In your yard

https://fwwa.org/2026/01/28/planning-your-garden-check-your-online-plants-before-purchasing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=planning-your-garden-check-your-online-plants-before-purchasing

Got a Boat? Put It to Work for Clean Water

On: June 30, 2025

In: '24, Agriculture, Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, In your yard, Shoreline Blog

If Lake Winnebago is your happy place, here’s a simple way to give back without giving up your weekend. We’re looking for a boat-owning volunteer to help monitor water quality near Fond du Lac. It’s just one short trip a month through early fall. We’ll provide the gear and the training. You bring the [...]

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https://fwwa.org/2025/06/30/boat-monitor/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=boat-monitor

A Mile of Music Playlist That Flows

On: June 30, 2025

In: '24, Agriculture, Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, In your yard, Shoreline Blog

Listen to these water-themed tracks from Mile 12 artists to get you festival-ready Every August, Mile of Music turns downtown Appleton into a four-day celebration of original music. With hundreds of live performances from singer-songwriters and bands across the country, it's a defining event for the Fox Cities music scene and a highlight [...]

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https://fwwa.org/2025/06/30/mile-over-water/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mile-over-water

Time to Transplant! Your Winter-Sown Native Plants Are Ready

On: June 9, 2025

In: '24, Agriculture, Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, In your yard, Shoreline Blog

Time to Transplant Your Winter-Sown Native Plants Your patience paid off. Let’s get planting! You did it! All those milk jugs and months of patience are about to pay off. If you spent the winter sowing seeds and watching your little green sprouts come to life, the time has finally come. It's transplanting [...]

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https://fwwa.org/2025/06/09/transplant-instructions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=transplant-instructions

Watch the video here!

New Video: Winter Sowing for Native Plants and Cleaner Waters

On: December 5, 2024

In: Agriculture, Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, In your yard, Outreach and Education, Shoreline Blog, volunteer opportunity

Winter Sowing for a Healthier Fox-Wolf Watershed

We’re thrilled to share our latest video: Winter Sowing Hack: Grow Native Plants and Protect Water Quality! It’s your guide to making a meaningful impact on water quality and supporting local ecosystems—all from the comfort of your backyard.

Winter sowing is an easy and beginner-friendly method for growing native plants during the colder months. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, this approach is perfect for all skill levels.

Here’s what you’ll learn in the video:

The Power of Native Plants
Discover why native plants are vital for clean water, pollinator health, and thriving ecosystems.

Step-by-Step Winter Sowing Guide
We’ll walk you through how to start your seeds using simple materials like milk jugs and markers.

Best Native Plants for Wisconsin and the Fox-Wolf Watershed
Get our top recommendations for plants that are perfect for our local environment.

By adding native plants to your garden, you’re creating a ripple effect that benefits pollinators, enhances natural beauty, and protects water quality across the Fox-Wolf Watershed.

Together, we can make a difference—one milk jug at a time.

Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more ways to protect and sustain our waters. Let’s sow the seeds for a healthier future!

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https://fwwa.org/2024/12/05/winter-sowing-wisconsin-native-plants/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=winter-sowing-wisconsin-native-plants

Dan Beckwith

Fall Water Garden Clean Up to Keep Our Lakes Healthy

On: October 17, 2024

In: 2024, AIS, aquatic invasive species, fall celanup, Fox Wolf Watershed, fox-wolf, Garden, In your yard, invasive species, plants, water garden, water plants, watershed

Temps Cooling, Fall Cleanup Tips

As we approach the middle of autumn in Northeast Wisconsin, folks are starting to tackle outside projects to prepare for winter. You might be raking leaves, winterizing your spigots, and cleaning up your vegetable garden. Folks are also looking at their backyard ponds and starting to get things wrapped up for the year.

Want a few tips? Check out this short video with Melinda Myers. Melinda, a former Extension Master Gardener Educator herself, is well–known throughout the state and nationally as a gardening expert and trusted voice to bring education, including invasive species education, to gardeners!

Photo Credit:

Questions? Comments? Contact Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator covering Brown, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties at (920) 460-3674 or chris@fwwa.org!

Follow the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance on our Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance Facebook page or @fox_wolf_watershed_alliance on Instagram! You can also sign-up for email updates at fwwa.org.

The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit organization that identifies and advocates effective policies and actions that protect, restore, and sustain water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.

Reporting invasive species is a first step in containing their spread. Maintaining and restoring our waters and landscapes can reduce the impacts even when we don’t have other management options to an invasive species.

The post Fall Water Garden Clean Up to Keep Our Lakes Healthy appeared first on Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.

https://fwwa.org/2024/10/17/fall-water-garden-clean-up-to-keep-our-lakes-healthy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fall-water-garden-clean-up-to-keep-our-lakes-healthy

Free Webinar: Create a Beautiful Landscape Free of Invasive Plants

On: February 15, 2024

In: 2024, AIS, aquatic invasive species, Event - Non-FWWA, In your yard, invasive plants, invasive species, Melinda Myers, Outreach and Education, restoration, webinar

Horticulturist, author, and speaker Melinda Myers will discuss key invasive plants in Wisconsin, share tips on identification, provide ways to control some of the more common problem plants, and suggest alternative plants foSee attached a recent article that Bret Shaw, myself, and other collaborators recently had published in Biological Invasions. Below and attached is some text that helps explain the results of the paper that you can feel free to use in any newsletters you all provide content for. Also attached is factsheet we produced as part of this project a few years ago that covers some of the other recommendations from this project.r your landscape. We hope you can join Melinda to learn more about this important issue.

Webinar: February 28th, 2024 6:30pm

Free Registration

Questions? Comments? Contact Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator covering Brown, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties at (920) 460-3674 or chris@fwwa.org!

Follow the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance’s Winnebago Waterways Program on our Winnebago Waterways Facebook page or @WinnWaterways on X! You can also sign-up for email updates at WinnebagoWaterways.org.

Check out the Keepers of the Fox Program at https://fwwa.org/watershed-recovery/lower-fox-recovery/

Winnebago Waterways and Keepers of the Fox are Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance programs. The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit organization working to protect and restore water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.

The post Free Webinar: Create a Beautiful Landscape Free of Invasive Plants appeared first on Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.

https://fwwa.org/2024/02/15/free-webinar-create-a-beautiful-landscape-free-of-invasive-plants/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=free-webinar-create-a-beautiful-landscape-free-of-invasive-plants

Alligator Found on Lake Michigan Beach

On: November 17, 2023

In: 2023, AIS, alligator, aquatic invasive species, Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, habitat, Habitattitude, In your yard, Lake Michigan, Outreach and Education, PET, pet release, Pet Surrender, rehome

South Milwaukee Police find Gator in Grant Park

Original Story: We Are Green Bay

Alligators are native to the southern portion of the United States, which has officials questioning how one ended up on a beach in Wisconsin. According to the South Milwaukee Police Department, officers took a report of an alligator on Lake Michigan Beach in Grant Park.

The Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC) was also called to the scene to assist in taking the alligator into custody safely. Officer Lewison with the South Milwaukee Police Department was able to locate and take the alligator into custody safely. The gator is now in the hands of MADACC.

It’s been quite the last few months for Wisconsin’s lakeshore, as just two months ago in September, five flamingos showed up at a Port Washington beach. Additionally in August, an ultra-rare Roseate Spoonbill was spotted in Green Bay for the first time in 178 years.

Judging from the size of the alligator, it looks like it was an illegal pet release. While folks may not know what to do with pets that they are no longer able to care for, pets should never be released into the wild. Places like the J&R Aquatic Area Animal Rescue can help rehome your pet at no cost. Make sure your pet isn’t the next one on the evening news!

Photo Credit: South Milwaukee Police

Questions? Comments? Contact Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator covering Brown, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties at (920) 460-3674 or chris@fwwa.org!

Check out the Keepers of the Fox Program at https://fwwa.org/watershed-recovery/lower-fox-recovery/

The post Alligator Found on Lake Michigan Beach appeared first on Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.

https://fwwa.org/2023/11/17/alligator-found-on-lake-michigan-beach/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=alligator-found-on-lake-michigan-beach

Leave Your Leaves On Land

On: September 26, 2023

In: In your yard

Leave Your Leaves On Land

Fall leaves provide beautiful color on trees, but in local waters they contribute to algal blooms. Leaves are a leading contributor of phosphorus in our waters.

Properly cleaning up your yard in the fall will help keep our local waters clean too! Read these tips. Post this sheet in your garage near your rakes. Working together to keep leaves out of the storm drain and out of local waters will help keep green on the land and out of the water.

KEEP YOUR LEAVES ON YOUR PROPERTY

A great way to make sure leaves do not end up in local waters is to keep them on our property!

Mulch leaves in place by making several passes over the leaves with a mulching mower. This will keep leaves on your lawn and provide it with nutrients it needs for healthy grass next spring.

Collect mulched leaves and spread them in garden beds or under shrubs. Leaves provide valuable protection for plants through the winter and also provide nutrients for spring growth.

Composting

Composting is a way to recycle residential “greens” (grass clippings, landscape pruning’s, plant residues, etc.) and turn them into a rich soil, know as compost – a valuable resource for your garden or houseplant.

Cold Composting requires little maintenance but can take up to 2 years to complete. To create a cold compost: pile and mix non-woody yard wastes and let them sit.

Hot Composting requires regular maintenance such as turning and watering, but can create compost in typically 1-3 months time. To create a hot compost pile: mix equal amounts of high nitrogen “greens” and high-carbon “browns” (dry and woody materials such as dead leaves) with 10% bulky materials such as wood chips. The mix should remain moist but not wet and should be turned often.

-More information on composting can be found on our site and on the internet.

Raking & Collection

If you decide to collect your leaves for removal from your yard, follow your community leave collection policies and schedules. Put a tarp over leaf piles between pick-up times to prevent them from blowing away. Remove leaves and debris from street gutters and storm sewer inlet grates. Whenever possible, leaf piles should be placed on the terrace and not in the streets.

Burning

Some municipalities allow leaves to be burned on-site. Check with your local municipality on the local regulations for leaf burning. A permit may be required.

Northeast Wisconsin Stormwater Consortium (NEWSC) P.O. Box 1861 Appleton, WI 54912 l 920.851.4336
RenewOurWaters.org

Renew Our Waters Logos 2023 Redesign Black

Stormwater is rain or snowmelt and water from things people do, like washing the car or watering the lawn. As water makes its way to the storm drain it picks up pollutants like oil from car leaks and bacteria from pet waste. When we choose products carefully and dispose of products properly, we can greatly reduce the amount of pollution that enters our local waters through runoff.

Untreated runoff is the biggest threat to our nation’s water quality, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Let’s make the small, important changes that will reduce that threat and improve water quality and our lives!

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https://fwwa.org/2023/09/26/leaveyourleavesonland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=leaveyourleavesonland

Alyssa Reinke

The Perfect Landscape

On: July 18, 2023

In: In your yard, Row

The Perfect Landscape

You can create a beautiful outdoor space and protect our waters

A gorgeous home landscape does not need to come at the price of clean lakes, rivers, and streams. We can have both. To make it happen, we all need to think a little differently.

Less hard surfaces

The more concrete or blacktop your property has, the more water will run off the property and into storm drains and ditches. 75% more rain water sinks into the ground in a natural versus developed area. Stormwater that flows from developed areas also carries oil, grease, fertilizer, bacteria, exhaust particles, and more.

Planning for minimal hard surface on your property makes good sense. Consider the amount of runoff that will be generated by roofs, pavements, and sidewalks. Focus on natural plantings to slow water and allow it to filter into the ground rather than becoming runoff. Where needed, install pavers or bricks that allow water to sink in the ground.

Minimizing runoff reduces damage to your property and others down stream. It may also save you money if you live in a city that has a stormwater utility, since stormwater utility fees are based on the amount of runoff your property sends to the storm sewer system.

rain gardens

Rain gardens are slight depressions in a yard that acts as receiving areas for rain water that runs off your roof and downspouts. Rain gardens capture rainwater before it picks up oil, grease, fertilizer, pet waste, or other contaminants. Rain gardens replenish groundwater by infiltrating runoff, rather than passing it into the stormwater sewer. Often they are planted with native plants that thrive on moisture, but can withstand a dry period too.

rain barrels

A rain barrel captures water that flows from a roof through downspouts. Commonly, the rain barrel is a 55-gallon drum designed specifically to hold water without creating a mosquito breeding habitat. A tight fitting lid, seal for the downspout, and filtered overflow valve all overflow water to move away from the rain barrel.

Northeast Wisconsin Stormwater Consortium (NEWSC) P.O. Box 1861 Appleton, WI 54912 l 920.851.4336
RenewOurWaters.org

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The post The Perfect Landscape appeared first on Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.

https://fwwa.org/2023/07/18/the-perfect-landscape/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-perfect-landscape

Alyssa Reinke

Good Dog, Good Owner

On: July 18, 2023

In: In your yard, Row

Good Dog, Good Owner

You can be a responsible pet owner and protect our waters

Your dog brings a lot of joy to your life. Enjoying your four legged friend doesn’t need to come at the price of clean water. We can have both, but to make that happen, we all need to think a little differently

More to waste than meets the eye

Pet waste is not only an unpleasant find on a yard or sidewalk, it also carries bacteria that causes beach closings in the summer.

FILTER WASTEWATER

Before dumping your dirty water into the sanitary sewer, filter the water to make sure that any fiber or debris does not go down the drain. Debris in the wash water can clog the pipes. Dispose of the filtered material in the garbage, provided that the carpet was not contaminated with hazardous materials.

Campylobacteriosis and Salmonellosis are often the cause of the “24-hour bug”. They are transferred through fecal material from an infected person or animal

Toxoplasmosis is carried by a single-celled parasite that lives in infected animal feces (typically cats). In pregnant women, it can pass through the umbilical cord to the unborn fetus, causing serious abnormalities.

Waste Disposal

Prevent bacteria in our streams by carrying small plastic bags when walking your dog. Collect droppings, tie a knot in the bag, and dispose of it properly. Do not throw pet waste down a sewer.

At home, pick up pet waste often. Even waste in your backyard can pollute local waterways. You can flush the waste down the toilet or put it in your trash can (be sure to check your local ordinances first!).

Northeast Wisconsin Stormwater Consortium (NEWSC) P.O. Box 1861 Appleton, WI 54912 l 920.851.4336
RenewOurWaters.org

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