Friends of the La Crosse Marsh

05/19/2026

Friends,

Weather permitting we’ll get out to conduct a chorus survey of frogs and toads in the marsh on Tuesday May 26th. Everyone is welcome. This is always a fascinating visit with marsh inhabitants. We’ll supply all the equipment, organize everyone into teams, and review survey locations and methods. Wear walking shoes. Bug spray is a good idea. Long pants and long-sleeve shirts are smart. And bring a flash light.

Meet outside The Nature Place at 8:30 pm on the 26th.

These links will give you a quick tutorial on frog and toad calls — this survey os conducted entirely by ear. Chorus, Leopard, Cricket, and Grey Tree frogs are likely ones we’ll hear.

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04/20/2026

VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION -- RICHARD FROST
FRIENDS OF THE LA CROSSE RIVER MARSH
APRIL 2026
This Earth Day, Friends of the Marsh is pleased to honor Richard Frost for his years of volunteer contributions to the La Crosse River Marsh. As an educator, crew leader, public speaker, and advocate Richard is a model of energy and commitment.
When he moved to La Crosse Richard visited the marsh on his first day in town and has rarely missed a day since. His students at Longfellow Middle School studied the marsh and pitched in to maintain the Wood Duck Trail. In the Environmental Studies Department Richard has introduced UWL students to the history, ecology, habitat, politics, and challenges of this urban wetland. Last but not least, he has recruited UWL students to pitch in on the annual marsh clean-up.
Richard Frost is a true friend of the marsh.

04/13/2026

04/13/2026

Marsh Clean-up

Saturday, April 25, 2026
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

The annual community marsh clean-up is scheduled for Saturday morning, April 25th, the day before Earth Fair. It's a weekend to pitch in and improve and celebrate our environment -- a little work and celebration are a good combination.

The clean-up this year is a community-wide event, featuring the help of Friends of the Marsh, The Nature Place, the Sustainability Institute's Green Goose Chase, the UWL Sustainability, UWL Athletes Student Advisory Committee, Outdoor Recreation Alliance (ORA), and, of course, you, your family, neighbors, and friends.

This is a family friendly event. Everyone is welcome. Young children should be accompanied by an adult. Dress appropriately for weather conditions, sturdy shoes or boots are a good idea, as are gloves. We'll provide trash bags, some grabbers and assorted tools. The county is providing a dumpster which will be near the Cottonwood Trail trailhead.

We'll have someone to help you get started in Myrick Park, at the Gun Club Shelter, at Lueth Park, and at the foot bridge where the Veterans and Asfoor trails meet.

(There is a chance the Grand Crossing Trail will still be closed due to the trail resurfacing project -- we'll update you on that and if necessary adjust our plans accordingly when you check in before getting to work.)

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03/01/2026

La Crosse Annual Aldo Leopold Observance Program
Saturday, March 7, 9:00 AM at The Nature Place

Aldo Leopold, the Wisconsin ecologist and author of A Sand County Almanac, also known as the father of wildlife management and the United States’ wilderness system is celebrated statewide in Wisconsin annually with April programming. Join us at The Nature Place in La Crosse on Saturday March 7th at 9:00 am as we celebrate Leopold’s legacy with a full morning of presentations, family activities, and readings from Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac by Karen Acker and Pat Wilson.

Beginning at 9:00 am, Dan Goltz, a wildlife biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, will describe his work as part of a team that samples eaglet blood to determine the impacts of pollutants such as PFAS on the ecosystem.

Followed by Richie Swanson, a citizen scientist and environmental blogger from Winona, who will discuss evidence showing how mayfly populations reflect pollution levels and what that means for the birds that rely on them for food.

Followed by Christine Custer, a USGS research biologist, who will talk about “Using birds as indicators of contaminant exposure and effects: Perspectives from 50 years of study.”

Finally, step outside for a walk along the marsh trails guided by Friends of the Marsh.

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02/28/2026

March Enviro-Wednesdays Program

Wednesday, March 4 at 7 pm at The Nature Place

Our program this month will feature Aditi Muduganti, a high school senior in Onalaska, WI. She is passionate about Earth and Planetary Sciences. Sustainability work is also important to her. She will talk about her work on her sustainable technology book and her Miyawaki forest projects, both of which she did with funding from the Youth Climate Action Fund. She will also discuss sustainability and climate education in schools and how it is so important for the younger generation to be informed. Aditi loves to see how policy and government intersect Earth and Space, and plans to do an interactive workshop for kids around La Crosse County on this topic, taking them around the bluffs, rivers, and courthouses!

Enviro-Wednesdays is an adult (ages 14+) nature series on the first Wednesday of every month at 7 PM at The Nature Place (unless otherwise noted). Free, no registration necessary. Brought to you by The Nature Place and Friends of the Marsh. Join us to enhance your nature knowledge. Different topics and speakers every month!

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02/10/2026

MEDIA RELEASE

Sections of the La Crosse River Marsh Trail System including the Jim Asfoor Trail, and Vietnam Veterans Trail will be temporarily closed on Thursday, February 12th and Friday, February 13th to accommodate investigative soil borings conducted by Northern Natural Gas Company. Please see the linked media release for more information.

MORE INFO

Sami Meyer
Outdoor Recreation Coordinator - City of La Crosse Parks, Recreation, & Forestry
[email protected]
Phone: 608.789.7560
City of La Crosse - Parks, Recreation, & Forestry and La Crosse Center

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02/08/2026

Great Backyard Bird Count in La Crosse
Saturday February 14, 2026
9:00 - 11:30 AM
The Nature Place


Join Friends of the Marsh and The Nature Place for the 2026 Great Backyard Bird Count, the largest citizen science project in the world. The GBBC is a three-day event, sponsored by the Audubon Society and the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology to monitor the extent, health and movement of bird species in this age of climate change.

The GBBC, now over 20 years old, grew out of an even older citizen science project: the North American Breeding Bird Survey which began in 1966. This survey, organized by the United States Geological Survey, assessed bird populations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It has become a key indicator not only of bird populations, but of habitat and climate change.

Come to The Nature Place Saturday morning, February 14, between 9:00 and 11:30 AM. The La Crosse River Marsh is our “backyard." Take a short or a long walk and count birds. We'll have binoculars to loan, bird books for reference, and if you are a novice, no worries, we'll get you started.

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01/29/2026

February 4, 2026, Enviro-Wednesdays
7:00 — 8:00 pm
The Nature Place

Friends of the Marsh Annual Meeting

Please join us Wednesday February 4, 2026, 7:00 pm at The Nature Place for our Enviro-Wednesdays gathering. Every year this February meeting features some self-reflection, a discussion of what we have done the past year, where we stand right now, and a look at our future. Call it our Past, Present, and Future Enviro-Wednesdays program.

Enviro-Wednesdays is jointly hosted by Friends of the Marsh and The Nature Place. It is free and open to the public. All are welcome. Children should be accompanied by an adult.

We’ll begin the evening with some social time — refreshments and an opportunity for your to chat with friends, Nature Place staff and members of our board. An open discussion will follow — Q &A format perhaps — with time given to events of 2025 (our 2025 annual report is attached here), current news relating to upcoming Grand Crossing Trail construction and the city rezoning project, and finishing off with some comments about our 2026-2030 Strategic Plan.

Our new strategic plan, our rezoning proposal, and our 2025 annual report (once it is loaded in a day or two) can be found on our web page.

Hope to see you next Wednesday. In the meantime, stay warm and be well.

Chuck Lee

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01/04/2026

Friends: Our first Enviro-Wednesday program of the new year is coming this Wednesday, January 7th. Please see the announcement below and we hope to see you at The Nature Place.

Enviro-Wednesdays is an adult (ages 14+) nature series on the first Wednesday of every month at 7 PM at The Nature Place (unless otherwise noted). Free, no registration necessary. Brought to you by The Nature Place and Friends of the Marsh. Join us to enhance your nature knowledge. Different topics and speakers every month!

This month’s topic: Do Laboulbenian Fungi Affect Beetle Behavior? Find out as Zachary Morgan, a UW-La Crosse Biology Student, explains the research he conducted last summer right here in Myrick Park.

Thanks for sharing this email.

See you next Wednesday,

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