Resources
—Natural Environment—
The resources listed below are unique to this page, and fall under this general category. Browse the sub-categories in the carousel above if you are looking for a resource that falls under a more specific topic.
Author:
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Creator:
Fiedler, Jenny
Description:
Breeding bird populations were surveyed in two habitat types sharing a watershed
in the Upper Mississippi River basin during the summer of 1999. Two routes in
each of two study sites were surveyed mornings during 14 weeks between April
14th and July 31st; night surveys were also conducted to observe nocturnal species.
Routes were surveyed using the methodology of the Wisconsin Breeding Bird
Atlas, and observations of species present, abundance, breeding level, and habitat
were recorded. A total of 124 avian species were observed (84 in Hixon forest and
102 in Myrick marsh). Sixty-five and 74 species in Hixon forest and Myrick marsh
respectively were considered summer residents; 41.5% and 58.1% of those respectively
were confirmed by observation to be breeders. Diversity indices indicated
that avian populations in Hixon forest were slightly more diverse. Average abundance
of avian populations in Myrick marsh were found to be significantly higher
using an independent T-test (P<0.05). Similar percentages of neotropical migrants,
which as a group have experienced recent population declines, were found in
Hixon forest and Myrick marsh. Comparisons of this survey with other relevant
surveys revealed slight changes in avian communities over time.
Published as part of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 3 (2000)
Published as part of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 3 (2000)
Author:
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Creator:
Wisconsin. Department of Natural Resources.
Description:
A two page, tri-fold brochure describing the successful partnership between the City of La Crosse and Century Telephone (CenturyTel) to create the Riverside Redevelopment Project. Funding sources included brownfield grants from the US Department of Commerce, the Department of Natural Resources and the City of La Crosse. Construction on the building began in the fall of 1999.
Creator:
Frederick Z. Lesher
Description:
Fred Lesher was born in 1936 and attended Carthage College from 1954-1958. He went on to teach at Luther College in Decorah, IA, and later at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN, before moving to La Crosse to teach in the English Department at UWL in 1965 until retiring in 1996. Fred had a life-long interest in ornithology, and eventually became president of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, Iowa Ornithologists Union, and Minnesota Ornithologists Union. From 1958 to 2002 he kept detailed journals of his birding, which his family has entrusted to the Coulee Region Audubon Society. The journals are in 14 volumes with over 3000 pages, and for the first time they are fully available online for any and all that are interested in birding in the Coulee Region over the past 50 years.
Author:
La Crosse Public Library
Description:
Newspaper articles about the history of Grandad Bluff and its role as a park, a geological formation, and a transportation challenge.
Grandad Bluff, the tallest bluff in the area, has been a focal point of the La Crosse community. Limestone rock was quarried from the bluff and this served as a source of building material for many years. However, when the property was about to be sold for large scale quarrying, La Crosse citizens were outraged. A prominent family, Joseph & Irene Hixon, bought the property in 1909 holding it in trust until it was donated as park to the city of La Crosse in 1912.During this time, local citizens, lead by Mrs. G. C. Hixon, raised $15,000 to purchase the property and to help build public roads. Along with this purchase was some property below the bluff which became the nucleus of Hixon Forest.
Grandad Bluff, the tallest bluff in the area, has been a focal point of the La Crosse community. Limestone rock was quarried from the bluff and this served as a source of building material for many years. However, when the property was about to be sold for large scale quarrying, La Crosse citizens were outraged. A prominent family, Joseph & Irene Hixon, bought the property in 1909 holding it in trust until it was donated as park to the city of La Crosse in 1912.During this time, local citizens, lead by Mrs. G. C. Hixon, raised $15,000 to purchase the property and to help build public roads. Along with this purchase was some property below the bluff which became the nucleus of Hixon Forest.
Author:
La Crosse Public Library
Description:
Newspaper articles about the history of Hixon Forest. Hixon Forest traces it roots to the founding of Grandad Bluff as a park. It was donated to the city in 1912 as a park. This collection of articles highlights the beginning of the trail system, a cooperative effort of the Greater La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce and La Crosse Park & Recreation Department, to the new "This is Not a Trail" (TNT) mountain bike trail that leads through Hixon Forest connecting on top of Grandad Bluff to the Human Powered Trail. Some land acquisitions and the beginning of the Nature Center are also highlighted.
For older articles, see History Repeats Itself: Grandad Bluff.
For older articles, see History Repeats Itself: Grandad Bluff.
Author:
La Crosse Public Library
Creator:
La Crosse Tribune
Description:
Newspaper articles related to La Crosse's natural beauty. One of the features residents and newcomers like about La Crosse is its natural beauty located so close to their work and home environments. Topics in this category range from towering bluffs, urban wetlands (the marsh) and bird life in the Coulee Region.
Author:
Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee
Creator:
Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee
Description:
The UMRCC video was produced with the intention of informing and motivating UMR users (boaters, fisherman, hunters, nature enthusiasts, etc.) and decision makers (Natural Resource Managers, legislators) about the significance of the UMR ecosystem and the threats it faces now and in the future.
Item donated by the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee (UMRCC) to Murphy Library in 2018. Part of the UMRCC Collection housed at Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Original VHS converted to digital file.
Item donated by the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee (UMRCC) to Murphy Library in 2018. Part of the UMRCC Collection housed at Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Original VHS converted to digital file.
Author:
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Oral History Program
Description:
Frank discusses growing up in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where she became interested in environmental issues. She describes her work in environmental education and policy and details her involvement in such environmental groups as the Coulee Region Sierra Club, Coulee Region Environmental Education Development (CREED), the Wisconsin Association of Environmental Education, and the Wisconsin Conservation Corps.
Author:
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Oral History Program
Description:
Bob McMahon spends a majority of his interview discussing fishing and natural resources in the La Crosse area. Topics include but are not limited to: fishing as recreation, fishing in Coon Valley (1950s), fish species in Coon Valley, fly fishing limits, threats to recreational fishing (pollution and land usage), farming and run off pollution, Department of Natural Resources, and conservation.
00:01:30 -- Fishing in Coon Valley, 1950s
Author:
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Oral History Program
Description:
Clay Riness discusses fish and fishing in the Coon Creek Watershed around Coon Valley, Wisconsin. Topics include but are not limited to: Rullands Coulee Creek, Spring Coulee Creek, Timber Coulee Creek, Bohemian Valley Creek, Kickapoo River, erosion and pollution, self-employment, environmental issues and education, Mississippi River, fish species, fishing techniques, and recreational fishing.
Author:
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Oral History Program
Description:
Van Loon discusses her ancestors' 1856 emigration from the Netherlands to Wisconsin, where they settled in New Amsterdam. She focuses on her father, John Van Loon, and also discusses general family life and her childhood growing up on a farm in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Topics also discussed include but are not limited to: ancestry, immigration from Holland, LaFleur family, New Amsterdam, Native Americans, Presbyterian Church, marriage and work, Childhood memories, diseases, Joseph Losey, her childhood home, her parents railroad tramps, birthday celebrations, farm animals, Christmas celebrations, farming and harvesting, education, Perkins family, Black Americans, childhood games, bluff hiking, agricultural and horticultural societies, traffic concerns with horses and cars, horse races, bird watching, food and cooking, farm labor, as well as local newspapers papers.
Warning, some bits of this recording has sound issues and the audio is incomprehensible.
Tape 2
Tape 3
Tape 4
Tape 5
Warning, some bits of this recording has sound issues and the audio is incomprehensible.
Tape 2
Tape 3
Tape 4
Tape 5
Author:
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Oral History Program
Description:
Goode discusses environmental issues and her involvement with the Coulee Region Sierra Club in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She mentions members, meetings, fund raising activities, and the evolution of the club.
Author:
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Oral History Program
Description:
Palmer Olson's interview largely focuses on fish and fishing in the Coulee Region. Topics include but are not limited to: fly fishing, fish species, Coon Creek Watershed, Rullands Coulee Creek, Timber Coulee Creek, Coon Valley, fishing regulations, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, farming, fish habitat trends, fly and lure shops, fishing during WWII, fish population in 1990s, logging, pollution, and floods.
Author:
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Oral History Program
Description:
Tip Bagstad's interview focuses largely on fishing in the Coulee Region and his employment in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Topics include but are not limited to: fish species (trout, sucker, and chub) and population in the area, popularity of fishing, threats to different fish species, farming and pollution, conservation methods, streams, projects on streams in area (Monroe, La Crosse, Vernon, and Crawford counties), and flooding.