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Conservation in Action VOLUME 5 February 2015

The Paradox and Surprises of Local Biodiversity

In April 2014, an article published in the peer-reviewed journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution estimated the total number of species on Earth at 8.7 million, of which only 1.5 million have thus far been catalogued (formally described in detail and given a scientific name). Anyone who is familiar with the concept of interspecies competition might find this figure a bit perplexing. Why do we observe patterns of high species diversity in undisturbed remnant and restored ecosystems? Why doesn’t competitive exclusion result in ecosystems that consist of only a handful of coexisting super-competitive species? Why are there so many different species?

In 1958, renowned lake biologist G. Evelyn Hutchinson provided a partial answer to this question in a presentation to the American Society of Naturalists entitled “Homage to Santa Rosalia, or Why are there so Many Kinds of Animals?” In this pivotal paper, which has since become mandatory reading when preparing for graduate school qualifying exams, Hutchinson argued that engaging in direct competition is detrimental to organisms because competition requires the expenditure of energy, which diverts energy away from growth and reproduction thereby reducing fitness (the probability that an organism will survive long enough to pass on its genes). He further reasoned that organisms that avoid competition by expanding or altering their niche breadth (utilizing an alternative food source, for instance) will have higher fitness. Stated differently, it is more energetically favorable to diversify than to compete for resources, and organisms that develop dissimilar characteristics that enable them to avoid direct competition and partition limited resources are more likely to survive and reproduce. Thus, nature has an underlying intrinsic drive to create and maintain diversity in natural systems. Hutchinson called this mechanism of evolution character displacement and niche separation, and 50+ years' worth of empirical research has both lent enormous support to this concept and also expanded upon it. For instance, we now know that habitat (or beta) diversity also influences the occurrence of high species diversity patterns because multiple habitats have a larger cumulative number of niche spaces available that can be occupied by different organisms. There is also evidence (albeit scale-dependent and not universally accepted) that high diversity provides a degree of stability to an ecosystem, helping it to resist disturbances and species invasions and maintain itself in a remnant condition. Also of consequence to restoration is the intermediate disturbance concept, which states that diversity is maximized when disturbance (e.g., fire or flooding) regimes are of intermediate frequency and intensity.

(Continued on page 3)

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Gerald R. Goth President

H. Lee Swanson Vice President, Treasurer

Tom J. Kuehn Secretary

NEWSLETTER Craig A. Annen Editor, Design, & Layout

Fire is an essential management tool for

prairies & oak-dominated woodlands

Swamplovers 2014 burn crew

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2014 Highlights

Lee, Tom, and Gerry with 2014’s Leopold Award recipients

2014 was another busy year for the Foundation's outreach programs. In May, geology students from UW-Platteville and ecology students from UW-Whitewater made use of the Preserve to study science in the natural setting. The students and their professors examined the Preserve's numerous geological features and learned about the Foundation’s bullsnake habitat enhancement efforts. In June, technicians from the USFWS, WDNR, Nature Conservancy, and Sauk County Land & Water Conservation District held their annual Conservation Reserve Program Meeting at the Preserve's Picnic Hill Pavilion. Once again, the Preserve was opened to Disabled Hunters and a Pheasants Forever Field Day. The Foundation continued its tradition of sponsoring and organizing youth outreach events to instill a sense of environmental stewardship in young people. 2014 events included Girl Scout and Boy Scout tours, Hunter Safety Education, a Youth Pheasant Hunt, and a Youth Deer Hunt, with discussions by Lee on achieving a mutually beneficial balance between outdoor recreation and habitat conservation. In June, Gerry instructed 4th grade students from Park Elementary School on the importance of prairie conservation in the Midwest. In July, Karl & Dorothy Legler and R. Tod Highsmith guided a tour of Butterflies and Dragonflies at Swamplovers' Preserve. Attendees observed 26 species of butterfly and 12 species of dragonfly during the outing, including the Hickory Hairstreak (WI-Special Concern), Dion Skipper (rare), and Red Saddlebags (also rare).

Butterflies and dragonflies at Swamplovers’ Preserve

In October, the Swamplovers were presented with the prestigious Aldo Leopold-Virginia Kline Restoration Award for Community Based Ecological Restoration by the Friends of the Arboretum in recognition of their long-term commitment to restoration and community outreach.

2014 marked another milestone in the Foundation's effort to establish a satellite population of Prairie Fringed Orchid at the Preserve. Although a total of 79 orchids have been transplanted since the project began, with bloom rates ranging from 27% (during the 2012 drought) to 93%, regeneration of the population has been limited to a single seedling observed in 2010 (which subsequently succumbed to a fungal infection). In 2013, USFWS Endangered Species Biologist Cathy Pollack instructed land managers in hand-pollination of the orchids, and in 2014 our annual population survey detected three blooming orchids rooted well outside of the existing transplant exclosures!

The Foundation, working in close partnership with John van Altena, also transplanted an additional ten dormant orchid tubers into the Preserve’s wetlands in 2014.

Regenerated orchids in bloom

Throughout the year, the Foundation also hosted events for several additional organizations, including the Cross Plains Lions Club, the Red Hat Society, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

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Gerry leads students from Park Elementary School on a tour of the Preserve’s Picnic Hill prairie remnant

Local Biodiversity (continued from page 1)

Protecting, enhancing, and educating people about local biodiversity are among the guiding missions of the Swamplovers' Foundation. For more than a decade, the Foundation has commissioned a diversity of experts to conduct extensive biological surveys and document species richness at the Swamplovers' Nature Preserve. To date, a total of 1,961 species across all trophic levels have been recorded inhabiting the Preserve, including no less than 133 species that possess some level of at-risk conservation status (refer to the species richness summary on pages 4 & 5). Both practical and symbolic reasons motivate this effort. From a management perspective, knowing which species are present (particularly at-risk species) enables the Preserve's land managers to ensure that restoration and habitat enhancement efforts provide and retain adequate habitat conditions for at-risk species, some of which have conflicting habitat preferences (for example, several species of at-risk birds prefer open grassland habitats while others require a native shrub component for nesting; fortunately the Preserve is large enough to accommodate both groups of species). There are also symbolic reasons for these efforts, in that it is both encouraging and motivating to know that the Preserve is a sanctuary for so many species. Moreover, several of the at-risk species have been repeatedly observed over multiple years and by different ecologists, which is a proxy for their high abundance and population stability at the Preserve.

Every two years the Foundation updates its Detailed Management Plan, consolidating volumes of species survey data into a single source to guide management efforts now and into the future. Extrapolation from species-area curves predict the total number of species making use of the Preserve (both migratory and residents) could range from 2,700 to 9,400! Although the Preserve harbors a mere 2.75 x 10-4 % of global biodiversity, a collective area only the size of the state of Georgia is all that would be needed to provide the minimum amount of sanctuary for Earth’s biota. Have faith in conservation efforts; even the pyramids were built one block at a time!

The Foundation is indebted to the legion of graduate students, university staff, consultants, and conservation enthusiasts who have contributed their time and expertise toward collecting and organizing species presence and abundance data for the Swamplovers' Preserve, and for sharing their extensive practical knowledge, experience, and science-based management suggestions for the Preserve's numerous at-risk species. Thank you:

Craig Anderson, Craig Annen, John & Cahterine Attig, Robert Borth, Brian Bubb, Cherry

Carbon, David Cordray, Jeff Durbin, Les Fergee, Terry Harrison, Robert Hay, Rich Henderson, R.

Tod Highsmith, Kyle Johnson, Emmet Judziewicz, Josh Kapfer, Susan Kercher, Katie

Kieler, Anne Koeppe, H.L. Kons, Jr., Christopher Kregel, Kim Kreitinger, Karl & Dorothy Legler,

Sean Longabaugh, Jeff Lorch, Paul Michler, Dave Phillips, Amy Staffen, Ryan Stephens,

Ann Thering, Kevin Thusius, and Dan Young.

Rock Fir Club Moss (Special Concern)

If you are interested in assisting with biological, ecological, or geological inventory efforts at the Swamplovers' Nature Preserve, contact Gerry Goth (goth@chorus.net) or Craig Annen at Integrated Restorations, LLC through their website: www.ir-wi.com.

One of 19 waterfowl production ponds

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Summary of Species Richness at the Preserve (as of 2014)

Total Number of Catalogued Species: 1,961 Total Number of Conservation Priority (At-Risk) Species: 133 Preserve Area 460 acres Number of Species (S), by Taxonomic Group:

Group S

Kingdom Protista (Plankton) 2

Division Chlorophyta (Unicellular Algae and Diatoms) 2

Kingdom Fungi (Mushrooms, Molds, and Lichens) 70

Division Ascomycota (Lichenized Fungi and Associated Symbiots) 26 Division Ascomycota (Sac Fungi) 9 Division Basidiomycota (Higher Fungi) 35

Kingdom Viridiplantae (Green Plants) 540

Division Charophyta (Multicellular Algae) 1 Division Hepatophyta (Liverworts and Hornworts) 4 Division Bryophyta (Mosses) 23 Division Sphenophyta (Horsetails) 5 Division Lycopodophyta (Club Mosses) 1 WI-Special Concern 1

Division Pterophyta (Ferns) 15 WI-Special Concern 1 Conservative (C ≥ 9) or Rare 1

Division Coniferophyta (Cone-Bearing Plants) 3 Division Anthophyta (Flowering Plants) 488 WI-Endangered 6 FED-Threatened 1

WI-Threatened 5 WI-Special Concern 17

FNA Conservation Concern Species 1 Conservative (C ≥ 9) or Rare 20

Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) of vascular plants 116.5 (FQA scores > 50 indicate natural area remnants of exceptional quality)

Modal coefficient of conservatism (C) value 5.0

Lithospermum canescens (puccoon), Pediomellum esculentum (prairie turnip), and Cypripedium parviflorum (lady slipper orchid)

Oedogonium (a unicellular single-filament algae)

Xanthoria ulophyllodes (a lichen)

Cladonia cristatella (a lichen)

Green Elf Cup Fungus

Ceramic Parchment Fungus

Equisetum (horsetail)

Onoclea sensiblis (sensitive fern)

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Group S

Kingdom Animalia (Animals) 1,349

Phylum Annelida (Worms) 1

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Crustacea (Crustaceans) 2 Class Arachnidia (Spiders, Mites, and Ticks) 8 Class Chilopoda (Centipedes) 1 Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Blattodea (Roaches and Termites) 1 Order Coleoptera (Beetles) 195

WI-Special Concern 2

Order Dermaptera (Earwigs) 1 Order Diptera (True Flies) 44 Order Hemiptera (True Bugs) 33 Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, and Wasps) 79

Rare or Infrequently Sampled 1 Previously Undocumented in WI 1

Order Lepidoptera (Moths and Butterflies) 768 WI-Endangered 2 WI-Special Concern 16 Rare or Infrequently Sampled 9 Previously Undocumented in WI 1

Order Mecoptera (Scorpionflies) 3 Order Neuroptera (Net-Winged Insects) 2 Order Odonata (Dragonflies and Damselflies) 19 Order Phasmatodea (Stick-Bugs) 1 Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies) 4

Phylum Chordata (Vertebrates) Class Amphibia (Amphibians) 12

WI-Special Concern 2

Class Reptilia (Reptiles) 12 WI-Threatened 3 WI-Special Concern 2

Class Mammalia (Mammals) 37 WI-Threatened 3 WI-Special Concern 7

Class Aves (Birds) 121 WI-Threatened 3 WI-Special Concern 25 Species of Conservation Concern 1

Order Perciformes (Fish) 4

Red Saddlebags (Rare) American Mink Bullsnakes (Protected Wild Animal)

Splendid Tiger Beetle

Cuckoo Wasp

Agripodes fallax (a moth)

Ottoe Skipper (Endangered)

Walking-Stick Bug

Cope’s Grey Tree Frog

Bobolink (Special Concern)

Fox Squirrel

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Brown Thrasher (Special Concern)

Hoary Bat (Special Concern)

Blue-Winged Warbler (Special Concern)

Woodcock (Special Concern)

Southern Flying Squirrel (Special Concern)

WDNR LIP Grant Assists with Habitat Enhancement Project

In May, the Foundation broke ground on a 13-acre habitat enhancement project for several fire-sensitive at-risk species that inhabit the Preserve. Priority species for this project are the southern flying squirrel, hoary bat, blue-winged warbler, woodcock, and brown thrasher (all are WI-Special Concern species). Unlike the common grey and fox squirrels, the southern flying squirrel utilizes cavities within snag trees (which are often created then subsequently abandoned by red-headed woodpeckers) for communal nesting. The hoary bat primarily feeds on moths (and there is no shortage of moths at the Preserve), while the woodcock, brown thrasher, and blue-winged warbler forage for insects that inhabit ground litter. The brown thrasher further requires a shrub component for successful nesting. Frequent use of prescribed fire as a management tool could deplete the amount of litter after a burn (and also the abundance of insects within that litter), so the project area will only be burned intermittently and will serve as a refugia for fire-sensitive species. Invasive species suppression will have to be accomplished manually when fire frequency is reduced, but the potential benefits to these at-risk species outweigh associated maintenance costs. In 2014, we created hardwood and softwood snags by frill-girdling trees, then planted thickets of native shrubs such as American hazelnut, winterberry, and wild plum. This year, we will install a variety of habitat structural elements within the project area, including basking logs, insect dens, and houses for bats and flying squirrels. We appreciate all of the donations, both large and small, that have helped the Foundation achieve its various conservation missions over the previous five years. Last year, 100% of your contributions were applied toward matching funds for this habitat enhancement project.

Flying squirrel house Basking log & Insect den Bat house mounted to a tree trunk

Restoration Continues on the Puccoon Hill Prairie Remnant

On a west-facing slope of the Preserve's East Ridge sits a seven-acre remnant prairie that Lee and Gerry affectionately named the Puccoon Hill because of the profusion of Hoary Puccoon (a highly conservative prairie wildflower from the snapdragon family) present amongst two dozen other native prairie species. Although aerial photographs of Dane County from 1937 show that this hill was once dominated by open dry prairie intermixed with oak savanna, Puccoon Hill has since become displaced by invasive shrubs and trees not characteristic of historical conditions. Since 2010, the Foundation has been hard at work clearing this hill of extremely dense thickets of buckthorn, elm, and cedar, along with burning and spraying the profusion of secondary weed outbreaks that inevitably followed the initial clearing. In 2014, this restoration effort received a much-needed boost by grants from the FWS Partners for Wildlife Program and Dane County Environmental Council.

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The Swamplovers Foundation Thanks:

Funding: FSA-CRP Program NRCS-EQIP Program Dane County Farm Service

Agency Dane County Environmental

Council Grant Program USFWS Partners for Wildlife

Program WDNR LIP Program WDNR TSI Program WDNR Turkey Stamp

Program MG&E Numerous Individual Donors

In-Kind and Technical Support: Ice Age Trail Alliance Dane County Parks Pheasants Forever University of Wisconsin

Entomology Department University of Wisconsin

Conservation Education Plastic Ingenuity, Inc. Integrated Restorations, LLC Lyle ‘Doc’ Esser Ron Endres Lucas Olson Tod Highsmith Dawn Hinebaugh Kyle Johnson Darcy Kind Gary Nelson Andrew Mack

Ben Lamasney John van Altena Tom Gross Pattie Haack John Brooks Mindy Habecker Kurt Waterstradt Daniela Annen Duane Wagner John and Cathy Attig Will Mann Steve Holaday Dan Buckland Kent McDonald Dorothy & Karl Legler Wayne Pauly Jonathan Wilde Denny Connor Heather Kaarakka Krista McGinley

West ridge oak savanna remnant

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If your organization is interested in a tour or holding an outreach event at the Preserve, contact Lee Swanson at lee.swanson@crossplainsbank.com

We need your help! Remember, 100% of your tax-deductible donation will directly support on-the-ground conservation and management (the Foundation has never charged one dime for overhead or administrative expenses). Name(s) _________________________ Address _________________________ City ____________________________ State ________ Zip ________________ Email (optional) ___________________ Tax-Deductible Donation $ ________

Please send this form and check payable to:

The Swamplovers Foundation, Inc. ATTN: Land Management Fund

5053 County Road KP Cross Plains, WI 53528

The Swamplovers Foundation, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection, preservation, and management of southern Wisconsin’s biological, geological,

and ecological heritage. Photo Credits: Craig Annen, Bill Arthur, Amanda Budyak, Ron Endres, Kyle Johnson, Mark Johnson, Greg Hottman, Karl Legler, Sean Longabaugh, National Audubon Society, and Wiki Commons. Newsletter produced by:

∳Integrated Restorations, LLC