FSPA Strengthens Climate Resilience in the Driftless Area

Our partners, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, held our second collaborative Individual Placement Service Day event in the Fall of 2024. They facilitated the meeting of four other WisCorps Individual Placements who are also currently serving AmeriCorps terms within the state, Central Conservation’s Administrative staff, and AmeriCorps Members from Wiscorps’ sister division, The Nature Place. 

FSPA stewards 200 acres in the Driftless Area located near La Crosse on St. Joseph Ridge. The land consists of forests, prairies, a natural burial cemetery, and trails. Land Sustainability Coordinator, Siena Muehlfeld facilitates tours and environmental education activities for the general public to strengthen the sisters, their affiliates, community partners, and the public’s relationship with nature. Our Individual Placement, Carolyn Johnson, serves with Siena at FSPA to support the organization’s land sustainability efforts and events. Our Individual Placement partnership with FSPA provides consistency for their staff, which eliminates administrative burdens and allows more time to be spent providing members with professional training and hands-on experience in the field.

Map shows the completed 1.5 acres of invasive brush removal in a heavily infested area from the Individual Placement Service Day event.

Siena and Carolyn have been working on a contract through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to remove invasive brush species from 23.6 acres of FSPA land. Funding for this project covers three successive years of native biodiversity restoration. The project area houses a spring-fed stream which leads to a class 2 trout stream named Bostwick Creek. From this work, the people and wildlife who rely on Bostwick Creek will directly benefit from the improved purification of rainwater as well as reduced erosion of the watershed. Topsoil loss will also slow, strengthening the forest understory and improving its ability to store carbon and support plant and animal diversity. These improvements will protect the surrounding community from climate impacts.

During this collaborative Individual Placement Service Day, we collectively completed 1.5 acres of invasive brush removal in a heavily infested area. We focused on identifying and removing the invasive woody species common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), Asian bittersweet (Celastrus loeseneri), Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), winged euonymus (Euonymus alatus), and bush honeysuckle (Lonicera shrub spp).

Representing AmeriCorps Service at Upham Woods are Mark & Elliot. Carolyn is serving with FSPA and far right Ashlyn serves at The Nature Place.

Back Row from left to right: Cara Senn (The Nature Place), Leo Strand (City of La Crosse), Elliot Hull (Upham Woods), Carolyn Johnson (FSPA), Ashlyn Lucky (The Nature Place), Emily Post, Director of Administration for Central Conservation. Bottom Row from left to right: Siena Muehlfeld, Land Sustainability Coordinator at FSPA, Mark Helminski (Upham Woods).

This project plays a small role in strengthening the climate resilience of the Driftless Area. Involving partners in this work provides opportunities to build community relationships around improving land resilience and adaptation towards shared realities and impacts of environmental changes. Working alongside the younger generation allows for opportunities to gain new perspectives and ideas toward solutions for protecting and vocalizing the need for biodiversity in our lands. 

At WisCorps, passionate and engaged individuals lead this movement. Creating opportunities for collaboration is essential in this work. Together, we are part of a rich and dedicated network of organizations working to strengthen climate resilience and community building within the Upper Midwest region. We all rely on the natural world and each other to survive and thrive, especially on the local level. There is great power in working together towards a brighter future for all, however gradual the progress may feel. We hope that sharing this example of coming together in service to steward our natural home may inspire others and strengthen our communities.

Carolyn Johnson, WisCorps Individual Placement serving with FSPA.