Latest news with #IceAgeTrail
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Property on the Ahnapee River is newly protected by the Door County Land Trust
TOWN OF FORESTVILLE – An ecologically significant property of more than 47 acres along the Ahnapee River was acquired and is now permanently protected by the Door County Land Trust. The trust completed its purchase of the property Feb. 5, saying in a press release the previous owner "expressed appreciation that the land will remain in its natural state, ensuring its ecological integrity for future generations." According to the release, the property is important because it supports a wide variety of bird and fish species, supports watershed health and provides a migration corridor for wildlife. Another important part of the acquisition by the land trust is that access to the property is enhanced from the Ahnapee State Trail, a portion of which is part of the statewide Ice Age Trail. The newly protected property is comprised mostly of emergent marsh and includes part of the river and streambank, wetlands and a small former hayfield. Birds such as yellow warblers, soras and green herons can be found there, along with fish like pike and rainbow and brown trout. As part of the Ahnapee River Wildlife Corridor, a vital habitat of wetlands and riverbank that follows the river from its headwaters near the hill in Brussels to its mouth on Lake Michigan, the area supports migrating and nesting birds, fish habitats and diverse plant life. The press release from the land trust says conservation efforts along the river help ensure its critical wildlife passageways remain intact. The land trust also will monitor water quality and restore wetland habitats within the property in its efforts to sustain and enhance the health of its watershed. With the Ahnapee State Trail running alongside, the property can be accessed from the trail and a nearby road, but a parking lot is not available. The acquisition allows outdoor enthusiasts, including hikers and hunters, to continue to check out the scenic views of the wetland habitat. Funds for the purchase of the land were awarded by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource's Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program with anticipated support from the federal North American Wetlands Conservation Act, along with private donations. Donations from land trust members and a grant through the Door County Community Foundation will go toward long-term protection and stewardship of the property. The Door County Land Trust protects more than 9,100 acres of land, with 15 featured nature preserves open for hiking and other low-impact, nonmotorized recreational activities, all at no charge. For more information, including trail maps, donations or memberships, visit Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@ MORE: Unique sunrise image at Door County state park wins statewide nature photo contest MORE: Learn all about owls when The Ridges Sanctuary holds its annual Owl-O-Rama MORE: Door County Polish restaurant to open second, much larger location FOR MORE DOOR COUNTY NEWS: Check out our website This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Door County Land Trust adds property next to the Ahnapee River
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Wisconsin DMV will move onto a new letter after license plates starting with 'A' ran out
After issuing 4.7 million license plate combinations that start with the letter "A," the Wisconsin DMV is now moving on to plates that begin with "B." While Wisconsin motorists can personalize the numbers and letter on their license plate for a $15 fee per year, generic plates come with a randomly assigned combination. It took nearly eight years for the DMV to cycle through combinations that start with the letter "A." The DMV estimates it will take about seven years to work through the letter "B" by issuing new plates and automatically replacing "very old" plates still on the road. That means plates beginning with "B" should be the standard through 2032. 'Wisconsin DMV is proud to provide Wisconsin drivers the credentials they need to safely get from point A to point B and now we're moving from A to B,' DMV Administrator Tommy Winkler said in a press release. 'Drivers can 'B' on the lookout for the new license plates when they begin rolling out statewide this month.' The first batch of "B" plates will begin with BAA. Wisconsin license plates currently have seven characters, but plates only had six characters until April 2017. That's when the "A" batch began. Adding a seventh character provides about 100 million random combinations, compared to 20 million with just six characters. Fun fact: The letters "I," "O" and "Q" are not included in the combinations because they resemble numbers. The DMV issues more than 600,000 new license plates per year, and about 3.5 million vehicles have standard plates. Even if you choose one of Wisconsin's 60-some specialty license plate designs, most will still come with a random combination unless you specifically ask to personalize it. More: These Wisconsin specialty license plates were the most popular in 2024 More: From Children's Wisconsin to Ice Age Trail, readers share the stories behind their license plate Drivers with older plates ready for replacement can become one of the first to own a "B" plate by visiting Motorists can also sign up for text or email notifications when it's time to renew plates. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin finally ran out of random license plates starting with 'A'
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
There's a new Wisconsin specialty license plate
A new specialty license plate promoting sustainable county forest management debuted Thursday in Wisconsin, adding to the 60-plus designs available to motorists. The latest plate comes from the Wisconsin County Forests Association, a nonprofit, quasi-governmental organization made up of 30 of Wisconsin's 72 counties, largely in the northern part of the state. "With over 2.4 million acres in management, collectively, the counties are the largest public landowner in the state," according to the association's website. The association, established in 1968, works with government officials at the federal, state and local levels on forest programs and land use issues. The association advocates for all the counties, rather than each county addressing issues on their own. State laws require county forests to provide "maximum public benefits" through multiple-use management, including recreation, wildlife and watershed protection and "optimum production" of materials for the state's forest products industry. Like most specialty plates in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin County Forests Association plate requires an annual $25, tax-deductible donation. Donations from the new plate will be used to "help advocate for and promote sustainable forest management" in Wisconsin, according to a release from the DMV. The plate also comes with a one-time, $15 fee, in addition to regular vehicle registration fees. Personalizing the characters on the plate costs an additional $15 each year. Special license plates can be ordered online through the DMV. The plate features the association's logo on the left side and "support county forests" at the bottom. The background is filled with fall foliage, pine trees and a river. More: These Wisconsin specialty license plates were the most popular in 2024 More: From Children's Wisconsin to Ice Age Trail, readers share the stories behind their license plate Special groups like the Wisconsin County Forests Association must pay a $15,500 development fee and collect 500 signatures from the public in order to apply for a new plate. The plate joins several designs that support environmental causes in Wisconsin, including plates that feature endangered species, the International Crane Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New Wisconsin specialty license plate promotes forest sustainability
