WSAW Channel 7 Wausau – March 14, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bBy Hannah Borchert<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UW-Stevens Point students partnered with the DNR to help boost the population of the state threatened prairie chicken species. The president of the Wildlife society leading the \u2018Adopt a Wildlife Area\u2019 project said they began the project in 2017 and just committed to another three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since they began volunteering there has been an increase in prairie chickens on the Buena Visa Wildlife Area in Wisconsin Rapids. It\u2019s about 12,500 acres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou know, we are just people. We only have our hands and our feet and we try to do a lot of the work that tractors can\u2019t do,\u201d said Brilyn Brecka, President of the Wildlife Society and Adopt a Wildlife Area co-leader at UWSP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They remove invasive woody species like willow and cherry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCutting down some brush and treating it with herbicide in order to promote grassland growth for the greater prairie chicken,\u201d said Brecka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n