Stay tuned for this new blog about what is happening in the Kinnickinnic River Watershed and other communities within the beautiful state of Wisconsin. This blog will be written by Tara Greiman-Daun Director of Conservation and Stewardship for the Wisconsin Farmers Union.

There is nothing like spring birding!  A long winter of anticipation ended.  In the spring with migration at its height in May the possibilities for sightings are endless.  But birding is a verb not a noun.  It’s the process, the activity of birding that is so much fun.  You never know what you may see or hear. Warblers are my latest passion.  Moving about in the trees and under the brush, never quite holding still long enough for that good clear look.  even the chance at a photograph,can be a supreme challenge.  But, is it ever worth the effort.  The color variations.  The hope of seeing a rarity.  All adds to the thrill. Not only warblers but vireos, flycatchers, sparrows, orioles, rose breasted grosbeak, tanangers, bluebirds all a possibility for that first sighting.  I have found it is not only the sighting but also the listening for these varied species.  Sound is quite often more important than sight when the leaves start to sprout out and become an obstacle to seeing.  Luckily there are phone apps that can help with this such as Cornell Labs -  Merlin Bird ID.  Get out there and enjoy this wonderful resource prominently on display at our KRLT Nature Preserves such as Kelly Creek. For directions to this and other KRLT Nature Preserves click on the Visit The Kinni section of the website. Mark Ritzinger Board Treasurer

Looking for information and stories from our e-newsletter Keeping Current? You’ve come to the right spot! We look forward to sharing additional details and information about articles from the monthly e-newsletter!

Thank you again for attending the Outdoors for All: A Community Conversation about Nature, Health, and Equity in October of 2023. It was a helpful experience for the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust (KRLT) and provided us with important insight into what all of you are experiencing. We listened and have been hard at work taking several steps to help overcome some of those barriers you identified about accessing open spaces. It’s the start in the right direction, but we need to continue this conversation as we walk down this long path together.  Here are several initiatives we’re taking on in 2024 based on your comments. Kinni Explorers - an Outdoor Discovery Program for families. Families have many challenges with time, money, and other concerns. We heard it expressed many times at the event. KRLT is working with community partners to create equal opportunities for families (single parent, multigenerational, guardianship, nuclear) to experience the outdoors to help improve their mental and physical well-being. Our goal is to create a welcoming environment at our preserves for all, regardless of abilities, race, class, gender, and age, to help families learn together in the outdoors. The Hudson Hospital Foundation is helping fund our pilot program over the next year. KRLT staff members Molly Barritt-Luebke and Jane Taylor will be working with 35 families representing many demographics to pilot the program. If interested in participating, please contact Molly Barritt-Luebke at molly@kinniriver.org Link to Kinni Explorers web page Universal Access Trail On October 18, River Maria Urke shared her challenges accessing nature due to her progression of Multiple Sclerosis. We also heard from many others about the need to feel welcomed at sites, the need for places to rest in the shade, and many other challenges. KRLT will be using our Kelly Creek Preserve as a community model for a Universal Access Trail design.  We continue to seek out funding to start conceptual designs through an inclusionary community design process to help plan the accessible trails and experiences at Kelly Creek Preserve. If you know of any possible funding sources, please let me know at steve@knniriver.org River Maria Urke - Spotlight Video Link: Universal Access Trails and Shared Use Paths - American Trails UW – River Falls Social Work Dept Intern In the fall of 2024, we have a great opportunity to work with a UW-River Falls intern from the Social Work Dept. Her focus will be to follow up with senior residents on accessing green spaces throughout the region. Our goal is to create pilot programs the first year to then expand from what we’ve learned the following year. If you know of senior living groups or individuals who would like to work with us, please let me know at steve@kinniriver.org Researching Affordable Housing & Conservation Land Trust Partnerships Affordable housing is a critical need locally as well as nationally. I started researching projects where community land trusts have partnered with conservation land trusts to address affordable housing as well as conservation initiatives. One example: Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing and Conservation in New York - RPA | Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing and Conservation. Please contact me at steve@kinnirvier.org if you know of housing initiatives we could learn from, we would like to be a part of this conversation. Improving Our Communication After Outdoors for All, we realized the importance of keeping everyone updated on projects and the need to continue the conversation. We received grants from the River Falls Community Foundation  and St. Croix Electric Cooperative to update our website. We increased our social media presence and print material. Plus, KRLT Social Media Coordinator has partnered with Dr. Kevyn Juneau from UW-River Falls to start a podcast in June 2024 on topics revolving around the Kinni River, KRLT, and of course the Outdoors for All initiative. Topics we all can relate to locally, but also having global connections. There have been conversations about possibly hosting a second event, in Minnesota to reach a larger audience, but we are still at the preliminary stages of discussing this. Please, stay in touch. We’d love to hear your stories about overcoming your own personal barriers to exploring the outdoors. Or if you have other thoughts on individuals, communities, or organizations we should reach out to. Feel free to call me at 715-301-0724 or email at steve@kinniriver.org. Again, thank you for sharing your voices on October 18th. It has given us a direction we hope to fulfill to make sure access to the outdoors is available to all. None of this is possible without your voice. But we also need financial support. Please consider a gift to continue this conversation. Click here to make a donation. Steve Leonard Executive Director

Curious about what’s happening at the KRLT Nature Preserves? Each month, KRLT Land Stewardship Manager, Marty Engel will give a boots on the ground update about restoration projects, trail work, and updates on new conservation initiatives. Check out the Visit Our Nature Preserves tab to learn more about places to visit along the Kinnickinnic River!

Check back for updates on the Kinni Explorers Program! We are currently out gathering fantastic information to share with your little explorers and can’t wait for you to see it. Starting in Mid-June we will be launching a new video, program, and activity sheet every month! Want to be involved in shaping the Kinni Explorers Program? Give Molly Barritt-Luebke a call at 715-425-5738 or email at molly@kinniriver.org