(Left) Third and Fourth Grade students from the Village of Trempealeau were on hand as the Mississippi River village of Trempealeau was recognized Oct. 20 as the latest of 29 "Bird City Wisconsin" communities, honored for its urban bird conservation efforts. (Click photos to enlarge)

(Right) Participating in the celebration at Village Hall were (from left) Travis Cooke, village administrator; Patrick Reinsma, regional tourism specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism; Vickie Hirschboeck, manager of the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge; Dave Fantle, Wisconsin's deputy tourism secretary; Carl Schwartz, coordinator of Bird City; Jennifer Lilla, visitor services manager at the refuge; and Jean Galasinski, president of the Trempealeau Chamber of Commerce. -- Photos by Terry Thompson, Trempealeau County Times

Highlights of Trempealeau's Bird Conservation Efforts

Category 1: Creation and Protection of Habitat

The Village of Trempealeau maintains an active partnership with Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge.  The village recognizes and promotes refuge activities through its Web sites, http://www.trempealeau.net/  and http://www.trempealeauwi.com/ .  In turn, those seeking information are able to access educational links regarding laws, habitat, protection, education and much more.  The Village of Trempealeau has plans in progress to provide additional bird conservation activities with the help of the national wildlife refuge nearby.   Below are links from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that provide supporting documentation: 

Evidence that existing bird habitat has legal protection: http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/RegulationsPolicies/treatlaw.html#dckstmp

Public information on control and removal of invasive species:  
http://www.fws.gov/invasives/

Community contains a segment of the Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail: http://www.wisconsinbirds.org/Trail/misschipmap.htm

Local Chamber of Commerce (or a similar group) takes an active role in the planning process for protecting and enlarging favorable bird habitat: The Friends of Trempealeau Refuge: http://www.friendsoftrempealeaurefuge.org/mission.html is comprised of local village residents.  Each year, the Friends are actively support the refuge's bird festival as well as other educational events. 

Category 3: Limiting or Removing Hazards to Birds

The Village of Trempealeau maintains an active partnership with Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge.  They recognize and promote refuge activities through their website.  In turn, web users and visitors seeking information about the area are linked to a variety of educational links regarding wildlife, habitat, and much more.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides a substantial amount of information related to Hazards to Birds
http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/CurrentBirdIssues/Hazards/BirdHazards.html

·         Avian Collisions at Communication Towers

·         Avoiding and Minimizing Wildlife Impacts from Wind Turbines

·         Aircraft-Wildlife Strikes

·         Cat Predation

·         Fatal Light Awareness Program

·         Approved Nontoxic Shot Types

·         Tower Kills

Category 4: Public Education

Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge has taken an active role in providing educational materials, programs, festivals, and activities for area schools, organizations and visitors about conservation and bird ecology: http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/EducationOutreach.html