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Help out the birds at your feeder this winter with tips from DNR

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Winter is here, and if you’re looking to keep birds at your feeder, you might have to make it more attractive to your feathered friends.

DNR biologist Ryan Brady says the best general bird seed you can put out is black sunflower seeds.

“It’s really inexpensive, it works for a lot of different species, and it has a high fat content so it’s good for the birds.”

Brady says you should also be sure to find some cover for the birds that is close enough to the feeder for them to hide in. He suggests low, thick shrubs, or a brush pile.

“A shrubbery that’s going to have a lot of thick branches, provide some cover from the elements. Evergreens or conifers are excellent, so maybe plant a spruce or a fir.”

That shrub can also provide some protection from predators, and make your feeder much more attractive to birds.

 

Evers holds out hope for veto on lame ducks bills

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Wisconsin’s incoming governor continues to push for a veto on a package of lame duck legislation that seeks to curtail his duties.

Speaking on NBC’s Meet The Press, Governor Elect Tony Evers says this is an end around on his lawful election in November.

“People of Wisconsin voted for me because they knew I was for good schools and a good transportation system and good healthcare. They didn’t elect me to fight over administrative powers in the state of Wisconsin vis a vis the Republican Majority.”

He’s called on Governor Walker to veto the bills, and is hopeful that it will happen. He’s calling on Walker to think about his legacy as he leaves office.

“He’s been a longtime public servant, and he has a legacy here so we’re hopeful that he will veto the whole thing.”

That package of bills was pushed through over last weekend with no debate between Republicans and Democrats in the state Legislature. Evers says we wouldn’t even be seeing these measures if he hadn’t won the election.

Johnson wants push back on Russia in the Baltic Sea

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Wisconsin’s Republican Senator is pushing back on Russia following an incident involving the Ukrainian navy last month. Senator Ron Johnson will be in Eastern Europe this weekend, and said on WISN’s Jay Weber Show that he intends to see what needs to be done to push back on Russian aggression.

“We need to do a whole lot more than just have one senator go over there and express support,” Johnson said Thursday. “We do need, from my standpoint, a multinational freedom of navigation exercise into the Baltic Sea.”

Ukrainian naval personnel were seized off their ships on November 25th, further increasing tensions in the region after the annexation of the Crimea.

“The Baltic states are nervous, Poland is nervous. They want more forward deployment of NATO troops and air patrols in the Baltic. We need to do all of the above,” Johnson said. The situation was serious enough for the Trump administration to cancel a planned face to face meeting last week in Argentina, between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

UW-Madison Police arrest prolific campus thief

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Police at the University of Wisconsin-Madison say they’ve broken up a long-running campus theft ring.

Since the start of the fall semester, more than a dozen thefts were reported at a sports and fitness center next to Camp Randall Stadium.

In many of the cases, suspects got in by asking students entering the building to “sponsor” them. Once inside, the suspects would steal cash, cell phones, laptops, and other valuables.

On Tuesday, U-W police arrested Samuel Spencer of Madison. Spencer is charged with theft and other counts.

Police say Spencer is a known suspect in other theft cases in the City of Madison and across Dane County, and other charges may be coming.

Committee on Madison Police changes stalls out

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Madison-area activists have little response to changes in the police department which they demanded.

After Madison officers shot and killed seven people in four years and at least one violent arrest was caught on video, local groups and concerned citizens demanded more accountability from the police. Three years ago, an ad hoc committee was formed to come up with recommendations to address those concerns.

After making a list of proposed changes, the committee sent letters on November 1st to 22 individuals and groups involved in that process early on. The committee asked for feedback by November 28th. But as of Wednesday, the Wisconsin State Journal reports none of them had. One activist tells the paper she “lost track” of her letter.

The ad hoc committee will meet again on the 20th.

State Senate opens lame duck session on Republican bills

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One half of the lame duck session is underway at the state Capitol, as the Senate takes to the floor.

Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Schilling excoriated the majority at the start of the hearing.

“What we are seeing is a blatant overreach of Republicans who are more interested in securing and increasing your legislative power.”

She calls the bills an attempt to strip power from the executive and judicial branches and hand it over to the legislature.

“Sweeping proposals to eliminate checks and balances, and consolidate power from the executive and judicial branches into the legislative branch.”

The Senate Gallery was cleared after multiple outbursts from protesters.

Flood prevention more than just lowering Lake Mendota, says UW expert

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As cleanup continues across Dane County in the wake of this summer’s floods, the discussion now turns on how best to prevent a flood in the future.

Richard Lathrop from the UW-Madison Limnology department says simply lowering the levels on Lake Mendota during the summer months won’t help during the next flood event.

“Mendota can release it really fast, but the lower lakes can’t take it with the way the system is set up now.”

He says treating the Yahara Lakes simply like a reservoir is the wrong approach, and that more needs to be done by opening channels in the lower lakes, as well as improving flood mitigation in general across Dane County. 

“We have to be able to get rid of the water faster out of the lower lakes, because if we don’t, the water just keeps piling up in Mendota.”

Dane County crews were out in force during the flood opening up channels on Lakes Mendota and Monona, working to clear out weed blockages. Water levels are still above where they’d normally be at this time of year. 

DNR: fewer hunters harvest more deer this season

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Fewer hunters were in the woods harvesting more deer during this year’s gun deer season. That report from the DNR on Tuesday.

Ecologist Kevin Wallenfang says the decline in hunting sales for the gun hunt doesn’t concern them so much, because totals from the other seasons make up for it.” As crossbows and as the archery season and some of the added seasons out there such as holiday hunt and the antlerless hunt have been added on, we see more of the harvest getting taken outside of the regular gun deer seasons.”

The total deer harvest was up about 7 percent. Wallenfang says this is a rebound after poor weather last year snarled the deer hunt. 

“It’s kind of a typical season really, in that some areas increased and some areas went down a bit, so there’s really not anything surprising about the season at this point.”

More hunters are also taking advantage of CWD testing this year. “We’ve got crews working out at our C W D testing labs, pretty much all hours of the day trying to get animals processed as quickly as we so that we can get results back to hunters as quickly as we can,” says Wallenfang.

The hunt is also one of the safest on record, with no gun fatalities and only three injuries during the whole nine days.

Two men named in connection with shooting death of Milwaukee girl

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Milwaukee police are naming two men arrested in connection with the shooting death of a teen girl.

26-year-old Issac Barnes faces reckless homicide, and 27-year-old Untrell Oden faces weapons charges in the death of 13-year-old Sandra Parks.

Police say Barnes fired an assault rifle in the direction of Parks’ home Monday night, fatally shooting her in the process. Oden is accused of helping Barnes hide his weapons before police could investigate.

Parks was not the target of the shooting.

Prevent porch pirates from stealing your holiday purchases

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Online shopping season is starting, but make sure your deliveries aren’t going to be stolen from your porch.

Officer Tyler Grigg with Madison Crimestoppers says if you’re expecting something expensive or electronic, it’s best to make sure it’s not going to sit out too long.

“We really suggest that you can have your packages delivered to your work, or you can even schedule specific delivery times that you’ll be home.”

You can also have your packages held for you at your local post office.

“On your way home from work, just swing by the post office and pick them up so they’re not even delivered to your residence,” says Grigg.