Dead at 37 years old

Plus: Rare eagle quadruplets, Wisconsin canoe in Smithsonian, and deer quotas set

Author

Forrest Koslowski
July 09, 2026

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This week’s weekly:

🦅 Dane County eagle pair raises rare quadruplets

🛶 Menominee canoe represents Wisconsin at the Smithsonian

🦌 DNR sets 2026 deer season quotas

😔 STORY OF THE WEEK: Flagship conservation fund dead at 37 years old

🦅 Dane County eagle pair raises rare quadruplets LINK

  • A bald eagle pair in Dane County hatched four healthy eaglets this spring, something that happens in less than 0.1 percent of nests nationwide.

  • Volunteers with the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance spotted the crew in early June, and it's only the second confirmed set of quads since Wisconsin nest monitoring began (the other was in the Fox Valley in 2020).

  • Three of the four have already fledged, and experts say a nest this full means the local habitat is clean, safe, and stocked with plenty of prey. Imagine feeding four teenagers at once.

🛶 Menominee canoe represents Wisconsin at the Smithsonian LINK

  • A 15-foot dugout canoe made by members of the Menominee Indian Tribe in the late 1700s is now on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History as part of an exhibit marking America's 250th birthday.

  • The Menominee Nation helped shape the display, choosing the canoe as a way to share both their history on the water and their sustainable forestry practices today.

  • The tradition is alive and well, too. Tribal members recently built a new dugout canoe the old way, with fire and patience, and they're paddling it down the Menominee River this month.

🦌 DNR sets 2026 deer season quotas LINK

  • The Natural Resources Board approved the framework for the 2026 deer season, with 272,720 bonus antlerless harvest authorizations going on sale statewide.

  • Sales open at 10 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 17 through Go Wild and license vendors. The first three days are zone-specific, then everything left opens up Aug. 20.

  • Bonus tags will be available in every deer management unit except DMU 116, with numbers set unit-by-unit based on local herds and input from Citizen Deer Advisory Councils.

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😔 STORY OF THE WEEK: Flagship conservation fund dead at 37 years old LINK

Welp, neighbor, grab a tissue because we’ve got some heartbreaking news for Wisconsin's great outdoors.

After nearly four decades of protecting our gorgeous lakes, local parks, and pristine wildlife habitats across all 72 counties, the beloved Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program officially ran out of cash on June 30.

Established back in 1989 with ultimate bipartisan handshakes, this legendary program has been the absolute backbone of our state's conservation efforts, making sure an incredible 99% of Wisconsinites live within five miles of a project it funded.

So, what was the official "cause of death" for a program backed by a whopping 93% of 'Scons? You guessed it—stubborn legislative gridlock. While conservation advocates fought hard to keep the lights on, intense negotiations with the Republican-controlled Legislature and state Democrats ultimately fell apart, leaving Wisconsin completely empty-handed without its primary tool for buying public lands or keeping up with trail maintenance.

While the program technically stays "on the books," it is completely frozen and bone-dry on funding unless lawmakers decide to play nice and resurrect it down the road.

Local conservation groups are already sounding the alarm that everyday recreation projects—like your favorite bike trails, campground expansions, and boat launches—are facing a cloud of uncertainty, turning the future of our woods and waters into a massive political battleground just in time for the November elections.

Now more than ever, get out 'der!

WISCAMPSIN WEEKLY POLL

Last Week's Trivia Check

We asked why baby loons hitch a ride on mom or dad's back. You guys are serious northwoods lake experts—a massive 79% of you knew exactly why these chicks get their own personal pontoon boat!

The Correct Answer: To conserve body heat and stay safely out of reach of underwater predators.

The Takeaway: For the first two weeks of life, loon chicks have poor temperature regulation and can easily freeze in cold northern waters. Plus, they look like bite-sized snacks to large Muskies and Snapping Turtles! Riding on a parent's back keeps them warm and strictly off the lunch menu.

This Week's Trivia

It’s officially mid-July, the lakes are feeling like bathwater, and everyone is spending their weekends swimming. But jumping off the dock into a shallow, weedy bay comes with a classic Wisconsin summer risk: climbing out with your legs covered in the infuriating, red bumps of "Swimmer's Itch."

What exactly is the biological culprit behind the dreaded Swimmer's Itch?

Give it a gut check and click a response below:

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A review from the trail… Heck ya

Well, how'd we do this week?

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