We have generally tried to have our annual members’ meeting in the fall, but decided to give spring a try. After a long winter many of us will look forward to spending time outdoors on one of our favorite wild places. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, May 18. You will want to go to bed early on Friday night as we hope to experience nature early in the morning when it is most active.

If you have not seen the courtship dance of sharp-tailed grouse, reserve a viewing blind on our website for Saturday morning. We have set them aside on May 18 for your use, but limited space requires you put your name on one. Since you should be in your blind by 5:00 AM , we will allow camping at the clubhouse site on Friday night. Please notify us if you want to camp as the gate is otherwise locked. The grass covered area has a vault toilet but no water or electricity.

Sharptail viewers and everyone else will want to convene at the clubhouse for a pancake breakfast at 8:00 AM . Breakfast will be prepared by Chef Susan Armstrong.

Right after breakfast we will all go on a birding tour of Namekagon Barrens that will include checking a few of the bluebird houses for activity.

A short meeting will follow the birding tour to discuss past and planned management activities on the property, and review past and planned activities of your friends group. At this time we will also draw for the framed wildlife art print that will go to one of the attendees of this event. You must be present to win!

Finally, we will tour a forested property adjoining Namekagon Barrens that we are attempting to help purchase for barrens habitat management. At the end of this short tour you will be invited to have a picnic lunch prepared by Chef Mark Nupen.   After lunch you’re on your own. You can head for home, visit one of the local establishments, take the auto tour or explore the area on you own.

This is a spring rather than a fall event. This is a morning rather than an afternoon event. We hope you come and enjoy the activities. While this requires an early start to your Saturday, you need not make breakfast, coffee, or lunch. You only need to come.

 As a member of the Friends of the Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Area you recognize the importance of barrens habitat to a whole complex of plant and animal species. Your support helped the public entities involved to decide to permanently protect Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Area. Now you have the rare opportunity to increase this rare ecosystem by nearly 1500 acres.

The Lyme Timber Company has offered to sell 1477 acres of land that they currently own for timber production. This property is immediately adjacent to Namekagon Barrens along the northeast side, and they have expressed a desire to see it managed as barrens similar to the Wildlife Area. They are willing to sell it for $1,060,000, and have given us until the end of 2013 to raise the money. The Department of Natural Resources only purchases property within previously approved boundaries. This means other entities must fund this purchase.

One million dollars has already been committed toward this purchase. Walmart has established the non profit organization, Acres For America, to contribute their money toward the protection of wild lands. They have decided to donate $500,000 toward this project. The Doris Duke Foundation does similar charitable work through their Conservation Fund. They received a $500,000 Stewardship Grant through the Wisconsin DNR to aid in purchasing this property. This leaves $60,000 for us and others to raise by the end of the year.

Appeals are going out to many conservation minded groups to help raise these funds. The Wisconsin Sharp-tailed Grouse Society, a group that routinely spends money on Namekagon Barrens, is already well on their way toward raising $5,000. Other groups will likely contribute as well, but our help is needed. As the organization established to supportNamekagon Barrens, we should be in the fore front contributing toward expansion of the barrens habitat in our backyard. Please make a tax deductible donation through Paypal on our website or send a check made out to FNBWA to Bruce Moss, W7299 Cty. Hwy. E, Spooner, Wi. 54801. We promise to donate every dollar raised to this land purchase.