Wetland Coffee Break

What are ephemeral ponds, and why are they important to amphibians and other critters? Tune in to this presentation by WDNR conservation biologists Richard Staffen and Madison Wikston to learn about this and more. Rich and Madison will discuss a ranking system his team developed to prioritize these ponds on the landscape using quantitative data on amphibian usage, and he will introduce a new salamander and ephemeral pond monitoring project to involve citizen scientists around the state.

Richard Staffen has been a conservation biologist for WDNR’s Natural Heritage Conservation program since 2002. He helps coordinate (and participates in) inventory and monitoring projects focused on rare vertebrate animals across the state. Richard has led efforts to better understand the extent of snake fungal disease in Wisconsin, assisted in the recovery of the eastern massasauga rattlesnake, performed ephemeral pond surveys for breeding amphibians across the state, and performed surveys of numerous other rare reptiles and amphibians in Wisconsin.

Madison Wikston is an LTE conservation biologist for WDNR’s Natural Heritage Conservation program. She has worked in wildlife research and conservation for more than a decade, focusing on reptile and amphibian monitoring efforts. Madison completed her Master’s degree studying amphibian communities via environmental DNA (eDNA) in 2021.

Learn more about the multi-year citizen science amphibian-focused research project studying ephemeral ponds in east central Wisconsin from citizen-scientist Greg Burns. Greg previously presented at an August 2023 Wetland Coffee Break about the first definitive discovery of the all-female salamander biotype, Unisexual Ambystoma in southern Wisconsin. In this presentation, Greg will share more information about other fascinating species frequenting the ephemeral pond during the surge of spring migration and breeding.

Greg Burns worked in healthcare administration for almost 40 years, including serving as the chief executive officer for three hospitals. Retirement has provided the opportunity to pursue his lifelong passion for the outdoors and the natural world. Beyond amphibian research, Greg’s other citizen science activities include participating in Snapshot Wisconsin, Bald Eagle Nest Watch-Madison Audubon, and the Wisconsin Odonata Survey, and serving as a field assistant for the Cooper’s Hawk research of UW-Steven Point Professor (Retired), Robert Rosenfield.

Wetlands provide habitat for a variety of wildlife species as well as important ecosystem services. Learn from Tally Hamilton and Gretchen Skudlarczyk—wetland experts with years of experience working with private landowners—about some of the practices and programs available to restore and enhance wetlands on private lands.

Tally Hamilton has been with Ducks Unlimited for two years, starting as the Wetland Habitat Coordinator/Private Lands Biologist for Wisconsin and recently promoted to Regional Biologist. She has more than 10 years of experience working on wetlands and grasslands on private and public lands including past positions with Pheasants Forever and USFWS. Gretchen Skudlarczyk has been with Pheasants Forever for 8 years, the last 3 years as the Wetland Easement Team Specialist. Her role is to accelerate delivery of technical and programmatic assistance for wildlife habitat and USDA’s Wetland Reserve Easement program.

Spur Lake is a 113-acre, shallow, muck-bottom lake in eastern Oneida County that historically supported very good wild rice crops of cultural and ecological significance. Wild rice declined noticeably during the 1990s, and it is now largely absent from Spur Lake. Carly and Nathan will discuss the efforts of a collaborative working group to understand why wild rice has disappeared from Spur and explore options for bringing it back.

Carly Lapin works as the North-central Wisconsin District Ecologist for WDNR’s Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation, based in Rhinelander. She monitors, restores, and protects State Natural Areas across 9 counties and assists with monitoring and protection of rare species. Nathan Podany works for the Sokaogon Chippewa Community Environmental Department, where he manages the physical, chemical and biological aspects of their surface water program.