Keep Watering in Fall to Protect Evergreens from Winter Burn

‘Winter burn’ refers to a type of damage to evergreen foliage that typically occurs over winter. Common symptoms are browning and dying from the tips of the foliage inward. Several factors cause winter burn on evergreens, including winter ‘thaws’ while the ground is frozen, dry soil in autumn, a long period of very cold temperatures, […]

Fertilizing Lawns

Lawns really benefit from fertilization at least once a year with nitrogen-containing products to maintain turf density, shade out weed seedlings and prevent runoff. If you only do it once, it is best to do it now, between Labor Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 10.  Apply no more than one pound of actual […]

Engaging Conversation through Art: The CarbonEra Cafe

by Sharon Lezberg, Community Development Educator Climate conversations can be initiated in so many different ways. Some conversations are prompted by a powerful question. Other conversations emerge due to circumstances, such as a flood, fire, or other evidence of environmental change. Some of the most powerful conversations are inspired by a creative catalyst, such as […]

Local Communities: Key Players in Addressing Climate Change

by Sharon Lezberg, Community Development Educator There’s no doubt that Individual actions such as eliminating air travel, reducing car miles, and eating less meat can result in significant carbon reductions. I know from my own experience that when my friends and colleagues are taking action, it motivates me to follow their lead. Individual actions can […]

Local Government Leadership Academy Graduates Recognized at WCA Conference

Fifteen individuals, including two from Dane County (Julia Arata Fratta, Fitchburg, and Jacob King, Sun Prairie), were recognized this month for completing the Wisconsin Local Government Leadership Academy. Their graduation took place at the Wisconsin Counties Association annual conference in the Wisconsin Dells. The Local Government Leadership Academy is a collaborative effort between UW-Madison Division […]

Tree Canopy – A Tool To Build Climate Resilience

Author: Lisa Johnson, Horticulture Educator The Dane County Office of Energy and Climate Change has created a Climate Action Plan to cut carbon emissions in half within the next decade. One of the ways to help achieve this goal is to protect existing trees and increase tree canopy cover in the county. The non-profit American […]

Food Waste & Composting

Approximately ⅓ – or 1.3 billion tons– of food is wasted annually, posing a critical humanitarian and environmental issue (2021 UNEP Food Waste Index). Composting is one of five actions outlined in the Food Recovery Hierarchy that should be taken to prevent and divert food waste from landfills. Source Reduction: The first step towards food […]

Climate Change & Composting

Author: Maya Walther, Natural Resource Intern Composting is a practical climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy that can be adopted at the individual level. As a climate action strategy, composting has the potential to divert a large portion of organic materials from landfills, while returning these nutrients to the soil. Composting offers a solution for […]

Organics Management Grant: Helping Pave The Way for More Community Composting in Dane County

Administered by the Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables, the Organics Management Grant seeks to provide funding for community composting projects that help reduce the amount of organics (foodscraps, yard waste) being sent to landfills. All Dane County businesses, institutions, municipalities, Native American tribal governments and organizations, community groups, and nonprofit organizations are eligible […]

It’s All Connected–How Climate Change is Affecting Our Lakes

By Michelle Probst, former Natural Resources Educator I attended a workshop where participants in the room were asked to silently pick two random people in the room and, without those people knowing, you had to stay equally distanced from the two people. People moved throughout the room, slowly, carefully, to make sure they stayed in […]

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