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Monday, May 20, 2013

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Happy Habitats

This year Badgerland Girl Scouts, their troops, friends and families are encouraged to participate in a habitat restoration project. A restoration project may involve collecting seeds from native plants, planting native plant species, or pulling non-native species. Don’t know how to identify a native plant from a non-native? We have lots of expert organizations excited to partner with the Girl Scouts who can help!

Girl Scouts are encouraged to partner with an organization that will teach about the importance of native habitats and help identify important species. This is an opportunity for girls to give meaningful service and learn about the natural world.

Click here to go to the Happy Habitats page

What Project Should I Do?

Partner with an organization that is working to re-introduce native plant species. See the list of partner resources below. You can
work with a partner to:

- collect native seeds
- plant native plants
- pull non-native and invasive plants

Working with a partner organization can be very helpful.

Here's another idea for a project:

- plant a garden full of native species (plant this at your meeting site, a library or school, a Girl Scout property, anywhere!)

There are many types of habitats to restore, including wetlands and prairies. Check out more information on native plant gardens here!

Happy Habitats Are Important

A little background
Several hundred years ago much of the land in the Badgerland Council was prairie and savanna. Today less than one percent of this area contains these habitats.

Prairie and savanna habitat is home to hundreds of wildflowers and wildlife such as birds, badgers and butterflies. There are many endangered species found in these habitats, like the Karner Blue Butterfly.

Wetland habitats are also home to rare and endangered species like the Whooping Crane. Wetland habitats provide food, shelter and protection to large numbers of plants and animals. In Wisconsin, we have lost almost half of our original wetlands. We can protect the remaining wetlands by making sure they are healthy and full of native plants.

Native plants are important in every habitat because they provide food for wildlife and they grow in balance with other plants. Non-native plants may grow fast and wide - these are called invasive species. Invasive species are not controlled by predators (animals that eat them) and will crowd out native plants that provide food and protection for wildlife.

Girl Scouts can help protect these special habitats by removing invasive species and planting native species. In doing this, they earn the 2013 Council-Wide Service Patch—Happy Habitats!

Partner Organizations

There are many organizations that work to restore native habitats; prairies, savannas, and wetlands are three habitats commonly restored in the Badgerland Council. Contact their organization to attend one of their service events, or set up an event for you and your troop (friends and family are welcome to join in).

Aldo Leopold Nature Center (Monona, WI)

http://aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org/
Contact: Julie Erdmann, Program Coordinator
Phone: (608)221-0404 x 1
Email: alncreg@naturenet.com

Cave of the Mounds, National Natural Landmark (Blue Mounds, WI)

www.caveofthemounds.com
Contact: Molly Yunker, Education Coordinator
Phone: (608)437-3038x103
Email: learningisfun@caveofthemounds.com

Horicon Marsh International Education Center (Horicon, WI)

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/wildlife_areas/horicon/education/center.htm
Contact: Liz Herzmann, Natural Resources Educator
Phone: (920) 387-7893
Email: elizabeth.herzmann@wisconsin.gov

Horicon National Wildlife Refuge (Mayville, WI)

http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Horicon
Contact: Erin Railsback, Visitor Services Manager
Phone: 920-387-2658 x 24
Email: erin_railsback@fws.gov

Madison Audubon Society

http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/
Contact: Taylor McCabe-Juhnke, Volunteer Coordinator
Phone: 608-255-2473
Email: taylormj@madisonaudubon.org

The Prairie Enthusiasts (all over Badgerland)

http://theprairieenthusiasts.org/
Contact: Chris Kirkpatrick, Executive Director
Phone: 815-541-3494
Email: ExecutiveDirector@ThePrairieEnthusiasts.org

Rock County Parks

http://www.co.rock.wi.us/index.php/departments/departments-m-z/parks
Contact: Joleen Stinson, Community Coordinator
Phone: (608)757-5473
Email: stinson@co.rock.wi.us

Note: Rock County Parks will set-up restoration events just for Girl Scouts. The work varies depending on the season, for example: in the spring we pull garlic mustard, in the fall and winter we cut invasive shrubs. We have a variety of parks with ongoing restoration, so we can work on any side of the county.

The Sauk Prairie Conservation Alliance (Baraboo, WI)

www.saukprairievision.org
Contact: Heidi Royal, Coordinator
Email: heidi@saukprairievision.org
Note: Restoration projects are held the second Saturday of each month, March- November. 9-Noon. The Alliance is also willing to set up events just for Girl Scouts.

Southwest Wisconsin Grassland and Stream Conservation Area (Dane, Green, Iowa & LaFayette Counties)

www.swgsca.org
Contact: Maureen Rowe, Coordinator
Email: Maureen.rowe@wisconsin.gov

Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge (Trempealeau, WI)

www.fws.gov/midwest/trempealeau
Contact: Jennifer R. Lilla, Environmental Education and Volunteer Coordinator
Phone: 608-539-2311, ext. 6
Email: Jennifer_Lilla@fws.gov

UW-Madison Arboretum (Madison, WI)

www.uwarboretum.org
Contact: Judy Kingsbury, Volunteer Program Coordinator
Phone: 608-262-5604
Email: jakingsb@uwarb.wisc.edu

Welty Environmental Center (Beloit)

www.weltycenter.org
Contact: Lena Verkuilen, Center Director
Phone: 608- 361-1377
Email: info@weltycenter.org

Wisconsin Invasive Species Council

Associated with the Department of Natural Resources. Check out the whole calendar of events
http://invasivespecies.wi.gov/awareness/section.asp?linkid=1558&locid=63

Patch Order Form

Patch Order Form

Mail or email the completed forms to:

GSWIBC, Attn: Happy Habitats,
2710 Ski Lane
Madison, WI 53713

madisonshop@gsbadgerland.org

Words to Know:

Habitat- a home for wildlife – it includes food, water, shelter and space – which is everything that an animal needs to survive.

Native Species- a plant or animal that lives in an area naturally, without human interference

Invasive Species- plants or animals that invade an area and negatively impact the ecology, economy or environment

Ecology- study of living things and their relationship with their environment

Biodiversity- variety of plants and animal species

Connect This to Your Journey

In Between Earth & Sky, Daisy and her flower friends travel all the way to Alaska to meet Clover’s cousin the White Sweetclover, an invasive species that needs to leave Alaska. Girl Scout Daisies can stay in Badgerland and help remove invasive plants at home.

In The Daisy Flower garden, characters clean up weeds around the Daisy Flower Garden to help Daisy, her friends and wildlife thrive. You can connect this to pulling invasive plants.

Brownies on the WOW! Journey learn about different habitats including wetlands. Wetlands are one of the most species-rich, wild habitats on Earth! Learn about the diversity of life in a wetland as girls plant native species or remove non-native, invasive plants.

Juniors completing the Get Moving! Journey learn about energy and animals that need lots of energy to complete their migrations. As girls plant native species, find out which animals they help feed. Do these animals need energy for long migrations or to make it through long, hard winters?

Cadettes learning about clean air on their Breathe Journey will learn how to greenery can improve their well-being. Plant a native flower garden to both clean the air and provide a resting spot for people and wildlife. Discover why native plants are the most eco-friendly plants to grow.

There are many benefits to planting native species, and many ways to reduce the spread of invasive species, can you or your Girl Scout troop teach others about this?

Tree Planting Projects

Tree planting is a project Girl Scout troops can do in the spring! The Department of Natural Resources sells high quality, native species at cost to Girl Scout troops. An expert DNR forester is located in each county and a great resource for you. Visit this site for more information about tree planting as a project. And not to worry...troops can order less than the minimum 1000 seedlings.

For more information visit: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/TreePlanting/

What's in a Patch

The flower on the Happy Habitats Patch is a Northern Wild Monkshood. It grows only in small pockets in New York, Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin. In Wisconsin it is found in the Driftless area in Badgerland Council. The plant is on the Endangered Species list as a “Threatened Species” because of loss of its natural habitat. The goods news is that a program like Happy Habitats can reestablish space for the Monkshood and bring back this beautiful flower. Why is the bumblebee on the patch? Well, Monkshood lives in habitats with bumblebees. The bees get food from the flower’s pollen, and at the same time, the flower is pollinated to make seeds to grow more plants!

Girl Scout Service Center - Madison
2710 Ski Ln,
Madison, WI 53713
800.236.2710
608.276.8500
608.276.9160 (fax)

Girl Scout Service Center - Beloit
1201 Big Hill Ct
Beloit, WI 53511
800.236.2710
608.362.8922
608.362.4084 (fax)

Girl Scout Service Center - La Crosse
2710 Quarry Rd
La Crosse, WI 54601
800.236.2710
608.784.3693
608.784.3613 (fax)

Girl Scout Service Center -Platteville
305 East Business Hwy 151
Suite D
Platteville, WI 53818
800.236.2710
608.348.7203
608.276.9160(fax)

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