet at the Viroqua High School and all washing and packing will be done in the parking area and school cafeteria.

 

Volunteer Sign-up is Requested. Call Jessica Luhning at 637-8568 or email jessicavsn@frontiernet.net to sign-up or for more information!

***Many thanks to the participating farmers - Driftless Organics, Keewaydin Farms, Harmony Valley Farm, Ridgeland Harvest Farm, Turkey Ridge, Dave Miles and Pat Slatery!!!

Avalanche Wisconsin Goes Wireless
West Fork Sportsmen’s Club, located in Avalanche Wisconsin is excited to offer wireless internet (Wi Fi) at our club grounds/campground. Our campground is the only wireless campground in Vernon County. We wanted to bring our sites up to date with the year 2010. Many other improvements are in the planning stages, to be implemented soon.

 Family camping style is encouraged. Very reasonable rates.

 All quite sports are encouraged to visit our website at: westforksportsmansclub.org

WFSC- Community leaders focused on outdoor recreation.

 Submitted by Bryan Voldahl Secretary WFSC