Snow-covered ground helps biologists to tally in chronic wasting disease zones    

Helicopter teams will conduct aerial deer counts throughout Dane and Iowa counties and near Baraboo from Wednesday through mid-February, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

DNR biologists are conducting aerial deer counts in portions of the chronic wasting disease management zone.

Regional spokesman Bob Manwell in Fitchburg said in a news release Wednesday that completion of the deer count operation is dependent on the presence of several inches of snow, which helps deer stand out on the landscape from the air.

Areas in western Dane and eastern Iowa counties and in the Baraboo area by Devil’s Lake State Park are scheduled for survey flights, officials said.

The DNR said about 260 square mile sections will be surveyed.

Parks department raises funds to plant new trees in Swan Creek Park

The City of Fitchburg Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department and Dane County legal community are working together to add new trees to a local park.

Swan Creek Park on the west side of the city will add 16 trees on Nov. 3, according to the parks department. The trees will be purchased and implanted thanks to local fundraising efforts and an environmental organization's grant.

In an e-mail, Edward Bartell, forester and naturalist for the City of Fitchburg, said the vision for the park’s new trees is to mark a recreational path plus provide shade and nesting sites.

“And they will improve the native tree diversity in the park,” Bartell added.