Habitat Restoration Specialist: April 14th

Kurt Brownell, a Natural Resource Specialist, will speak on his lifetime of battling invasives and protecting native species in the Midwest. Please join Friends of the Black River on April 14th as Kurt Brownell shares his in depth knowledge of Wisconsin plants found in our prairies and floodplains.  Meet at 7:00 PM, in the CCU Community Room, Black River Falls.

 

Kurt Brownell is a Natural Resource Specialist working in the Mississippi River Natural Resource Section Office, US Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District.   He is an expert at designing and implementing prairie and forest restoration projects. He has tackled the formidable invasive Black Locust on Goose Island, south of La Crosse, and Reed Canary Grass in the Mississippi River floodplain forests. Currently he is working on restoring habitat at the Weaver Dunes near Kellogg MN as endangered Blanding’s turtle nesting grounds. His work has included island building and revegetation projects near La Crosse and Buffalo City. Brownell earned his degree in Wildlife Management and Biology from UW Stevens Point. But before returning to the Midwest, Kurt worked as a marine biologist out of San Diego, CA and then with the Marine Mammal Fund and Earth Island Institute initiating a world-wide boycott of tuna. They produced the documentary “Where Have All the Dolphins Gone?” Aired on Earth Day 1990, the film resulted in worldwide adoption of dolphin-safe tuna fishing practices. Kurt’s primary passion is restoring native prairie habitats. As a teenager he “used to go botanizing with John Zoerb, a lifetime friend and owner of La Crosse Floral Company”. Together they roamed the goat prairies of the Mississippi River Valley bluffs and sand prairies of the flood plains. He spent his internship with the Army Reserve at Ft. McCoy, WI, now considered the site of some of the best “pre-settlement quality prairie” to be found anywhere in the Midwest.
Please join Friends of the Black River on April 14th as Kurt Brownell shares his in depth knowledge of native Wisconsin species found in our prairies and

floodplains.  Meet at 7:00 PM, in the CCU Community Room, Black River Falls.

For more information or questions, please contact us!