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All the long hours building bluebird and wood duck houses and monitoring them. And planting oak trees in the Black River bottoms. And raising beetles and letting them loose on the purple loosestrife on Lake Onalaska. And cleaning up the boat landings and the Great River Trail. And the many other things the members of the Brice Prairie Conservation Association do to keep their neck of the woods vibrant and full of wildlife. All that hard work and dedication was recently honored, again, by the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.

The BPCA was recognized as a regional recipient for Outstanding Achievement by a Local Conservation Club award at the WCC's annual meeting in Fond du Lac in May. The club also received the award in 2000.

"Our projects are how we have fun," said Leif Marking, BPCA president, during a recent interview.

The WCC is a citizens organization composed of five representatives from each of Wisconsin's 72 counties. It gives out eight regional awards for conservation efforts each year.

The BPCA was founded in 1954 to preserve the Black River bottoms and wetlands, Marking said. Its first substantial project involved dredging a channel to provide access to Lake Onalaska from the Upper Brice Prairie boat landing. Since then, the group has performed many conservation-related projects and along the way has increased awareness of the rare ecosystem and numerous recreational opportunities of the Lake Onalaska area.

Two of the BPCA's most successful programs have been the bluebird restoration and wood duck nesting projects. Club members build dozens of bluebird houses each spring, find suitable places to locate them, then monitor them for the number of young bluebirds fledged. In 2002, BPCA members were responsible for building and monitoring homes that together resulted in 1,138 fledgling bluebirds.

After a couple of less-than-successful efforts, the BPCA's wood duck house program has taken off in recent years. The most recent effort began in 1988 with one duck house and 10 hatched eggs. Those numbers rose to 118 houses occupied in 1995, with 1,022 hatched eggs. In 2002, the club oversaw 245 houses, which accounted for 2,307 hatched eggs.

Other BPCA projects include:

BEETLES: Raising galeru-cella beetles, which are then released on patches of purple loosestrife on Lake Onalaska. Marking called the results of this project "very satisfactory," but said the club's efforts were a drop in the bucket because of the degree to which loosestrife has spread in recent years.

SWAMP OAKS: Planting swamp white oak tree seedlings throughout the Black River bottoms. The oaks provide food, cover and habitat for various wildlife and help fight island erosion.

CLEAN-UPS: Clean-up efforts of Lake Onalaska and the Great River Trail. In 2002, club members removed a ton and a half of garbage from the lake and shore, and cleaned up a five-mile stretch of the trail three times. These projects are done in conjunction with local Boy and Girl Scout troops.

EMERGENCY SHELTERS: The club also is responsible for placing three emergency shelters near the Gibbs Lake area, and installed a solar-powered beacon near the Upper Brice Prairie landing. And club members built a handicapped-accessible fishing area at the upper landing.

The BPCA also helps sponsor a local Boy and Girl Scout troop, a girl's softball team, the Brice Prairie First Responders, a scholarship for Holmen High School graduates and Christmas gifts for a needy area family.

The group's only fund-raiser, besides selling some of the bluebird and wood duck houses, is its annual ice fishing derby. Last year, the BPCA raised about $6,000 for its projects, most of it from the derby.

Marking, who joined the BPCA 41 years ago and has served as president for the past six years, said the goals of the club are simply to do a better job on the projects it already has embarked upon, like upping the number of bluebird fledglings to 1,500 this year.

"We set goals, and the only way we can reach them is to work harder and faster."

The Brice Prairie Conservation Association meets on the fourth Wednesday of every month at its headquarters on Highway ZN on Brice Prairie.