Photo By Scott Sturkol | Members of the Monroe County (Wis.) Natural Resource and Extension Committee meet in...... read more read more
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Fort McCoy personnel once again provided updates about the installation’s natural resources-related efforts July 14 during the July 2025 meeting of the Monroe County (Wis.) Natural Resource and Extension Committee.
The monthly committee includes members Nodji VanWychen, Joey Esterline, Cedric Schnitzler, Doug Rogalla, Todd Sparks, and Paul Zastophil from areas within the county. According to the Monroe County webpage for the committee at https://www.co.monroe.wi.us/government/county-board-of-supervisors/boards-committees/natural-resource-extension/-folder-2344, the committee has a diverse mission.
“The mission of the Monroe County Natural Resource Committee is to manage, conserve, and protect our natural resources,” the website states. “The committee will facilitate wise, sustainable land use and outdoor recreation through information and education while supporting technical and financial assistance to landowners of Monroe County and encourage all residents of Monroe County to be stewards of our natural resources keeping in mind the generations to follow.”
As part of Monroe County, Fort McCoy has a part in supporting the committee. The post does so through the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch (NRB) as well as the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.
During the July meeting, NRB Fisheries Biologist Steve Rood served as one of the Fort McCoy representatives where he reviewed recent accomplishments completed by NRB and related Fort McCoy personnel.
Among those accomplishments in natural resources management Rood mentioned from June 2025 were:
— In fisheries management, Fort McCoy collected adaptive management phosphorus samples and base flow samples in the La Crosse River and Silver Creek watersheds on post
— Fisheries personnel also collected runoff turbidity samples from the cantonment area to identify improvements to stormwater management.
— Team members conducted 16 creel surveys across all Fort McCoy waters. They also tagged 251 largemouth bass and recaptured 43 from previous surveys.
— Crews removed an additional 12 meters of invasive brush on Ranch Creek and installed brush bundles to enhance the stream channel.
— Biologists and technicians with the fisheries team conducted 24 stream habitat and electroshocking surveys. Tarr Creek had a reduction of brown trout since last year which was expected due to abundance being at all-time highs the previous year. Tributaries to Tarr Creek had near average or slightly above trout abundances.
— Natural resources personnel participated in STEMKAMP (science, technology, engineering and mathematics camp) Field Day for approximately 125 local students. Rood noted support for the event from staff biologists, forestry personnel, and others.
— NRB team members participated in a dam inspection discussion for Fort McCoy impoundments.
— Forestry member renewed membership with Arbor Day Foundation to retain compliance as a Tree City.
— Forestry team member also coordinated certifications and updated information with contracted support team members to update systems on spring prescribed burn operations.
— Forestry team member met with archaeology team members to discuss A-05 findings, archaeology impacts, and site disturbance mitigations to a proposed timber sale.
— Invasive species management personnel conducted spraying operations at numerous locations throughout the installation.
— Fort McCoy currently has goats grazing and controlling invasive plant species in training area C-04 and will switch them to C-15 at the very end of the month.
— Leafy spurge biocontrol beetle surveys were conducted by personnel in June and will be conducted again in July.
— Fort McCoy hosted the annual Monroe County Invasive Species Working Group Field Day at Fort McCoy’s Pine View Campground. Due to highly variable forecasts involving the possibility of strong thunderstorms, the program was moved to Whitetail Ridge Ski Area.
The weather held and an attempt was made for the group to visit demonstration plots at Pine View, however rain did move in for the late afternoon. They had 25 people sign up in advance and several others arrive day of the event. Including everyone involved with the program, there were more than 40 people who participated. Attendees included fellow professionals, landowners, and interested individuals — not all living/working in Monroe County. Those attendees, when asked, seemed happy overall with the program.
— WisCorps arrived June 30 with two crews (nine people) to be on post for a two-week period to conduct invasive species removal work.
— NRB personnel continued the annual process of updating the Fort McCoy Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping Rules and Regulations for 2025.
— Natural resources staff continued working with permit sales staff to build the permits, harvest authorizations, and applications for the fall hunting and trapping seasons in iSportsman. Applications are now available for cantonment archery, nine-day gun-deer, gun-deer for hunters with disabilities, and trapping seasons. Applications are also available for the regular archery and nine-day gun-deer bonus antlerless harvest authorizations. Deadline for applications submittal is July 31 for cantonment archery and nine-day gun-deer seasons; Aug. 31 for gun-deer for hunters with disabilities season, trapping season, and bonus antlerless harvest authorizations for regular archery and nine-day gun-deer. Applications are available on the Fort McCoy iSportsman website at https://ftmccoy.isportsman.net.
— Blue bird volunteers have been checking 400-plus boxes on a weekly basis documenting use, success, number fledged, and more. Volunteers have been reporting that the second batch of fledglings will be leaving the nest soon. Also, multiple bear attacks on the nest boxes have been documented and ongoing throughout the spring, Rood said. Roughly 25 boxes have been destroyed to date.
— Pest Management has received an elevated level of calls concerning wood chucks and skunks. Other issues that pest management is following up on is mice, ants, and wasps. Pest management staff are conducting roughly 50 acres of invasive plant treatments for spotted knapweed, sweet clover, vetch, and invasive thistle in the military equipment concentration lots and around maintenance facilities.
Summer crews for fisheries, wildlife, invasives, archeology, and more have started. These crews will be conducting truck book surveys throughout the summer while moving between work sites and will be on the lookout for and recording any deer, gamebird, and predator sightings. The truck book surveys allow NRB to look at population trends through time, and offer great information on deer for doe-fawn ratios and what can be expected for recruitment into the fall seasons to determine antlerless harvest quotas.
During June, 92 wild turkey observations were recorded totaling 207 turkeys. Of the 207 turkeys, 15 were hens with 69 poults. The average brood size for June is at 4.6 poults per brood. This was slightly higher than the 2024 average (3.8 average brood size), but there is expected to be additional mortality within the brood over the next couple months as they learn what predators are and some succumb to disease/illness.
Additional gamebirds recorded included ruff grouse, woodcock, wood duck, mallards, and Canada geese. These observations were at a much smaller level, but we were seeing 2.5 young per brood for ruff grouse and 4.0 ducklings per clutch for wood ducks. Mammal/predatory truck book surveys recorded three racoons, two opossum, one fisher, one badger, 15 black bears, five coyotes, one otter, and two red fox. Black bear observations tend to be higher in May/June with the breeding season taking place, but 15 observations is higher than we have seen during past years.
— Natural resources personnel also had two bull snake incidental captures. One bull snake was sent in to have a transmitter surgically implanted. One new Blandings turtle was also incidentally captured in June.
Personnel conducted biweekly telemetry tracking on five Blandings turtles, one wood turtle, and two bull snakes.
— GPS data was collected from the two female turtles with GPS backpacks. Potential nest sites were scouted in training area D-03. GPS points will be stored every two hours until a July date.
— Team members also held eagle nest checks. An adult osprey was observed around the nest in D-03 with nesting activity observed. They also conducted 40 point count bird surveys with data entry still in progress. Nine phlox moth surveys were also done — no sightings.
The endangered species biologist also completed 29 dusted skipper surveys. Eighty-three dusted skippers were observed across 17 survey sites and seven incidental observations.
Members also scouted lead plant in preparation for lead plant flower moth survey soon. Also, they completed six rare plant surveys where they observed 594 dwarf milkweed plants in training area C19, 13 prairie fame-flower plants in training area B-19, 177 brittle prickly-pear cactus clumps in B-19, and over 2,700 tubercled orchids.
Post personnel will also participate in the next monthly meeting in August 2025.
Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy,” on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/fortmccoywi, and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@fortmccoy.
Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
(Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch staff contributed to this article.)
| Date Taken: | 07.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.16.2025 18:19 |
| Story ID: | 542989 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 18 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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