The following is a summary of wolf monitoring activity in Wisconsin from April through September 1998. The information is based on reports compiled by Adrian Wydeven and others from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Fifteen wolves were fitted with radio collars during the period, bringing to 32 the number of collared wolves that were monitored. Signals were lost or the collar slipped off seven wolves and three animals died, leaving 22 wolves still collared by early Fall.

Eighteen wolves were live-trapped during the period. Average weights were 80.5 pounds for adult males, 67 pounds for adult females and 37 pounds for pups. Wolves were captured in 13 packs. Overall, collared wolves were monitored in 26 packs. Summer home range was calculated on 19 wolves, with an average of 31.3 square miles. The reduction in average home range from last winter of more than 20 square miles can be attributed partially to females raising pups.

More than 74 howl surveys were conducted statewide. About 57 to 60 pups were detected in 20 packs, thus averaging about three pups per pack. Because surveys were not conducted on all packs, overall pup production was likely higher.

Researchers conducted howling surveys in several non-pack areas to search for wolf activity, including northern Nicolet National Forest (Forest County), northeast Lincoln County in the Harrison Hills, southeast of Phillips in Price County near the Jump River, areas southeast of Babcock in Wood County and Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in northern Juneau County. No wolves were heard in these areas.

A total of 33 "probable" and "possible" wolf observations were reported for July through September 1998. Wolves were reported in 16 counties with the highest reports for Ashland County. As wolves have become more abundant, people seem to less frequently report observations.

There were 14 wolf depredations on pets or livestock during the survey period. Killed were 14 calves, two deer at a deer farm and six dogs. One dog was injured. For all of 1998, there were 23 cases of depredation. Owners of calves and dogs were reimbursed for their losses. The cost of reimbursements was between $17,000 and $18,000.

Winter tracking surveys are just being completed. Last winter, 178 to 184 wolves were counted in 47 territories in the state. 

A good deal of research has focused on the hunting and dispersal movements of wolves, but not much is known about their normal, everyday movements. L. David Mech, an internationally known wolf researcher, has noticed that during the summer, wolves tend to be active at night and rest during the day, while in the winter they can be active at any time. Because so little is known about the daily activity patterns of wolves, this research group decided to monitor a radio-collared wolf for several 24-hour periods.

The Torch River Pack Study Group studied a two-and-a-half-year-old female wolf nicknamed Hannah, over six weekends in October and November, 1998. During the 144 hours of monitoring, researchers followed the wolf's radio-telemetry signal two-thirds of the time. During this time, the wolf traveled a total of 40.95 miles, averaging 6.925 miles per day and .432 miles per hour.

The study showed that while Hannah exhibited definite patterns of activity and inactivity, there was no correlation between time of day and activity. The wolf always had a rest period after being highly active. She was most active around sunset but was never active around sunrise. She was sometimes most active at night and sometimes most active during the day. The research also showed that the wolf was maintaining a very small territory of only six square miles compared to the normal territory of at least 17 square miles. The Pack Study Group reasoned that his could be due to the close proximity of other, larger packs.

A major highway runs through the center of Hannah's territory, but she showed no hesitation in crossing it or even walking along it. In fact, she might even have been using it as a source of food. During the study, the researchers found evidence that Hannah was eating road-killed deer. This could be because her territory was so small or it may have been this handy food source allowed Hannah to live without hunting over a large area as most wolves do.

The wolf was monitored throughout both the bow and rifle season for deer. On the opening day of rifle season, Hannah’s movements dramatically changed. While she normally stayed in the Chequamegon National Forest, on opening day she moved to a private area with few houses and little road access. She stayed there from sunrise to sunset then went back into the National Forest. It would seem that Hannah was avoiding human activity in the woods and returning once the hunters were gone.

One of the most interesting findings of the study was the wolf's use of a den site. Hannah used the den extensively during four of the six days she was monitored. On several days she stayed inside the den for about nine hours and on one occasion was inside for at least 16 hours. This goes against the accepted belief that wolves do not use dens except during the spring and summer when they are giving birth to their pups and raising them.

The study has continued to monitor Hannah's movements and den usage during the winter and spring. This research, along with the other projects conducted by Northland's Wolf Research Team, is helping the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources answer many important questions concerning the management of wolves in the state.

submitted by Donna Peterson,
Environmental Education Chair

September 9, Thursday: Executive Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church, corner of Durand Ave. (Hwy 11) and Prichard Ave. All members are welcome.

September 9, Thursday: Deadline for the October-November Southeast Sierran.

September 16, Thursday: Program: Mercury Reduction. Steve Skavroneck, Mercury Reduction Project Coordinator, will talk to us about his efforts to reduce mercury in the environment through public education and awareness. Please note that this will be our first meeting at our new Kenosha meeting site (Gateway Technical College Kenosha Campus Conference Center 3520 30th Ave.) The meeting will start promptly at 7:00 p.m.

September 18, Saturday: Chiwaukee Prairie Work Day. Contact Donna Peterson at 637-3141.

October 14, Thursday: Executive Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church, corner of Durand Ave. (Hwy 11) and Prichard Ave. All members are welcome.

October 16-17, Saturday & Sunday: John Muir Chapter Annual Meeting. See the September-October issue of "The Muir View" for complete details.

October 16, Saturday: Chiwaukee Prairie Work Day. Contact Donna Peterson at 637-3141.

October 21, Thursday: Program to be Announced. 7:00 p.m. Messiah Lutheran Church, corner of Durand Ave. (Hwy 11) and Prichard Drive.

 The 6 Billionth Child

On October 12, 1999, (the Day of 6 Billion) there will be 6 billion people on Earth for the first time. The six-billionth child could be born in your neighborhood or halfway around the world. What concerns will Child 6 Billion's generation face?

Air: Air pollution does not recognize international boundaries--it is truly both a local and a global problem. Do you think about air quality when you turn on a light switch? Energy production is one of the largest sources of air pollutants in the world. When fossil fuels--the world's major source of energy--are burned, they add gases to the atmosphere. These gases threaten people’s health, create acid rain, and may contribute to global warming. Air pollution may damage the 6 Billionth Child's lungs and heart.

Water: Changing the amount of water we demand is a surer path to water security than striving to meet higher demand. Viewed from space, Earth's vast water supply appears limitless. But the amount of freshwater on the planet is finite, and many of the world's people live without adequate water. Less than 3 percent of the world's water is freshwater fit for human consumption, irrigation, and most industrial uses. Nearly 70 percent of this freshwater is locked in glaciers and permanent snow cover. People in 31 countries, making up about 8 percent of the world’s population, face chronic shortages of freshwater that threaten their health and standard of living. The 6 Billionth Child has a one in 13 chance of being one of them.

Nutrition: As the number of people in the world grows each year, the challenge of meeting the world's nutritional needs grow. The farmers try to keep up. Yet more than 800 million people worldwide do not get enough to eat. One child younger than 5 years old dies from hunger and related causes every 2.7 seconds. Will the 6 Billionth Child go hungry?

Disease: By the time you finish reading this paragraph, one child younger than 5 years old will have died from one of five preventable diseases (pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, malaria and malnutrition). One of these diseases, malaria is easily spread by a common pest--The Anopheles mosquito. Malaria has been a serious health problem throughout history. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), its threat is still serious today and continues to spread. Malaria kills more than twice as many people each year as does AIDS. Several outbreaks of the disease have even occurred in the United States since the mid-1980s. Will the 6 Billionth Child get malaria?

Housing: Promises of job opportunities and a better life draw people to cities. Yet the dream of a better life isn't realized for many people, and they must make their homes on city streets or in makeshift settlements. It's hard to estimate the number of homeless people, but if you walk the streets of almost any city in the world, the reality of homelessness is clear. Housing is most sorely needed and most difficult to find in areas that have urbanized quickly. What are the changes that the 6 Billionth Child will be born in an urban area?

Education: Because you are reading this right now, you are most likely literate. You can read a newspaper, figure your change at a store, and follow simple written directions. In industrialized countries, including the U.S., 98 percent of men and 96 percent of women are literate. In less economically developed countries, these figures are only 79 percent and 62 percent, respectively. These figures are even lower--60 percent and 38 percent--in the world's least economically developed countries. Will the 6 Billionth Child get an education?

The 6 Billionth Child is 49 times more likely to be born in an economically developing country than an economically developed one.

Friends of Root River, an offshoot of Sustainable Racine, has been born. We’ve been meeting for about a year, finding out what other groups are already functioning to protect the Root River Watershed. Now we are ready to write our own Mission Statement, and carrying out our own activities. Allison Werner, naturalist at River Bend, chairs the group, and Milton Dockery is the liaison to Sustainable Racine. We learned that it's important to think of the entire watershed, and not just what flows between the banks. We need to consider parts of the watershed in Milwaukee County, as well as the more familiar part in Racine. A Root River Group in Franklin has shared their experience and insights.

Keep Our Beaches Open is working on the bacterial contamination which has closed our beaches many times, most notably during our early July heat wave. Attention has focused on possible storm sewer contamination along the English Street outfall. They regularly stencil storm drains with a

"DUMP NO WASTE--DRAINS TO LAKE" message to educate people that anything that enters the storm drains goes into Lake Michigan untreated.

Rick Jones, City of Racine Department of Public Works, has shown us the plans for the Root River Pathway, to extend from the lakefront to Colonial Park through Clayton, Cedar Bend, Island, Brose, and Lincoln Parks. The aim is to provide an accessible multi-use pathway which will capitalize on the beauty of the river corridor. Much of the land is already publicly owned, and many funding sources are available.

Chuck Seeger pointed out the County's efforts to reduce non-point pollution from fertilizer, pesticides, cow manure and silt. Some examples of solutions include leaving a wider buffer of vegetation along the river, terracing to slow water run-off, bank restoration, and encouraging street sweeping in smaller municipalities in the county.

Root River 2000, sponsored by the science department at Park High School, aims to educate students about the river ecosystem. At the program they presented to our group last spring, they showed us the water tests they do regularly where the river abuts the school campus. Displays showed some of the information they’ve learned about water quality. They hope to have other schools take part as well. Plans include a student conference "A Common Root Connects Us All" in April.

Wendy McCalvy described Caledonia Conservancy's land acquisitions along the river near Four Mile Road and route 31. Glenn Lampark discussed the County’s efforts to purchase land to add to the Root River Parkway. They have dollars available which can be used only for outright purchase, not easements.

Root River Treasures was the theme of the first annual survey June 26. Groups of canoers paddled four different sections of the Root, noting its special features, especially flowers and birds (herons, orioles, and a crested flycatcher), and sites for concern, such as poorly restored river banks and questionable drainage culverts.

If you'd like to be part of The Friends of Root River, we meet at 5:00 on the third Monday of the month. You can find us at Sustainable Racine's meeting room at 908 State Street.

Melissa Warner may be contacted at:

4444 North Green Bay Road

Racine, WI 53404-1216

Ph: (414) 634-9100

FAX: (414) 681-1133

email: quality@a2q.com

web: http://www.a2q.com

The Sierra Club showed up in the May-June issue of "Badger Rails," the bimonthly newsletter of the Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers. Under the headline "Environmentalists Applaud Governor's Work for High Speed Rail," Rob Kennedy, Senior Policy Analyst for Citizens for a Better Environment (CBE), wrote that the New Transportation Alliance, Citizens for a Better Environment (CBE), Sierra Club, and Wisconsin's Environmental Decade, all supported Governor Tommy Thompson’s leadership on behalf of high speed passenger rail services to Wisconsin. These groups also will create a coalition to support the Governor's efforts to gain federal assistance for the Midwest High Speed Rail Initiative. The New Transportation Alliance is a John Muir Chapter supported organization.

Rob continued that he was "delighted" with the Governor's ability to gain support from around the country for the nine-state Midwest rail initiative. "I've seen him in action and I doubt that there is anyone more persuasive on this topic than our own Governor. Above all others, he has understood that, because high speed rail can compete with airlines and cars at distances of less than 500 miles, this service can pay for itself and save Amtrak."

Lest we make the same errors some newspapers reporters fall into, I would like to repeat some clarifications. The high speed rail concept involves trains moving up to 110 MPH, twice the maximum on most rail lines, between major cities. It is intended to serve people going between Chicago and Detroit, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and maybe Green Bay. Their primary interest will be faster access than airplanes between downtown areas. It would run past Racine through Sturtevant without stopping. It would run perhaps four times per day. The greatest technical difficulties will be roadbed capability and grade crossing protection. The High Speed Rail needs $7.5 million in federal funds for some engineering details, including planning on the Madison to Milwaukee connection.

In contrast, "our" Lake Shore commuter line will run from Milwaukee to Kenosha and Chicago through each lake shore community, with a stops including Racine's Uptown. People served will be primarily daily commuters whose interest will be ease and convenience of service. It will run 8 or more times per day at a maximum speed of (probably) 55 MPH. The Lake Shore commuter line detailed study has the funds it needs.

Clearly the two are not the same thing. The best analyses to date indicate that both train services will co-exist without "competing" for passengers, and perhaps even supplement one another. Both will help reduce air pollution and cut the cost of getting around the Midwest. They are both very good things for us to spend our public money on. My own personal opinion is that we are doing well to support the High Speed Rail, so long as we do not let the Lake Shore commuter rail fall "below the radar" of public interest. I wish the Governor well on this endeavor.

Many thanks to those of you who responded to our request for donations to your local Southeast Gateway Group. We're most grateful for the $185 we've received so far. To put that in context, our biggest expense each year is printing and mailing the Southeast Sierran at about $275 for each issue.

1998 was an election year, and we spent almost $100 in postage to mail questionnaires to candidates, and to mobilize support for the commuter rail study. A $100 honorarium accompanies the Green Award, awarded in September to honor a local conservation activity. Our Environmental Education programs in both Racine and Kenosha schools cost about $550, and we spent about $120 on programs for our own meetings.

On the income side we earned $308 from our 1998 calendar sales, and we received almost $250 from the John Muir chapter. In previous years we earned about $600 from the flower sales, but this came with a tremendous amount of work from a small portion of our membership. We are currently selling Human-i-tees(TM) T-shirts at our meetings; If you have other fund-raising ideas or if you would like to buy a T-shirt, call Barbara Meyocks at 654-2208. If you would prefer to donate money directly, send it to Melissa Warner, Treasurer, 4444 North Green Bay Road, Racine, 54304.

First and foremost: have you written to Rep. Paul Ryan (1217 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515) to ask him to cosponsor H.R. 1396, the National Forest and Restoration Act? This is a bipartisan bill sponsored by Reps. McKinney (Democrat) and Leach (Republican). While Rep. Ryan may get pressure from his Republican colleagues to oppose the bill, at least he'll know there are people out there who care; and, if you point out to him that the public treasury is losing $2 billion a year on the logging in national forests (as the Forest Service spends more to build logging roads and prepare for sales than they receive from the timber companies) that fact might influence him. Our national forests are being devastated by road building and clear cutting. These forests by rights belong to us, the citizens of the U.S. The timber companies are robbing you and me.

The United States is not the only rich country which is destroying its forests for greed. In Canada, International Forest Products (Interfor) has announced that it will log a vast swath of temperate rainforest along British Columbia's beautiful north coast, the habitat of the endangered Spirit Bear and other pristine wildlife. This will destroy the fishing, recreation, and tourism which now support many jobs in this area.

One out of ten Spirit Bears, unique to this area, is born white.

Also the logging would destroy the habitat of the Gitga'at Indians who have lived in this forest for millennia.

Timber companies contribute massively to politicians, not only in our country but also in Canada and other wealthy nations. This is why greed for timber products is given more importance worldwide than protection of habitat, endangered species, natural beauty, tourism, and recreation.

If you would like to support the campaign to save the Spirit Bear and its habitat, make a small donation to the Natural Resources Defense Council, 40 W. 20th Street, New York, N.Y.10011. This organization is spearheading the campaign to save the forest and its inhabitants.

Also write to Minister of Forests David Zirnhelt, Room 128 Parliament Bldgs., Victoria, B.C., Canada V8V1X4, or phone 250-387-l040 and ask him to support the proposal for a Great Bear Rainforest sanctuary.

Trail maintenance work may include grubbing to remove stumps, trimming back growth, painting blazes, installing erosion control bars, clearing new trail, litter control, etc. Bring water, lunch, work gloves and (if you have them) work tools such as loppers or bow saws. Preferable clothing: long pants, long sleeve shirt to protect from poison ivy and prickly bushes, suitable footwear and a hat. Depending upon the location and conditions, insect repellent, sunscreen or rain gear may be useful.

Please call the activity coordinator to let him/her know if you plan to participate (particularly if a carpool is planned), have questions or are concerned about the activity due to inclement weather.

Monthly meetings are held at the Firstar Bank, 101 E. Walworth St., Elkhorn.

The Highway 12 parking lot is approximately five miles east of Whitewater or two and a half miles west of LaGrange.

Additional information may be found on the Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation web site: www.iceagetrail.org

Aug. 7, Sat., 10:00 a.m.: Family Hike--Natureland County Park. Territorial Road; east of Hwy. 89 and west of Cty. P. From 1-5 easy to moderately difficult miles. Sally Ward, 496-8362.

Aug. 14, Sat., 8:30 a.m.: Hike Bike & Paddle Rally. Fun, non-competitive event. Hike 5 miles, bike 6 miles, paddle 2 miles. Must make reservations and/or provide own equipment. Meet at Rice Lake Nature Trail parking lot at Whitewater Lake Recreation Area. Call for details. State park sticker required. Ron Nacker, 642-4372.

Aug. 17, Tue., 6:00 p.m.: Meetings. Speaker to be announced. Firstar Bank. Gerry Emmerich, 642-5641 or Nancy Lazzaroni, 248-8247.

Aug. 21, Sat., 9:00 a.m.: Trail Maintenance. Meet at Hwy. 12. Ken Schacht, 877-4407.

Aug. 22, Sun., 9:00 a.m.: New Trail Work. Call for details or meet at Hwy. 12. Kangaroo, (608) 883-2825.

Aug. 31, Tue., 6:00 p.m.: Fall hike mailing preparation. Call Dolly McNulty, 728-8351.

Sep. 12, Sun., 11:00 a.m.: Hike-Explore our new local trails. Kangaroo, (608) 883-2825.

Sep. 18, Sat., 9:00 a.m.: Trail Maintenance and preparation for fall hike. Meet at Hwy. 12. Gary Klatt, 473-4973.

Sep. 19, Sun., 9:00 a.m.: Trail Maintenance and preparation for fall hike. Meet at Hwy. Kangaroo, (608) 883-2825.

Sep. 21, Tue., 6:00 p.m.: Meetings. Fall fundraising hike planning. Firstar Bank. Gerry Emmerich, 642-5641 or Nancy Lazzaroni, 248-8247.

Sep. 25 & 26, Sat. & Sun.: Hike & Camp-Fall hike and camp in Lincoln County. Nancy Lazzaroni, 248-8247.

Oct. 2, Sat., 9:00 a.m.: Trail maintenance and preparation for Fall Hike. Meet at Hwy. 12. Gary Klatt, 473-4973.

Oct. 3, Sun., 8:00 a.m.: Whitewater Biathlon to benefit the Ice Age Trail. Meet at the UW-Whitewater Stadium parking lot at 8:00 for work assignments. Gary Klatt, 473-4973.