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Members of the Door-Kewaunee Legislative Days delegation at their first meeting of the day in Madison on Wednesday, April 15. The group was meeting with representatives of the Department of Administration, the Wisconsin Economic Development Council and Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The delegation spent April 15 and 16 in Madison, meeting with legislators and agencies about unique concerns in the two counties. Photo by Sam Perlman

WHAT HAPPENED

• The Gibraltar Historical Association has received a mini-grant to support the purchase of preservation supplies and safe archival storage. This year’s affiliate mini-grant program focused on projects and activities that strengthen a local organization’s ability to preserve historical collections and manage those collections and other resources. The projects that are supported in part by the mini-grant programs are an important part of the work done by local organizations to collect and preserve our state’s history at the community level. The Wisconsin Historical Society’s field services programs provide support and educational opportunities to local history groups throughout the state. The Wisconsin Historical Association Society also partners with the Wisconsin Council for Local History, a nonprofit organization consisting of all historical organizations affiliated with the State Society that promotes communication and cooperation among local history groups. To inquire how you can support your local preservation contact Gibraltar Historical Association at 920.868.2091 or [email protected].

• Peninsula State Park will continue to have additional support with naturalist activities and to combat terrestrial invasive species thanks to an $18,000 donation from the Friends of Peninsula State Park accepted by the state Natural Resources Board in Madison April 8. The Friends Group donation will cover the general wage and fringe for a Limited Term Employee naturalist position and invasive species coordinator through the 2015 season. The donation will allow the park to continue to provide high quality interpretive programs and continued work on invasive species removal and documentation. Peninsula State Park offers a very strong and well-attended naturalist program to the more than one million people who visitor the park each year.

The Friends of Peninsula State Park raise funds for these positions through merchandise sales at the park office and nature center. Additional funds are raised through special events and general donations.

COMING UP

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is developing an early warning indicator system using historical and current satellite data to detect algal blooms. EPA researchers will develop a mobile app to inform water quality managers of changes in water quality using satellite data on cyanobacteria algal blooms from three partnering agencies – NASA, NOAA, and the U.S. Geological Survey. The multi-agency project will create a reliable, standard method for identifying cyanobacteria blooms in U.S. freshwater lakes and reservoirs using ocean color satellite data. Several satellite data sets will be evaluated against environmental data collected from these water bodies, which allows for more frequent observations over broader areas than can be achieved by taking traditional water samples. The annual cost of U.S. freshwater degraded by harmful algal blooms is estimated to be $64 million in additional drinking water treatment, loss of recreational water usage, and decline in waterfront real estate values.