“ We Don’t Have a Runoff Problem, We Have an Infiltration Problem” That’s a quote I pulled from the bottom of an email from a conservation technician in Pierce County. What he’s pointing out is that our problem is not that too much water is getting into ditches, streams, and lakes. It’s that not enough water is being held where it’s falling. And when that water leaves the place it fell, it takes some of the soil as well as nutrients (i.e., pollutants) with it. According to the Farmers’ Almanac, one inch of rain on one acre of land represents 27,143 gallons  of water. So what happens when we get a storm that drops about 4 inches of rain on a 20-acre parcel? The impact of all that water depends on a lot of variables like how quickly the storm hits, how wet the ground already is, the type of soil on the ground, the slope of the land, and how that land is being managed. Now there’s not a whole lot we can control about how quickly the rain falls or when it comes or many other variables. But farmers CAN do some things to control how much water their soil is able to absorb. Pierce County conservation technician, Dan Sitz, kindly took some data from a 20-acre field southeast of River Falls which drains into the South Fork of the Kinnickinnic River, and calculated how much water would leave that field during at 10-year storm [1] depending on different ways that field was managed. As you can see from the graph, growing plants do a LOT to decrease the amount of water leaving the land. And in general, the greater the mass of plants and the longer those plants are on the soil, the more water will stay on the field. Now you might note, this graph is measuring runoff, but that runoff is affected by land management significantly. By changing tillage practices, farmers can hold almost 20% more water in their fields according to the standard model. Research at the Horse Creek Demonstration Plot in Polk County found even more significant effects. Their trials show that farmers who don’t till and keep growing roots in the ground for more of the year see more than twice as much infiltration and half as much runoff during a 1.8 inch simulated rainstorm. Because of the great impact management choices can have on runoff and infiltration, farmers and landowners are working to incorporate better practices onto their fields. To learn more about our peer-to-peer learning opportunities in the Kinnickinnic watershed, visit farmerledwatershed.org . No-till fields (left) see less loss of water than tilled fields (right). The soil in no-till fields has more structure which allows more infiltration. Small grains like rye (right) and wheat are not planted in wide rows the same as corn and soybeans are. Because they cover more ground with plant material, fields planted to these small grains crops see less runoff during rainstorms than similar row cropped fields. Tara Greiman is the Director of Conservation & Stewardship for the Wisconsin Farmers Union and assists local Farmer-Led Watershed Councils to enhance local farm economic and environmental sustainability. If you have questions or comments, you can reach her at tgreiman@wisconsinfarmersunion.com at 715-492-0329 or follow your local Farmer-Led Watershed Council on Facebook.com/farmerledwatershed .   [1]   "A 10-year storm (which is 4.24" of rain within 24 hours for Pierce County) has a 10 % chance of happening annually.  Larger rain events would be considered more like 25 or 100-year storm events depending on how much rain fell.

Let's learn about pumpkins! Pumpkins are a type of squash that grows throughout the summer and ripens in the fall. They can be eaten or used for decoration. Fun pumpkin facts: Each pumpkin contains about 500 seeds. Once they sprout, pumpkins take between 90 and 120 days to reach maturity. Pumpkins come in many different colors, including orange, yellow, green, white and blue. Join Explorer Jane and Explorer Molly as they go on an adventure to Leisen Family Farm to learn more about the pumpkins and farms! Now it’s your turn, explorers ! Talk with a family member or friend about what your favorite things about fall are. Do you like the cooler weather? The changing colors of the leaves? Pumpkin Life Cycle: Explorers, can you draw a line from the numbers to the growth stages of a pumpkin? Share it with us! With a parent or guardian's help, send us a picture of your bug hotel by emailing it to molly@kinniriver.org or jane@kinniriver.org Remember to Keep Exploring!

Let's learn about the fall colors and what trees you can find at The Community Forest Nature Preserve! In the fall, when the weather starts to cool and the days become shorter you might notice that the bright green leaves in the trees start to shift into orange, red, and brown. Join Explorer Jane and Explorer Molly as they go on an adventure to The Community Forest Nature Preserve to learn more about why trees change colors and what a healthy forest looks like! Now it’s your turn, explorers ! Take a walk outside and see what colors the leaves are in your neighborhood! What type of trees are you seeing? Fall color by numbers: Explorers, color the leaves that fell from the trees? Share it with us! With a parent or guardian's help, send us a picture of your bug hotel by emailing it to molly@kinniriver.org or jane@kinniriver.org Remember to Keep Exploring!

Let's learn about Bluebirds! Bluebirds are migratory birds, which means during the cooler winter months, they fly south to stay warm. When the sun starts warming the ground, and the snow melts, they return. They love to be in areas called prairies. Prairies provide food, shelter, and sometimes a water source. Join Explorer Jane and Explorer Molly as they go on an adventure with Jim Higgins to learn more about the Bluebirds! Now it’s your turn, explorers ! Can you make a bird nest out of grass, flowers, and other nature items you find in your backyard? You can do it! Bluebird Anatomy: Explorers, can you help identify the different parts of a Bluebird? Good luck! Share it with us! With a parent or guardian's help, send us a picture of your bug hotel by emailing it to molly@kinniriver.org or jane@kinniriver.org Remember to Keep Exploring!

What are wild words? The Keeper of Wild Words is written by Brooke Smith and illustrated by Madeline Kloepper. It is a book about a grandmother and her granddaughter's adventure to find wild words and keep them safe. Join Explorer Jane and Explorer Molly on a quest to find all of the wild words on their list! What do you think we will find? Now it’s your turn, explorers ! Create your own list of wild words to find in your backyard, a local park or one of the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust nature preserves. Good luck! Wild word search: Explorers, can you help us find the hidden words in the word search? Maybe you found a few of them during your wild word adventure! Share it with us! With a parent or guardian's help, send us a picture of your bug hotel by emailing it to molly@kinniriver.org or jane@kinniriver.org Remember to Keep Exploring!

What is a watershed? A watershed is the land surrounding a river or lake. These areas include prairies, forests, and wetlands. They funnel melted snow and rainwater into rivers or lakes through channels in the rock, soil, or sand. In a healthy watershed, this process can filter the water to help make the river or lake's waters clean and clear. Join Explorer Jane and Explorer Molly on an adventure exploring the Kinnickinnic River watershed! Now it’s your turn, explorers ! Create your very own watershed in your backyard using natural elements. Make the riverbed out of tin foil, sand, or dirt! Add sticks, plants, and rocks along the way. How does your river change? Is it deeper or wider in some areas? Can you float a bottle cap down it? We would love to see pictures of what you created! Watershed maze: Can you help Mr. Frog find his way from the headwaters to the river? Share it with us! With a parent or guardian's help, send us a picture of your bug hotel by emailing it to molly@kinniriver.org or jane@kinniriver.org Remember to Keep Exploring!

What is a Land Trust? Land Trusts work with the community to protect land that includes important habitats and ecosystems like big forests, rivers, lakes, prairies, and wetlands. Join Explorer Jane and Explorer Molly on a quest to learn more about Land Trusts! What do you think we will find? Now it’s your turn, explorers ! Your backyard is a type of habitat! Take a walk in your backyard and see if you can spot a bug, bird, or other type of animal's habitat. Maybe it's a nest in a tree, a spiderweb next to your home, or a bug burrowing into an old log. Imagine what a day in the life of that critter might look like! What do they eat? When do they sleep? What do you think they like to do for fun? Your backyard is a safe place for these critters! We can't wait to see what you discover! Habitat Connection: The critters in the activity sheet got lost! Can you help them find their habitat? Click below to download and print a fun activity! Need some help? Ask a parent or guardian to help you! Share it with us! With a parent or guardian's help, send us a picture of your bug hotel by emailing it to molly@kinniriver.org or jane@kinniriver.org Remember to Keep Exploring!

In the past couple of articles for the South Kinni farmer group, I’ve talked about incorporating soil health principles into row crop fields. These fields represent a huge portion of our landscape, and they’re very important. However, pastures have a big impact on our watersheds as well. And when you consider that about 60% of the corn grown on Wisconsin farms goes to feed livestock, it becomes clear that how we manage our animals is quite connected to the crops. When people think of livestock and water quality, they often think of concerns with manure management. That’s a fair pairing sometimes, because when we have many animals confined to the same space for a long time, the manure buildup can become a huge challenge. So why am I suggesting beef can protect a watershed? Because as many folks in the grassfed world like to say, it’s not the cow, it's the how. Ecosystems are meant to have animals on them, but in natural systems, the herds move across the landscape, leaving where they’ve just grazed so it can rest and re-grow. Let’s talk about pasture. If you remember previous articles we’ve shared in this newsletter, we’ve talked about some key principles of soil health: cover the soil, keep a living root in the ground, minimize soil disturbance, and biodiversity. Now, if you picture a healthy pasture, all of those factors are met. Pastures have living roots in the ground 365 days a year, they should not have bare ground, they are infrequently, if ever, tilled up and most experienced farmers will try to protect them from being torn up by livestock during the wettest seasons. And diversity? Nothing beats a good mix of pasture plants plus all the bacteria coming out the back end of the cow to add biological diversity to the landscape. While much of the beef at the supermarket comes from large-scale grain-fed operations from Nebraska and even Brazil, many farmers in our local watersheds do sell pasture-raised cattle. As noted earlier, most of the corn grown on the landscape goes towards feeding livestock. The remaining large slice of that pie largely goes to ethanol production. While we have many row crop farmers doing good work to grow crops and protect the landscape through management and engineered field practices, healthy pastures still see MUCH less erosion and less nutrient loss to the watershed than cropped fields. Farmers who are keeping tall pastures and healthy livestock on them are creating a sustainable profit on land that would often otherwise be cropped and likely to see sediment and other compounds leaving those fields. Because of this, omnivorous lakeshore residents and river-minded folks would be well-advised to find a local farmer in your watershed who is managing beef through what we call “rotational grazing” or “adaptive management”. These terms mean the farmers are moving the cattle (or bison or other livestock) through different pastures before the pastures become over-eaten and degraded, and allowing their pastures to rest periodically without livestock on them so the plants can bounce back afterward. There are many resources to learn more about grass-fed beef and the benefits. But the best option is often to connect with local farmers in your area. If you’re interested in buying beef that protects your local waters, we can help you find a farmer who can help you fill your freezer. A Google search of grass-fed beef or local Facebook marketplace might help, but if you want help finding someone whose management matches your values, we can help you connect through your local Farmer-Led Watershed Council or your local Wisconsin Farmers Union chapter. Thanks for reading, next time, we’ll walk through a couple of local farms. Tara Greiman-Daun is the Director of Conservation & Stewardship for the Wisconsin Farmers Union and assists local Farmer-Led Watershed Councils locally to enhance local farm economic and environmental sustainability. To contact Tara, you can reach her at tdaun@wisconsinfarmersunion.com at 715-492-0329 or follow your local Farmer-Led Watershed Council on Facebook.com/farmerledwatershed .

The South Kinnickinnic Farmer-Led Watershed Council consists of farmers and agricultural landowners who are interested in seeing farmers in the neighborhood continue to grow crops profitably while also minimizing soil and nutrient loss from their fields. In the KinniKeeper Newsletter, we shared a few details on how that can look with in-field agronomic practices that protect soil. This article will explain a couple of other measures farmers with erosion troubles can add to their fields. These engineered practices are a big investment but can make a big difference in erosion. However, these structures need to be engineered based on the slope of the field and the needs and are often formed in partnership with agencies and excavators who can provide technical assistance.   Grassed waterways are very common throughout Pierce County, WI. With our steep slopes, farmers in the county have long realized the importance of slowing down water as it runs down the hills within fields. The best way to slow down rainwater is often by adding a grassy zone where the water is likely to flow. The roots and blades hold onto the soil so it doesn’t get washed out as rainwater funnels through, and also slow the water down as it travels to reduce its capacity to pick up more debris as it travels. This gives the soil a better chance to infiltrate the water instead of diverting it quickly to nearby ditches and ultimately rivers and lakes. Results from Wisconsin Discovery Farms studies have shown that adding grassed waterways, even in no-till fields, can reduce sediment loss by 99%! Because of their importance, the South Kinni Farmer-Led Council provides an incentive payment per foot to farmers or landowners installing waterways onto their fields. (see graph at bottom of page)   One other engineered practice you’re likely to see farmers in the watershed investing in is what we refer to as dams or grade stabilization structures. These earthen structures are often created where large gullies have formed and are creating huge washouts in tree lines just off the field. The site is re-graded and designed to slow down the water to allow it to infiltrate naturally with stabilized outlets when the dam overflows in heavy rain events. In 2022, Pierce County Land Conservation Department celebrated the installation of their 1000th dam. These dams reduce surface runoff by 67% on average. Although these projects do have some cost-share options, they represent a significant cost to build (as well as time!). We are so thankful that farmers in our area understand the importance of setting land aside and investing in their soil and water quality. If you’d like more information on the South Kinnickinnic Farmer-Led Watershed Council or want to learn about applying any of these practices on your farm, you can find us online: https://farmerledwatershed.org/south-kinnickinnic-watershed/ or by following us on facebook.com/farmerledwatershed . If you want to ask a question directly regarding farmland conservation or the South Kinni Farmer-Led Watershed Council, you can contact Tara Greiman-Daun at tdaun@wisconsinfarmersunion.com at 715-492-0329 Figure 1: Source UW Madison Extension Division of Agriculture Water Quality. See full article: https://agwater.extension.wisc.edu/articles/grassed-waterways-are-fundamental-in-reducing-erosion-and-impacting-water-quality/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3qproYMQ1Qa6gbiUbOMu-U2HHQRTHi0_qXljAKQMztjNa4sOnzJc3TDcA_aem_ISJC9U6mfGYdqeABt-CRwA

Headwater Preserve KRLT has contracted a logger to harvest the pine plantation at the Headwaters Nature Preserve. The plan is to restore the area back to prairie oak savanna. The project will be funded by a Natural Resource Conservation Service – Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) grant we received. June was a busy month as the loggers completed the cutting and stacking of the wood. Site cleanup has begun with the stacking of slash that will be burned this winter. Site prep for planting prairie seed will begin next year. The Headwaters Preserve's restoration project is part of the WDNR Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area . The goal is to permanently protect and restore 20,000 acres of grassland, wetlands, and oak savannas. Invasive Species Control June is an important time to control invasive plants on the KRLT preserves.  We have been actively removing Tansy and Wild Parsnip this month at Kelly Creek, Drewiske Preserve, and the Community Forest.  Hand pulling or cutting the root below the soil surface is effective during June when the plant begins to flower but before it begins to develop seeds.  Removed mature plants during June usually requires two years of control to bring invasives under control.  Caution is required when controlling wild parsnip because plant juices can react with sunlight to cause chemical burns on your skin. I did controls on cloudy or rainy days, wore rubber gloves, long sleeves and a mosquito net or face shield to protect my face. Conservation Easements During June, I met with three different landowners to discuss whether a conservation easement on their land would be appropriate.  While several landowners are considering their options at this time, the Land Trust has decided to move forward with a 60-acre conservation easement in the South Fork of the Kinnickinnic River Watershed.  The process includes evaluating the benefits on the property, conducting legal land surveys to describe conservation zones and drafting a conservation easement with landowner and Land Trust approval. Click here for more information about conservation easements. June Prairie Blooms June is a very interesting time to visit Kelly Creek as various prairie plants begin to bloom.  Something new is blooming every week and will continue through the summer months. Marty Engel Land Stewardship Manager marty@kinniriver.org

What is Phenology? Studying the change in nature during each season. Seeing the color of the leaves change in the fall, hearing the spring frogs croaking, and watching for the migrating birds to come back in the warmer months are all great examples of phenology! Join Explorer Jane and Explorer Molly on a summer phenology hike at Kelly Creek Nature Preserve ! What do you think we will find? Now it’s your turn, explorers ! Get outside and take a walk or hike and pay attention to what you are seeing and hearing in nature. Write it down: Click below to download and print your own summer phenology report or take a notebook or piece of paper with you and write about it. Need some help? Ask a parent or guardian to document your adventure! Share it with us! With a parent or guardian's help, send us a picture of your phenology findings by emailing it to molly@kinniriver.org or jane@kinniriver.org Remember to Keep Exploring!