Photo By Scott Sturkol | Members of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin participate in a butterfly...... read more read more
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Nineteen members of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin visited Fort McCoy on July 13 to participate in a butterfly field day at the installation.
The Fort McCoy coordination for the field trip was led by Endangered Species Biologist Jessup Weichelt with the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch.
“The Natural Resources Foundation contacted me to determine if I was interested in hosting a field trip for their organization earlier this year,” Weichelt said. “We had them contact the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office, and once it was approved I worked with them to select a date and then had to develop an agenda for the day.
Weichelt planned to take the group to see butterfly habitat on Fort McCoy’s South Post.
“My plan all along was to take the group to the Badger Drop Zone as it contains some of the best grassland habitat remaining in Wisconsin to view rare butterflies with a main focus on Regal Fritillaries, Ottoe Skippers, and Karner Blues,” Weichelt said.
Weichelt said the trip to Fort McCoy by the foundation was a popular one among those requesting participation.
“The individuals who attended are all members of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, which is an organization that you become a member of by paying a fee,” Weichelt said. “That fee goes toward conservation and then you are able to sign up for the hundreds of field trips that are offered throughout the year through the foundation. The Fort McCoy field trip, from my understanding, had the longest waitlist of any of their 260 trips this year.”
Attendees to the field day came from all over Wisconsin, including Muskego, Viroqua, Galesville, Brookfield, Sparta, Holmen, Fitchburg, Oregon, Coloma, Eau Claire, Wilton, Madison, and Milwaukee.
Weichelt said there was success in seeing several species of butterflies, and the weather was ideal with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 70s.
“Luckily we were able to see both a Regal and a Karner,” Weichelt said. “We had a few possible Ottoe Skipper butterflies but couldn’t confirm for sure if that was indeed what they were or if they were just Delaware Skippers, which are more common but look very similar.”
The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, available at https://www.wisconservation.org, is a nonprofit 501c3 that was formed in 1986 as declining budgets severely compromised critical programs of Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources, the website states.
“With the support of our donors and members, the Foundation has boosted private sector investment and involvement for Wisconsin’s lands, waters, and wildlife,” states the website. “We believe that nature has inherent value, and that people can make a difference. We are the bridge connecting people who want to help with meaningful opportunities to make a lasting impact on Wisconsin’s lands, waters, wildlife, and future stewards.”
Fort McCoy last held butterfly field days in July 2019, and those events were led by NRB Chief Tim Wilder, who also previously served as the installation’s endangered species biologist.
In 2019, Wilder noted how Fort McCoy is a special place for endangered butterfly species, such as the Karner Blue, to thrive.
“The populations of many pollinators, including butterflies, are declining throughout their ranges,” Wilder said. “Fort McCoy is home to one of the largest remaining populations of the federally endangered Karner Blue butterfly.
“Fort McCoy is also home to three species of butterflies that are currently undergoing status reviews by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine if they require protection under the Endangered Species Act,” he said. “These species are the Monarch, Frosted Elfin, and Regal Fritillary butterflies. Fort McCoy also has the only remaining population of Ottoe Skipper butterflies in Wisconsin.” Since 2019, the Monarch butterfly has been listed as a candidate species and will be reanalyzed for listing in another five years.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base.
| Date Taken: | 07.21.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2022 13:18 |
| Story ID: | 425495 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 73 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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