The La Crosse County Conservation Alliance’s 32nd annual awards banquet will be held April 8 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Baus Haus in La Crosse.

Recognition awards for outstanding conservation efforts will be presented to two local groups and one individual for their work to further natural resource conservation in La Crosse County. In addition, a special award for stewardship will be presented to state Rep. Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem.

The featured speaker will be Matt Frank, who last year was appointed by Gov. Jim Doyle as Department of Natural Resources secretary.

The Mississippi Valley Conservancy will be honored as the Conservation Organization of the Year. The MVC has permanently protected 6,900 acres of land in western Wisconsin since its inception in 1997, with almost 3,000 acres being added in 2007.

More than 2,000 MVC acres are open to public hunting, and more than $2 million were brought into the community through grants to protect scenic and recreational lands.

MVC offers educational hikes guided by professional naturalists to the public at no cost. MVC staff worked to promote reauthorization of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund used to purchase and protect these lands for future generations.

Honored as the Conservationist of the Year will be Greg Gentry, who has worked as member of the Holmen Rod and Gun Club on conservation projects, many of which are related to youth involvement.

As a hunter safety instructor he has instructed beginning hunters as well as special classes in game recovery and big game hunting. He was instrumental in developing and coordinating the youth field days at the Holmen Rod and Gun Club.

Gentry coordinated the Halfway Creek Trout Stream Improvement Project, working with club members, donating his own equipment and obtaining matching funds through the DNR to rehabilitate 1.5 miles of stream.

This year’s Conservation Project of the Year Award goes to a bluebird house temperature study that was conceived, designed and carried out by several members of the Brice Prairie Conservation Association.

BPCA members noticed eggs that wouldn’t hatch during extended spring cold spells and stress and mortality of young nestlings during extended hot spells. Working with the DNR, the BPCA purchased 10 data loggers and installed them in nest boxes having different shade, insulation, venting or reflective character.

The two-year study showed venting was important, with unvented houses warmer in cold conditions and vented houses cooler in hot conditions. BPCA members then designed and constructed boxes where venting could be altered to meet cold or hot conditions.

Huebsch is being honored for stewardship because he kept the needs of sportsmen and women as a top priority in the negotiations over the 2007 reauthorization of the Knowles Nelson Stewardship Fund. He made sure that all future stewardship funded lands will be open to hunting, fishing and trapping to the greatest extent possible.

Other items such as providing for a public directory for locating stewardship lands and increasing funding for habitat work on existing state lands were also included through his efforts.

Social hour begins at 6 p.m. with the dinner starting at 7:15.

Tickets are $13 and are available from Harry Meinking at 781-9949, Marc Schultz at 781-1662 or from alliance delegates of member organizations.