Valley Stewardship Network grew from the local steering committee of the Trout Unlimited Home Rivers Initiative in cooperation with Community Conservation, Inc. of Gays Mills. This group met from 1997 to 1999 and they provided GIS computers, software, local data layers and teacher training to eight local Kickapoo watershed schools and also drafted a final Kickapoo Management Plan. The group envisioned a citizen-driven, non-regulatory organization, operating neighbor to neighbor, as the path to grassroots success in preserving the quality of life in the Kickapoo Watershed. VSN is that group and was incorporated in October of 2000.
VSN Timeline
Listed below are just some of VSN’s accomplishments since its inception:
2009
As part of the Food and Farm Initiative, VSN presented the results of its 18-month long study on local food economies in the Kickapoo Valley, including a comprehensive community food assessment for Vernon County. VSN’s Jessica Luhning and Ken Meter, CEO of Crossroads Resource Center in Minneapolis, presented the implications of the study to Kickapoo Valley residents.
Also as part of the Food and Farm Initiative, VSN established the summer gleaning project, which invites volunteers to help collect fresh produce from local organic farms that would otherwise be discarded and deliver the produce to a local retirement home. There, experienced chefs share recipes and techniques for cooking the food.
A field day in May taught VSN members and friends about migratory birds. Craig Thompson of the Wisconsin DNR and Maggie Jones led outings to identify birds and birdsongs. Craig also presented a slideshow about the Central American areas where many of Wisconsin’s migratory birds spend their winters.
VSN’s WQM program experienced unprecedented interest from local landowners in monitoring the quality of area creeks and rivers. Several training workshops were held, including one that trained school teachers on bringing water quality testing into the classroom.
VSN’s annual June Friendraiser was held at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Visitor’s Center and featured a presentation from author and ecological restoration expert Steven Apfelbaum.
2008
VSN facilitated formation of a “The Natural Step” study group in Viroqua.
Food and Farm Initiative held a Food Summit and hired Ken Meter of the Crossroad Resource Center to conduct an economic analysis of watershed counties. Presented in May. Farm to School programs included a “Ratatouille Night” as a welcome back to school and on-going student nutrition education.
Coordinated a presentation by UW Faculty and USGS Staff of the Northeast Karst Study followed by a discussion of possible Karst identification efforts for this area.
Field Day: Migratory birds of the forest held at Maggie Jones’.
Coordinated screenings of the “Keeping the Lights On” documentary about Wisconsin coal generated power and its implications and the Dairyland Power Cooperative coal ash proposal. VSN joined with other stakeholders to host a September coal ash issue summit meeting of experts from around the country with a keynote presentation by Jeffrey Stant of the Environmental Integrity Project.
Joined River Alliance of Wisconsin in a “Paddle the Kickapoo” event.
Staff and volunteers worked closely with Work Force Connections sponsored folks to do river clean up projects along the Kickapoo throughout the summer and fall months.
The September Harvest Dinner gave 250 diners the pleasure of eating a spectacular meal prepared by local chefs and volunteers almost entirely from locally produced ingredients. The evening was one to remember.
VSN continued its tradition of semiannual Agency Collaboration meetings and also participated in the Vernon County Comprehensive Planning committee meetings throughout the year.
2007
VSN hosted river cleanup outings for members and other volunteers in May
The entire region experienced 500-year flooding in August; VSN contributed to Crawford County rural flood relief efforts.
Concentrated Animal Feeding operations (CAFOs) targeted the watershed region again. VSN worked with citizens to request a Vernon County moratorium; County approved Comprehensive Planning and adopted state-structured Livestock Licensing / Siting ordinance; denies moratorium.
Crawford Stewardship Project proceeded to educate in opposition of CAFOs that county with help from VSN staff.
Dairyland Power Cooperative announced plans to create waste ash landfill using 600 acres of prime Vernon County farmland. VSN began coordinating efforts and supporting all stakeholders to find alternatives.
2006
February – Mary Rehwald presented talk about The Natural Step and community sustainability.
April – Advanced Macroinvertebrate workshop at West Fork Sports Club.
May – Invasives Species land walk and educational workshop held at property in Crawford county that exhibits woodland, wetland and prairie ecosystems. River Cleanup event continueed from Trout Creek road to below Soldiers Grove.
December – Second Edition of Owning Rural Lands was published. Expanded sections on conservation easements and invasive species were included.
2005
VSN members and friends helped clean up the Kickapoo River from Readstown to Soldiers Grove. A great crew of volunteers worked together, made great food and played fun music. Thousands of pounds of litter was gathered from the river and nearby roadways.
Greg Brown & musical friends played a sold-out VSN benefit at Viroqua’s Temple Theatre.
Water monitoring expanded to include periodic gathering on West Fork in response to March fish kill at Jersey Valley Lake. E coli monitoring twice weekly continued during April to October for three well-used stretches of the northern Kickapoo. Rainfall driven E coli bacteria levels remained alarmingly high. University research project partners were able to identify the DNA sources of the bacteria.
VSN collaborated with Vernon Co. Solid Waste Department and local retailers to recycle rechargeable batteries and cell phones.
2004
As an Organic Valley partner and co-sponsor, VSN presented workshops and provided an informational booth at the annual Kickapoo Fair in La Farge. Fun raffles help raise funds.
Owning Rural Lands: A Guide for the Kickapoo River Watershed was published. A handbook aimed primarily at newer landowners, the booklet was very well-received. (A second expanded edition was published in 2006.)
2003
VSN conducted a three-month community visioning event, called Kickapoo Conversations, for the entire watershed. 228 residents attended a series of three meetings at north, south and central locations. Trained VSN volunteers facilitated the process to discuss seven typical planning topics and create a consolidated vision statement for the watershed. The results were gathered into a report along with many tools and resources, including possible action items, to help local communities approach state-mandated planning activities.
2002
VSN sponsors watershed poetry competition, publishes Voices of the Valley collection.
2002 – 2003
VSN hosted the annual “Celebrate the Kickapoo” community event including featured presentations, informative workshops, poetry readings, nature-based kids activities, great food & music.
2000
VSN incorporated, board of directors filed for and received non-profit status from IRS.
1998
Funding from TU and the Paul E. Stry Foundation laid the groundwork to form Valley Stewardship Network citizens group.
1996 – 1999
Trout Unlimited (TU) & Community Conservation (CC) collaborated via the TU Home River Initiative project to create pro-active stewardship efforts in the Kickapoo River Watershed. Education and awareness efforts also promoted community pride, compatible development and communication with the watershed.
History
Valley Stewardship Network grew from the local steering committee of the Trout Unlimited Home Rivers Initiative in cooperation with Community Conservation, Inc. of Gays Mills. This group met from 1997 to 1999 and they provided GIS computers, software, local data layers and teacher training to eight local Kickapoo watershed schools and also drafted a final Kickapoo Management Plan. The group envisioned a citizen-driven, non-regulatory organization, operating neighbor to neighbor, as the path to grassroots success in preserving the quality of life in the Kickapoo Watershed. VSN is that group and was incorporated in October of 2000.
VSN Timeline
Listed below are just some of VSN’s accomplishments since its inception:
2009
As part of the Food and Farm Initiative, VSN presented the results of its 18-month long study on local food economies in the Kickapoo Valley, including a comprehensive community food assessment for Vernon County. VSN’s Jessica Luhning and Ken Meter, CEO of Crossroads Resource Center in Minneapolis, presented the implications of the study to Kickapoo Valley residents.
Also as part of the Food and Farm Initiative, VSN established the summer gleaning project, which invites volunteers to help collect fresh produce from local organic farms that would otherwise be discarded and deliver the produce to a local retirement home. There, experienced chefs share recipes and techniques for cooking the food.
A field day in May taught VSN members and friends about migratory birds. Craig Thompson of the Wisconsin DNR and Maggie Jones led outings to identify birds and birdsongs. Craig also presented a slideshow about the Central American areas where many of Wisconsin’s migratory birds spend their winters.
VSN’s WQM program experienced unprecedented interest from local landowners in monitoring the quality of area creeks and rivers. Several training workshops were held, including one that trained school teachers on bringing water quality testing into the classroom.
VSN’s annual June Friendraiser was held at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Visitor’s Center and featured a presentation from author and ecological restoration expert Steven Apfelbaum.
2008
VSN facilitated formation of a “The Natural Step” study group in Viroqua.
Food and Farm Initiative held a Food Summit and hired Ken Meter of the Crossroad Resource Center to conduct an economic analysis of watershed counties. Presented in May. Farm to School programs included a “Ratatouille Night” as a welcome back to school and on-going student nutrition education.
Coordinated a presentation by UW Faculty and USGS Staff of the Northeast Karst Study followed by a discussion of possible Karst identification efforts for this area.
Field Day: Migratory birds of the forest held at Maggie Jones’.
Coordinated screenings of the “Keeping the Lights On” documentary about Wisconsin coal generated power and its implications and the Dairyland Power Cooperative coal ash proposal. VSN joined with other stakeholders to host a September coal ash issue summit meeting of experts from around the country with a keynote presentation by Jeffrey Stant of the Environmental Integrity Project.
Joined River Alliance of Wisconsin in a “Paddle the Kickapoo” event.
Staff and volunteers worked closely with Work Force Connections sponsored folks to do river clean up projects along the Kickapoo throughout the summer and fall months.
The September Harvest Dinner gave 250 diners the pleasure of eating a spectacular meal prepared by local chefs and volunteers almost entirely from locally produced ingredients. The evening was one to remember.
VSN continued its tradition of semiannual Agency Collaboration meetings and also participated in the Vernon County Comprehensive Planning committee meetings throughout the year.
2007
VSN hosted river cleanup outings for members and other volunteers in May
The entire region experienced 500-year flooding in August; VSN contributed to Crawford County rural flood relief efforts.
Concentrated Animal Feeding operations (CAFOs) targeted the watershed region again. VSN worked with citizens to request a Vernon County moratorium; County approved Comprehensive Planning and adopted state-structured Livestock Licensing / Siting ordinance; denies moratorium.
Crawford Stewardship Project proceeded to educate in opposition of CAFOs that county with help from VSN staff.
Dairyland Power Cooperative announced plans to create waste ash landfill using 600 acres of prime Vernon County farmland. VSN began coordinating efforts and supporting all stakeholders to find alternatives.
2006
February – Mary Rehwald presented talk about The Natural Step and community sustainability.
April – Advanced Macroinvertebrate workshop at West Fork Sports Club.
May – Invasives Species land walk and educational workshop held at property in Crawford county that exhibits woodland, wetland and prairie ecosystems. River Cleanup event continueed from Trout Creek road to below Soldiers Grove.
December – Second Edition of Owning Rural Lands was published. Expanded sections on conservation easements and invasive species were included.
2005
VSN members and friends helped clean up the Kickapoo River from Readstown to Soldiers Grove. A great crew of volunteers worked together, made great food and played fun music. Thousands of pounds of litter was gathered from the river and nearby roadways.
Greg Brown & musical friends played a sold-out VSN benefit at Viroqua’s Temple Theatre.
Water monitoring expanded to include periodic gathering on West Fork in response to March fish kill at Jersey Valley Lake. E coli monitoring twice weekly continued during April to October for three well-used stretches of the northern Kickapoo. Rainfall driven E coli bacteria levels remained alarmingly high. University research project partners were able to identify the DNA sources of the bacteria.
VSN collaborated with Vernon Co. Solid Waste Department and local retailers to recycle rechargeable batteries and cell phones.
2004
As an Organic Valley partner and co-sponsor, VSN presented workshops and provided an informational booth at the annual Kickapoo Fair in La Farge. Fun raffles help raise funds.
Owning Rural Lands: A Guide for the Kickapoo River Watershed was published. A handbook aimed primarily at newer landowners, the booklet was very well-received. (A second expanded edition was published in 2006.)
2003
VSN conducted a three-month community visioning event, called Kickapoo Conversations, for the entire watershed. 228 residents attended a series of three meetings at north, south and central locations. Trained VSN volunteers facilitated the process to discuss seven typical planning topics and create a consolidated vision statement for the watershed. The results were gathered into a report along with many tools and resources, including possible action items, to help local communities approach state-mandated planning activities.
2002
VSN sponsors watershed poetry competition, publishes Voices of the Valley collection.
2002 – 2003
VSN hosted the annual “Celebrate the Kickapoo” community event including featured presentations, informative workshops, poetry readings, nature-based kids activities, great food & music.
2000
VSN incorporated, board of directors filed for and received non-profit status from IRS.
1998
Funding from TU and the Paul E. Stry Foundation laid the groundwork to form Valley Stewardship Network citizens group.
1996 – 1999
Trout Unlimited (TU) & Community Conservation (CC) collaborated via the TU Home River Initiative project to create pro-active stewardship efforts in the Kickapoo River Watershed. Education and awareness efforts also promoted community pride, compatible development and communication with the watershed.