Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Threatened, Endangered, Exterminated
The last plains buffalo was shot five years before the state became a territory. The next to
become extinct within the state of Wisconsin were the Richardson's caribou, the American
elk, the cougar, the Carolina paroquet, the passenger pigeon (the world's last was shot in
Wisconsin), the peregrine falcon, the pine marten, the trumpeter swan, the whooping crane,
the wild turkey, the moose, the fisher, and, in 1922, the common wolverine.
Jump forward to today. First, the bad news: Wisconsin has more than 200 species of
flora or fauna listed as either endangered or threatened by state or federal agencies. The
state ranks in the middle for species diversity and at-risk status—0 percent of mammals are
at risk, but 6.2 percent of fish are at serious risk (the rest are in the middle).
Yet all is not lost. Wisconsin instituted preservation measures long before the federal
government did and is consistently recognized by environmental groups for at least trying
(one reason so many green groups are here). The fisher, falcon, pine marten, trumpeter
swan, and wild turkey have been reintroduced, to varying degrees of success.
FIREWOOD BUGS US
Wisconsinnowhasquitestrictrestrictionsonfirewoodduetotheinvasiveinsectem-
eraldashborer,whichhasbeenfoundinsouthernWisconsincountiesandisattempt-
ing to move northward. The name says it all—it's got emerald-colored coating on its
backandashtrees areitsprimaryfood.Thelarvae burrowunderthebarkandravage
the trees, most of which will die within four years. This is problematic, since seven
percent of Wisconsin's forests are ash; it's even worse in cities, where 20 percent of
trees are ash.
The key for travelers is to never, ever transport wood (yes, for you, that's fire-
wood) from one location to another. The insect can only fly a mile or two, so its
primarymodeofmovementisunknowinghumansandtheirwood.Thus,out-of-state
firewood and any wood from more than 25 miles away from any campground is
strictly forbidden. Local wood is always available. Yes, it's more expensive, but do
you really want to save ten bucks and decimate 20 percent of Wisconsin's trees?
Perhaps befitting a state in which the International Crane Foundation is headquartered,
cranes are making a comeback. The regal, French horn-sounding trumpeter swans, once
nearlyextinct,arewellonthewaytothetargetof51breedingpairsby2020(theynowtotal
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