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News Bulletin: Cat Adoptions, Trail Signage, Summer School, Invasive Species

WHAT HAPPENED

• For the fourth year in a row, a group of animal shelters in Wisconsin is waiving adoption fees for all adult cats in July. In 2018, the combined organizations facilitated 1,555 cat adoptions in July, compared to 1,301 the prior year. It’s been such a success that they’re doing it again – and with a record number of Wisconsin shelters participating, including the Wisconsin Humane Society’s five shelters in Milwaukee, Racine, Saukville, Green Bay and Sturgeon Bay. The fourth annual “I Cat Believe It!” joint cat-adoption promotion aims to save the lives of more than 1,500 homeless cats in July. The initiative is in response to the dramatic peak of cat intake during the summer months. The Wisconsin Humane Society alone reports that it’s currently caring for 900 cats, compared to about 200 cats in late January. “Cat population dips sharply in winter and rises fast in the summer months due to breeding cycles. Our colleagues throughout Wisconsin report similar trends, and we’re hoping this promotion will inspire more cat adoptions throughout the state,” said Anne Reed, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Humane Society. Interested in adopting? Visit the shelters’ websites to view available cats and learn more about the adoption process. Find Wisconsin Humane Society location details at wihumane.org.

• The Door County Facilities and Parks Department is adding interpretive trail signage along a 1.3-mile hiking trail at Ellison Bluff County Park. The interpretive signs – officially unveiled on June 29 – were created using donated memorial gifts from family and friends of the late Norbert “Trip” Kroening III. The Friends of Door County Parks and the Facilities & Parks Department partnered to develop the interpretive information on the signs. Parks Superintendent Ben Nelson said, “This project is a ‘first-of-its-kind’ opportunity within a Door County Park. Visitors … can now learn the story of this park and … fully appreciate the geologic and human history, as well as the flora and fauna of this 174-acre park overlooking the waters of Green Bay.” Ellison Bluff was Kroening’s favorite among the 19 Door County parks. A brief dedication ceremony at the trailhead was led by Friends of Door County Parks President, the Rt. Rev. Paul Graf. Nelson led an interpretive hike, stopping to read the 10 signs to learn about the native plants along the new interpretive trail.

• A new Amtrak Thruway Bus Service now provides two daily round-trip buses between Green Bay and Milwaukee, with stops in Appleton, Oshkosh and Fond du Lac. The service provides seamless connections to and from Chicago using Amtrak Hiawatha trains (AmtrakHiawatha.com). Amtrak is providing the service in coordination with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. It will allow travelers to make a same-day round trip between the I-41 cities and Chicago, as well as Milwaukee’s Mitchell Airport, Sturtevant and Glenview, Illinois. Adult bus-train fares from Green Bay to Chicago are as low as $39 each way. Bus-only fares from Green Bay to Milwaukee are as low as $28 each way. Customers can purchase tickets at Amtrak.com, the Amtrak mobile apps, QuikTrak kiosks at the stations, or by calling 800.USA.RAIL. The new bus service addresses the gap in I-41 service that resulted from the Greyhound service cancellation in October and supplements the existing Lamers daily round trip on I-41 and the Jefferson Lines and Indian Trails buses that travel on I-43.  

• Students across Kewaunee County are spending their summer break learning about health and wellness in a new summer-school initiative. Nearly 100 students in grades five through eight in the school districts of Algoma, Kewaunee and Luxemburg-Casco are being taught through cooking classes that choosing healthful foods can be fun. They’re also learning how to be leaders as babysitters and how to handle emergency situations when they’re home alone. “We’re not just teaching the kids; we’re teaching the community through the kids,” said Anna Westmark, community health educator for the Kewaunee County Public Health Department. “The kids go home after we teach them something, and they tell us that they taught their parents.” The department has also teamed up with St. John’s Lutheran Church for its Day Camp for Kids, July 29 – Aug. 2, to teach about 30 students in grades one through six about the benefits of physical activity.

COMING UP

• Interim Door County Invasive Species Team (DCIST) coordinator Krista Lutzke will present the Great Lakes Early Detection Network (GLEDN) application at The Ridges. in Baileys Harbor on July 11, 10 am. GLEDN is an online system that collects invasive-species reports from casual observers, verifies them and integrates them into other networks. The system then uses this integrated information to send customized alerts to the DCIST coordinator for verification; then they will be added to existing invasive-species inventories. It is the hope to have all Door County towns and villages adopt and implement a noxious-weed ordinance for county priority species and have a local invasive-species team in place to help monitor and map these invasives in the county. Jacksonport has long been a role model for invasive-species management, and its partnership with the Shores of Jacksonport volunteers has proven to be extremely successful in dealing with phragmites. Having  a representative from each town or village board as the contact, with a local resident or two as leaders, is highly recommended. They, in turn, can put together a team to walk the shorelines, creeks and even their own properties. If you enjoy kayaking, hiking or biking or are a part of a local group that recreates throughout the county, you’re invited to attend the session to learn how to set up and use the GLEDN app to improve the county’s invasive-species efforts. To learn more, call Krista Lutze at 920.746.2363 or DCIST volunteer Jo Wahlen at 920.823.2032.